Zombos' Closet of Horror Blog

What Causes Spikes in Zombie Movie Production?

Annalee Newitz and Stephanie Fox, over at io9, are definitely misspending their youth: they created, with an assist from Katherine Duckett, a chart that graphically posits war and upheaval as stimulators for zombie movie production.

There's been a huge spike in the production of zombie movies lately, and many of them seem to be inspired by war. Everything from 28 Days Later to Zombie Strippers make explicit reference to wartime, as did seminal 1968 zombie flick Night of the Living Dead. Is there really a connection between zombie movies and social unrest? We decided to do some research and find out. The result? We've got a line graph showing the number of zombie movies coming out in the West each year since 1910 — and there are definite spikes during certain years, which always seem to happen eerily close to historical events involving war or social upheaval.

I'm not sure how accurate something like this can be, but it sure is fun to read. And the list of movies they include in their study is a horror fan's Netflix wet dream. So go ahead and click on the graph to learn more.

Personal Nightmares and Darker Landscapes

It is an odd thing, but in times of stress I dream about zombies. Not pleasant "hey, let's dress up like zombies and stagger around the mall" on Saturday dreams, but night-sweats, run like hell, sorts of dreams. Perhaps it is not so odd, being a horror fan and all that, but still disturbing all the same.

Usually, the zombies are lying in wait in some dark place I know I should not enter. Either a basement or hallway or a road I am driving lost on. The bad situation is like a movie cliche that repeats itself with a bit of new set dressing and characters each time, except for the zombies and the overwhelming fear that eventually forces me awake to avoid it. What causes this fear is still a mystery to me. While the zombies do make matters worse, they are not the real fear that travels through my night for as long as I can remember.

It all started in my teens, intermittently at first, occurring more often until a sort of closure dream ended it for a brief time. It was either a door to a weird-looking house, or the opening to a dark cave, or a door to a room down a long hall. There were no zombies then, only an omnipresent fear that where I found myself I should not be, and what lay behind the door or in the dark cave should not be seen.

This went on for a long time. I did not sleep then nearly as much as I do now, but still it made sleep an often nerve-tingling experience. Each time I seemed to be a little closer to reaching the doorknob or entering the cave, but each time the fear took control, forcing me awake to avoid it; unreasoning fear, visceral fear, a fear only the chaotic subconscious or dark Thanatos could wield so potently.

And then one night it stopped. The closed door, this time, led into a large, dark house with many windows. I stood outside, looking up at the windows, then looking down at the door. It opened! I froze. From one of the windows a man dressed all in black, and wearing a top-hat, suddenly leaned out and shouted to me "it's showtime!" He disappeared for a moment, then reappeared, holding a skinned torso in his arms. He threw it toward me. Instead of the fear that had so often forced me awake, this time it forced me to run to the open door. Now here is where it gets really weird.

Entering the house placed me on a sloping, mountainside path. It was dusk, and snow started to fall, dusting the path. I was alone at first, but a man, dressed in a gray robe and holding a staff, from which a yellow lantern glowed, started walking up the path toward me. I could hear bells as he came closer.  When  he passed me without a word, I felt the need to follow him. I did. We continued walking in silence. The snow grew heavier, and his lantern glowed more brightly with each step we took up the mountain path. Suddenly, his lantern glowed a very bright white light, filling my vision until there was this--the best way I can describe it--pop. It was a feeling more than a noise, and I woke up with a feeling of complete peace. The fear, fostered by whatever lay behind those doors for so long, was gone, and did not return for many years. Only now I have the added pleasure of dealing with zombies, too.

What nightmares do you dream and which dark landscapes do you trod during the late hours?

The Swamp is copyrighted by Nela Dunato. She has nightmares, too.

Killer Klowns From Outer Space (1988)

Part Three of The Shudderites Attack
(Read Part Two)

Things are looking grim for our heroes at the mansion. Steve Brown, Zombos and Chef Machiavelli are desperately trying to hold off the Shudderites and their vile, but playful, pets at the pantry door. But can they be stopped? Will Chef Machiavelli ever be able to prepare the evening meal, or will Zombos be shaked and baked instead? Looks like another takeout night at the mansion.

