zombies...an analysis

Zombies: most of us think of the re-animated corpses of humans out to devour living flesh. They have featured mostly in film thanks in no small part to directors such as George A. Romero and Lucio Fulci. However the zombies have transcended into other mediums such as graphic novels, video games and fiction book remarkably well.

The real reason that the zombie genre is acomplished is because of the connotations, social comentaries, and characterics that befall the human "survivor" characters. When made right, the survivors in the zombie media become isolated from the world and have to choose between social upheaval or barbarianism.

I have constructed a list of what I have found to be the best selection of zombie media over the past few decades.

Night of the Living Dead (1969)
George A. Romero's debut feature film introduced audiences to the idea of the dead returning to life to eat the flesh of the living. Even by today's standards this has still got moments of shock and gore. The main meat of the film, which is seen as a social commentary at the time, is the black protagonist. The film eventually becomes a power struggle in the fortification of a country house to repel the zombie attack. It was a budget movie, but it was also a huge sucess across theatres and drive-ins across the United States. There have been re-releases, remakes, and unofficial sequels to the movie. My advice is to find the original, untampered movie for the best and unspoiled experience.


The Living Dead at Manchester Morgue (1974)
Also known as "Let Sleeping Corpses Lie" in the States. This is an often overlooked little gem of a film. This takes the template Romero had made a few years ealier, and sets it in the English countryside. Add in colour, better established characters and cinematography, and of course more zombies. It features standoffs in a church and a hospital and features the plod being devoured. The film takes a stab at counter culture conflicts with the widley regarded facist police force. So in the case of TLDAMM, pairing a hippie couple with a bent cop in a fight for survival is gonna have interesting consciquences. The English setting and characters only add to the film's charm. And the gore is top-notch too.

Dawn of the Dead (1979)
Romero returned to making what he did best. Many consider this the archetype zombie movie. With the US fighting a losing battle against the zombie epidemic, two cops, an anchorwoman and a helicopter pilot decide to escape the madness. They take refuge in a mega-mall. As soon as they clear out the remaining zombies in the mall, it all becomes an unusual paradise that slowly rots them. Its consumer capitalism given an ugly makeover. Right until a gang of bikers invades their newly establised palice. Featuring some of the best scenes in any zombie flick: from helicopter decapitations, domesticating a security office, freeloading mall stores, and a hare-krisna zombie. And its worth noting the soundtrack gets over-used in future zombie parodys.


Resident Evil (1996)
Also known as Biohazard in its native Japan. At the time, Capcom were better known for their 2D beat-em-up franchise Street Fighter. Then along came Resident Evil, a game that coined the phrase survival-horror. Featuring a 3D setting and lush artistic direction, Resident Evil pitted members of an elite police force investigating grisly murders. It eventually leeds them to a mansion that becomes a death trap. Littered with zombies, mutant animals, and an even worse conspiracy. The second game of this franchise my personal favorite as the epidemic that preceded the first game takes to the streets, creating all kinds of horror for the player. You soon find that zombies are the least of your troubles! Its a shame the films suck!



The original Japanese comercial for Resident Evil 2...directed by none other than Romero :)

The Zombie Survival Guide (2003)
Taking the conventions of the various zombie mediums that had been established earlier, this book serves as a reference guide for a mock scenario of a zombie out break. It covers specific weapons, locations to hold up and fortify, where to and where not to go, etc. It also comes with basic but humerious diagrams included in the book. The author Max Brooks is clearly a fan of the genre. His other contributions include World War Z: a journalistic set of interviews with survivors of a zombie apocalypse. Remember: machetes don't need reoading!

The Walking Dead (2003-present)
As graphic novels go, this is pretty much the standard for zombies. Comic writer Robert Kirkman is no stranger to zombies thanks to his take on the MARVEL universe with MARVEL Zombies. Set after the events of a zombie outbreak, ex-cop Rick Grimes sets out to find his wife and child only to find things have turned much more grislier than he imagined. The Walking Dead is everything you'd expect it to be and much more, depicting desperate human beings in a survialist situation.

28 Days Later (2003)
Director Danny Boyle is noted for many interesting things with his films. Whether it was shedding light on Mumbai life in Slumdog Millionare or creating a cult film status with Trainspoting. One thing he can be credited for is perhaps re-inventing the zombie genre with 28 Days Later. Not nesescarily a zombie film, the themes of survivalism remain whilst the stakes are raised much higher. The victims of a simian blood disease become fast-running feral humans, infecting all of England. Filmed mostly with digital cameras, its sets the gritty fast paced horror featured in the film. Future films such as Zack Synde's Dawn of the Dead remake use this similar approach to 'modernise' the zombie flick. Its because of 28 Days Later that zombies are no longer stuck to just lumbering towards their prey.