"Mr. Zoc! Mr. Zoc!" cried Glenor Glenda the maid, running down the hall from the pantry.

"I'm rather busy blogging," I told her.

"But you must come at once! Mr. Zombos is taken by those nasty creatures, and Steve Brown is lying unconscious by the pantry door."

"Where's Chef Machiavelli?" I yelled back.

"I don't know."

Great, I thought, definitely a takeout night. Must I do everything around here? I am, after all, only the valet. I pushed aside my laptop. Killer Klowns From Outer Space would have to wait until I attended to this annoying 8th Dimension incursion into the mansion. As I hustled down the hall, I stopped briefly to pick up a nice Narsil-looking sword and hefty battle-axe from one of the medieval suits of armour that line the east hallway leading to the kitchen.

I found Steve Brown lying unconscious on the kitchen floor. "Fetch some Scotch whiskey, if you please," I told Glenor. "Make it snappy."

She quickly returned with a bottle. "Have you no sense of decency, woman?" I told her, seeing she brought the wrong bottle. "Not the vatted malt! Bring back the Royal Brackla. The man is unconscious you know. I mean really."

Bloody Mary on the Rocks Over at Goblin Books

Over at www.goblinbooks.com author Paul Bibeau has a Bloody Mary marathon going for the next few weeks, with clips, short stories, pics, and other stuff.

Paul says " I'd love to hear -- and post -- any stories you have of the most famous mirror ghost. Did you ever play the game? What did you call the creature? What was the ritual, the legend behind it, and what the hell was supposed to show up there in the dark? And most of all... did anything scary ever happen?

Play along with Paul, if you dare!

For those of you new to the game...Bloody Mary is a ghost or witch featured in Western folklore. She is said to appear in a mirror when her name is called three times (or sometimes more, depending upon the version of the story), often as part of a game at slumber parties. Other very similar tales use different names for the character including Mary Worth, Mary Worthington, and Hell Mary among others.^[1]

Read more about her on Wikipedia

Director Set for World War Z Movie

From Variety...

Paramount has set "Quantum of Solace" director Marc Forster to helm "World War Z," based on the Max Brooks bestselling novel about a worldwide infestation of flesh-eating zombies.

"Changeling" scribe J. Michael Straczynski is writing the screenplay, and Brad Pitt's Plan B is producing.

Forster joins in Paramount's "War."

Inflatable Fruitcake: End the Horror!

Maybe it's me, but I actually like fruitcake. Perhaps that is because Chef Machiavelli bathes his festively spicy Panforte in more spirits than Charles Dickens conjured up in A Christmas Carol. However, for those of you not so blessed, there is a palatable alternative that will keep you from reluctantly chewing, and chewing, and chewing what would have been better suited for a doorstop, handy tire chock for your vehicle, or mallet for pounding stakes into vampire breasts, with gusto, during the holiday season. (I recall they cut a scene in Hostel 2 where victims were forced to eat fruitcake without anything to drink, but even torture porn has its limits.)

Now you can stop the fruitcake horror by giving an inflatable one!

What are your fruitcake horror stories? Remember, you are not alone!

Horror Movie Cliches Illustrated With Stick Figures

I had been down in the post-Halloween dumps until I read this humorous top twenty list of horror movie clichés illustrated through stick figure drawings. While I agree we can do without their overuse, I will say they can still be exploited by talented directors to either mislead, satirize, or scare us. You be the judge.

The black guy -- or any minority -- dies: This has become a standard since the advent of the slasher in the late '70s and is epitomized by the Orlando Jones line in Evolution: "I've seen this movie. The black dude dies first."

Horror Movie Clichés I Can Do Without

Dark Scribe Press: Call For Submissions

News from Dark Scribe Press...