Left 4 Dead (2008)
Proving that the zombie apocalypse is still fertile ground for gaming, Left 4 Dead is considered the ideal co-operative experience. This is where up to four players work together to fend off zombie hordes with whatever weapons they can find. Teamwork is essential in this game as you will be fighting hundreds of zombies swarimg at you at once. And then there are the 'special infected' that take more of a beating. Developed by Valve, creators of the Half Life and Counter Strike games, Left 4 Dead has give more leeway to the posibilities of horror gaming. Surprisingly this has been the game I play alot with even the most timid casual gamers. Its reputation has definitly given it a good about of curiousity at the very least. Left 4 Dead 2 is the most recent release, and it adds that all important element to the game: CHAINSAWS!!!


Anyone wanting to find the sweetspots of the zombie medium, I would recommend these as good starting points. You wont be dissapointed.

relations in space....

I finally completed Mass Effect 2. It took a good 30 hours of my life but they were worth it.



I found it very clever how it intergrated my Mass Effect 1 save data and shaped my experience playing this game. Adds plenty of replay value (even for the first game.)


Now all I have to do is play it again as a badass.

Oh and dont listen to all those parential warnings about in-game sex. I wouldn't even call it softcore.


In space no-one can hear you scream in ecstacy!

Previous work... (Music)

I figured I would take this time to profile my previous projects over the years.

Lycanthrope/Kreigsherr

On and Off 2002-2007
This was always a starteding point for me musically. It was with my old friend Ed Wilkinson. We both started at the same point in music making and we progressed together. This was a simple as meeting at uxbridge college during breaks and sharing our findings. This included Cds from Slayer, Metallica, and various nu-metal bands who were popular at the time. We also had occasional Jam sessions at eachother's houses over the years. We both went our own paths in education and unfortunatly we became differnt personally. The closest we ever got to recording material was with our mutial friend Jack Lofty. At the time he was studying a music production course at Amersham College and wated to record our material for his project. We recruited a local drummer who unfortunatly became unreliable and the recording project was pressured for time so they never got completed.


Ed Wilkinson
Taken during BTEC Music Performance Course 2004


OpenwaR:
http://www.myspace.com/openwarlondon

2005-2006
This was my first offical starting point. It was a way to break-in to the local metal scene with the likes of bands that existed at the time. This included Kingsise blues, The Silent Takeover, and Final Ruin. All of these were awesome bands, but unfortunately were weren't. One problem was that our guitarist had only been playing for a year. Though he was a fast learner he wasn't band material. Add in a unfocused drummer, another guitarist who was a bassist originally, a decent weed-smoking singer, and myself. It didn't last.




Final Ruin
http://www.myspace.com/finalruin

October-November 2005
This was a job I still look back on in enjoyment. I subbed for Final Ruin on bass for two gigs in and around this time frame. It was a favour from my friend Ian (ex-Crimson Altar/ ex- Here Lies Affliction/ No Second Chance) who was moving from bass to guitar for them. I still remember the places: one was the riffleman in Hounslow, the other was the Trinity in Harrow. This was one of those gigs within the local metal scene with the aformentioned bands. I still remember writing gig reviews for them. I believe one of the support acts was These Bloddy Hands (Steve from Annotations of an Autopsy's old band).


Me headbanging to one of Ruin's gigs

Kill the Curse
http://www.myspace.com/killthecurse

November 2005
My college friend Ashley Alcaide is what you call an otaku. He loves his japan culture from the videogames to the cuisine very obessivly. He had a project with his god-brother Wilbur Fernandez (ex-1000 sins/ now known as Chapters.) It wasn't my kind of music usually: post-hardcore mixed with some experimental stuff thrown in. To be fair it was the experiemental elements that led me to put in basslines for them anyway.I dont know what any of them are doing now besides throwing on big wii parties and working in various terminals at Heathrow Airport.

In Eternum:
http://www.myspace.com/ineternumuk

January- April 2007
I don't have many good things to say about these guys. This was the reminants of a prog-band who's remaining original members went to my University. The other remaining members strangly went to form the black-metal band Primitive Graven Image (something that started as a bad joke was given a record deal and the chance to be serious.)

The other two, Marc and Simon tried their best to revive the project with their friends from Chesham, their peers from their music degree, a french dude from a Megadeth fanclub, and me. At the time I was trying my hand at a fretless bass... which didn't go down to well for the musically educated and snobish attitude. Needless to say, this was a failing band with a bad leader and an uncommited drummer with only one gig lined up. The gig went done good, but Marc had the nerve to say I was only valible as a temporary member. he said nothing like 'Try harder' or 'dont use the fretless,' he just insulted me. Espiecially when i made the effort to visit him and his friends and learn the songs and get involved in his little group of shenanagans. Not long after i left, the band crumbled internally from the real problem: themselves.


Me on the left, assholes on the right.


Skrot Rot
http://www.myspace.com/skrotrot

May-October 2007
This was a sort of rebound from In Eternum. I had found associates of the band Ted Maul, Bob Snowshall and Alex Bruce. We engaged in many crazy things within their flat in Colllindale, North London.This included recording tracks. Within that time I introduuced them to the local scene. It was because of me that they were able to find members of When Gods Burn. Unfortunatly I didn't get involved because i had already tired of Alex's use of cocaine and the attitude that followed. I still keep in contact with Bob and wish him the best.


Alex on the set of the Ted Maul music video

Hang the Bastard
http://www.myspace.com/hangthebastardlondon

Similar to Final Ruin some years back. This was a favour to fill in for Bass during a few gigs while Lianna and Simon were away at various festivas. In these occasions, the person subing for Simon, the drummer, was Nick Searle (Here Lies Affliction) I had worked with Nick with Final Ruin and he's always a decent person to work with. HTB are currently doing very well within the whole London metal scene and it was a pleasure to work with them.

As Winter Burns White
http://www.myspace.com/aswinterburnswhite

2009-2010
I had known about Winter even before their various spots on sites such as deathcoreissexy.co.uk and the UK metal underground. They were what my old friend Ed was involved with. I had seen them at the best and their worst even before I joined. Making their music video sealed the deal between Me and their guitarist Jakkh. We got to know one another very well. When Ed left due to finacial reasons, I was next. This followed with various gigs from Lowestoft to Bristol.

There is a darker story to this project however. Even though I had buddied with Jakkh, he distanced himself from Ed and Kane (the band's other guitarist who got the sack) We hung out at the Junction bar with whatever money we had. Within that space he had buddied up with people who re-igited his need to smoke weed ten-fold. I don't know why but he graduatly stoped caring about the band. he efirst decided to change the sound of the band to something more nu-metal based. There other problems that arrose such as Jakkh owing everyone money (causing vocalist Pip to quit at one point,) Pip's unheathy stress levels and fixation with his D cupped Girlfirend didn't help either. When we did return, there was hardly any practise booked. And jakkh kept forgetting riffs and getting sidetracked with small-time projects.



It was easy for me to call up everyone and say the band was done. We were hardly talking and more avoiding eachother. I still find Adam or Pip online at some points. As i understand it Adam doing drums for I defy and Pip is doing vocals for No Conscequince. Jakkh has Snohtbaen Son as a pastime.

Its taken me hours to compile all these photos and write these paragraphs. I still have much to achiee but I always remember where I came from and all the friends I made.

I have not commited to any new bands or projects just yet, but time will tell. I do have an interesting CV with all these projects to list.

This a music video i made a while ago
for As Winter Burns White (before I joined them)



its on youtube but its been getting a range of unusual comments from argumental fan-kids. Judge for yourself.

Look ma, he shot it again...

I'm that looney Irish/ American dude over there. In that dank island country full of limey depressants who want to come to my country. Which one I ask? The one with the catholics or the one with the sexualy confused, born-again bible belt? Either way they've got their own problems.

My internet history can be traced on other emo websites like Myspace.com/horsemeat or melodramatic.com/horsemeat187.......and i'm sure there was a livejournal account witth the name which probably still gets monitored by an obsessive ex.

So here are the basics: I've been playing bass since 2002 or so, I've been in numerious small-time and slightly larger bands in that time, I was a Film, Television and Media student for a good six years, I have some old film projects lying around, I've been with an awesome woman for four and a half years, I currently live in a small apartment in Watford, Hertfordshire: an area just outside greater London, and I like Italian B.M.T subs.

My current activities range from the bass, gaming on Xbox or other systems, paintballing, and general drinking with buddies.

Detailed posts will follow.