Dark Scribe Press is pleased to announce that it has decided to take on UK publisher Hadesgate's previously announced book on slasher films — The Ultimate Slasher Movies: The Essential Guide to Slasher Films — as its second print project. Beginning with a new working title — Butcher Knives & Body Counts: Essays on the Formula, Frights, and Fun of the Slasher Film - the project will be expanded upon significantly, with a new call for submissions.

The project will move from "guide" — and from what most would immediately associate with encapsulated reviews — to a more comprehensive collection of critical essays on the slasher film genre. In addition to opportunities for analyses of individual films, DSP is also looking for essays on various aspects of the slasher film genre. We anticipate those essays dealing with individual films to be in the 1,000- to 1,500-word range, with a slightly larger word range and some added flexibility for essays pertaining to the more general aspects of the genre.

As we did with our Unspeakable Horror anthology, DSP has established a dedicated blog for the project where submission guidelines, tips, and announcements will be posted. We offer some suggested topics that will give potential contributors an idea of what we're open to in relation to the broader essays.

Project Details & Full Submission Guidelines

Lost Zombies Widget

The Lost Zombies widget is now available. Now you can get more immersed in their community generated zombie documentary if you so desire. Ironic, isn't it? Zombies, those ubiquitous, anti-social, homicidal, putrefying, puss-filled, single-minded hellions on two (or so) legs have become the ultimate socializing force for horror fans. On film they send people screaming away from them, and in real-life just about every horror fan wants to dress up and play undead with their friends and strangers. Go figure.

An Interview With David Wellington: Night of the Sugar Eating Fiends

"They're coming! Barricade the door!" I threw the hammer to Zombos and held a plank of wood in place across the doorframe. "The nails, the nails! Who has the nails?" screamed Zombos as the sound of pounding increased.

We turned to Chef Machiavelli. He stood like stone with his hands over his ears. His eyes stared into oblivion. His mind had retreated to a safer place where the Food Channel was running an all-day marathon only he could see.

"Here!" shouted Pretorius, our groundskeeper, over the ever increasing pounding on the front door. He tossed over the box of nails. Both Zombos and I reached for it too soon, jammed our fingers, and sent the box flipping end over end, spilling nails out of reach.

"Oh, Lord. We are toast," sobbed Zombos. But then the pounding stopped. We breathed deeply, waiting for something else to happen. I was shaking, and Zombos showed his age more than usual.

"Who's the damn fool who put those toothbrushes into our trick or treat bags anyway?" asked Pretorius.

Zombos and I looked at each other. At the same time we uttered the same name. "Zimba." Only Zimba, Zombos' wife, would dare to commit such a heinous act on the spookiest night of the year.

"Hell of a damn thing to do," said Pretorius. "You might as well go dancing over graves or give McDonald's McDollars if you want to rile up the little monsters and invite doom."

Zombos' Closet Halloween Contest Winners!

The Winners of the First Annual Zombos' Closet of Horror Halloween Contest are:

For FIRST PRIZE--CLASSIC FUN, the winner is ZC reader Carolina Abello in Scotland! Carolina will receive the following goodies:

• Universal Horrors Book by Weaver, Brunas and Brunas (red cover, McFarland Press) 
• Boris Karloff: The Man Remembered by Shriver (thanks Gordon!)
• Midnight Syndicate's Vampyre CD (Entity Productions)
• Man of a Thousand Faces DVD (Universal Studios)
• Monsters Crash the Pajama Party Spook Show Spectacular DVD (Something Weird Video)
• Monster Mania DVD (Image Entertainment)
• Deluxe Extended Edition King Kong, Peter Jackson version, (Universal Studios)

For SECOND PRIZE--CONTEMPORARY FUN, the winner is ZC reader Mike Petrucelli in New Jersey! Mike will receive the following goodies:

Bestial: Werewolf Apocalypse by William D. Carl (Permuted Press)
Midnight Syndicate's Gates of Delirium CD (Entity Productions)
Something to Scream About DVD (Tempe)
After Dark Festival: Dark Ride DVD (Lionsgate)
Flight of the Living Dead: Outbreak on a Plane DVD (Image), and comes with promotional squishy skull
Scorpion King 2: Rise of a Warrior DVD (Universal)

For THIRD PRIZE--CONTEMPORARY FUN, the winner is ZC reader Jonathan Crimmins in Massachusetts! Mike will receive the following goodies:

Day by Day Armageddon by Bourne (Permuted Press)
Midnight Syndicate's The 13th Hour CD (Entity Productions)
Trailer Park of Terror DVD (Summit), includes R and Unrated Versions, and promotional beef jerky
Hostel DVD (Lionsgate) Unrated Widescreen version
I Spit on Your Grave Millenium Edition DVD (Elite)

Congratulations to our winners, and a big thank you to all the ZC readers who entered the contest!

Joshua Hoffine Has a Devil of a Time

Joshua Hoffine's new devilish photograph is hot. You can read how he created it on his blogsite.

This photograph was shot in my studio. I constructed a set with a floor that was raised three feet off of the ground. My good friend Jason Coale, who works as a professional scenic designer, acted as supervisor. My friends Damien Vela and Matt Tady helped with all of the carpentry...

View more of his horror portfolio.

Abbott and Costello: The Complete Universal Pictures Collection

I have fond memories of watching Abbott and Costello movies every Sunday on WPIX, Channel 11, in New York. The timing, the sight gags, and the inimitable pairing of dapper con man, Bud Abbott,  with the naive, less ambitious--but more sincere--Lou Costello, made films like The Time of Their Lives (my favorite) and Hold That Ghost (my second favorite) uniquely their own.

While Universal Pictures has already released the movies in various collections, for those of you who have not savored the comedy and humanity of Abbott and Costello yet, now is the time.

Here's the promotional information:

"Now, for the first time ever, all 28 films produced during the height of their popularity at Universal Pictures are finally available in one prestigious collection. Featuring their most popular movies such as Buck Privates, Who Done It? and Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, this collection is filled with hilarious routines including, “Who’s on First?”, “Two Tens for a Five” and “Mustard.”

Loaded with hours of bonus features and an exclusive collectible book, Abbott and Costello: The Complete Universal Pictures Collection is the ultimate tribute to two of the funniest and most enduring comedians of all time."

Official Abbott and Costello Website

Abbott and Costello on Wikipedia

Make It Happen: Get Out and Vote!

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times; it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness; it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity; it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness; it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair; we had everything before us, we had nothing before us; we were all going directly to Heaven, we were all going the other way." -- Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities

"There's an East wind coming, Watson."
"I think not, Holmes. It is very warm."
"Good old Watson! You are the one fixed point in a changing age. There's an East wind coming all the same, such a wind as never blew on England yet. It will be cold and bitter, Watson, and a good many of us may wither before its blast. But it's God's own wind none the less, and a cleaner, better, stronger land will lie in the sunshine when the storm has cleared." -- Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, His Last Bow

"The universe is change; our life is what our thoughts make it." -- Marcus Aurelius Antoninus

Voting is change, too. Put your thoughts into action: vote.

Unspeakable Horror...Speaks!

No place is darker than in the shadows of our closets...
And on each self, and in each corner, rests shoes, and clothes, and unspeakable horrors...

Editors Vince Liaguno and Chad Helder step into Zombos' closet for a chat about their upcoming horror anthology that dares to open the creaking doors to those most personal, untidy closets we all share, where the light bulb is always dark, and the space is always pressing. And where fear is always piled deep in the farthest, darkest, corner.

How did Unspeakable Horror: From the Shadows of the Closet come about?

Chad Helder:  In 2006, I started a website called Unspeakable Horror [http://unspeakablehorror.com/] that explored the intersections between the horror genre and queer theory. Early on, I heard from Vince who was about to publish his first novel. We quickly became friends. At some point, Vince came up with the idea of publishing an anthology of gay horror stories. As a lover of short fiction, I was really excited about the prospect. That’s how it all began. Vince launched Dark Scribe Press, and the project began.