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Late to the Party: Zombie (1979)

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Going into this movie I knew two things beforehand. One, expect top notch zombie makeup effects. And two, there is a scene involving a shark and a zombie fighting to the death, and that premise alone sounded so incredibly ridiculously bad ass that the rest of the movie would surely be as goofy, right?

Thankfully no, the rest of the movie is not nearly as silly as the zombie on shark smack down, though it was still cool to watch. The film opens with an unknown zombie attacking some unsuspecting police officers, and managing to kill one of them, before falling overboard after being shot by another officer. In the first five minutes, we are treated to some absolutely incredible zombie makeup and design.

Image Credit: Zombie 1979

While Zombie‘s opening moments take place in New York, most of the film takes place on a small island known as Matul. And it is here on Matul that the zombie makeup and effects really shine. Nearly all of the zombie’s designs are eerily similar to the same creatures brought to life by none other than the late, great George Romero. And interesting enough that design choice does serve a purpose.

Zombie was originally supposed to serve as a sequel to George Romero’s Dawn of the Dead which explains why the majority of the zombies showcased on screen call back to Romero’s work. It was also interesting that the exact cause of the undead outbreak is never fully explained. It is stated that a voodoo ritual is to blame, but never expanded on after that.

The voodoo serves the job as to explain why there are shambling corpses wandering around, but is still vague enough to leave something up to the imagination of the viewer. Another strong point was the use of gore. At one point a character is killed brutally by one of the undead by having her eye slowly pushed into a large splintered piece of wood from a broken door.

Gif Credit: Zombie 1979

It was one of the most painful things I have had the pleasure of watching in a horror film in recent years, and only helped to showcase the stunning practical effects that were used. While the acting and writing may be a little dated just due to the age of the movie, the final product is endlessly entertaining even if it’s a bit ridiculous at times. But hey I got to watch a zombie fight a shark underwater, and if nothing else, that is the coolest fight scene I have seen in any horror movie.

Be sure to come back next week to check out our thoughts over none other than Ridley Scott’s horror masterpiece, Alien.

Feature Image Credit: Chris Fischer

 

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Trailer for ‘The Exorcism’ Has Russell Crowe Possessed

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The latest exorcism movie is about to drop this summer. It’s aptly titled The Exorcism and it stars Academy Award winner turned B-movie savant Russell Crowe. The trailer dropped today and by the looks of it, we are getting a possession movie that takes place on a movie set.

Just like this year’s recent demon-in-media-space film Late Night With the Devil, The Exorcism happens during a production. Although the former takes place on a live network talk show, the latter is on an active sound stage. Hopefully, it won’t be entirely serious and we’ll get some meta chuckles out of it.

The film will open in theaters on June 7, but since Shudder also acquired it, it probably won’t be long after that until it finds a home on the streaming service.

Crowe plays, “Anthony Miller, a troubled actor who begins to unravel while shooting a supernatural horror film. His estranged daughter, Lee (Ryan Simpkins), wonders if he’s slipping back into his past addictions or if there’s something more sinister at play. The film also stars Sam Worthington, Chloe Bailey, Adam Goldberg and David Hyde Pierce.”

Crowe did see some success in last year’s The Pope’s Exorcist mostly because his character was so over-the-top and infused with such comical hubris it bordered on parody. We will see if that is the route actor-turned-director Joshua John Miller takes with The Exorcism.

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Win a Stay at The Lizzie Borden House From Spirit Halloween

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lizzie borden house

Spirit Halloween has declared that this week marks the start of spooky season and to celebrate they are offering fans a chance to stay at the Lizzie Borden House with so many perks Lizzie herself would approve.

The Lizzie Borden House in Fall River, MA is claimed to be one of the most haunted houses in America. Of course one lucky winner and up to 12 of their friends will find out if the rumors are true if they win the grand prize: A private stay in the notorious house.

“We are delighted to work with Spirit Halloween to roll out the red carpet and offer the public a chance to win a one-of-a-kind experience at the infamous Lizzie Borden House, which also includes additional haunted experiences and merchandise,” said Lance Zaal, President & Founder of US Ghost Adventures.

Fans can enter to win by following Spirit Halloween‘s Instagram and leaving a comment on the contest post from now through April 28.

Inside the Lizzie Borden House

The prize also includes:

An exclusive guided house tour, including insider insight around the murder, the trial, and commonly reported hauntings

A late-night ghost tour, complete with professional ghost-hunting gear

A private breakfast in the Borden family dining room

A ghost hunting starter kit with two pieces of Ghost Daddy Ghost Hunting Gear and a lesson for two at US Ghost Adventures Ghost Hunting Course

The ultimate Lizzie Borden gift package, featuring an official hatchet, the Lizzie Borden board game, Lily the Haunted Doll, and America’s Most Haunted Volume II

Winner’s choice of a Ghost Tour experience in Salem or a True Crime experience in Boston for two

“Our Halfway to Halloween celebration provides fans an exhilarating taste of what’s to come this fall and empowers them to start planning for their favorite season as early as they please,” said Steven Silverstein, CEO of Spirit Halloween. “We have cultivated an incredible following of enthusiasts who embody the Halloween lifestyle, and we’re thrilled to bring the fun back to life.”

Spirit Halloween is also preparing for their retail haunted houses. On Thursday, August 1 their flagship store in Egg Harbor Township, NJ. will officially open to start off the season. That event usually draws in hordes of people eager to see what new merch, animatronics, and exclusive IP goods will be trending this year.

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’28 Years Later’ Trilogy Taking Shape With Serious Star Power

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28 years later

Danny Boyle is revisiting his 28 Days Later universe with three new films. He will direct the first, 28 Years Later, with two more to follow. Deadline is reporting that sources say Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Ralph Fiennes have been cast for the first entry, a sequel to the original. Details are being kept under wraps so we don’t know how or if the first original sequel 28 Weeks Later fits into the project.

Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Ralph Fiennes

Boyle will direct the first movie but it’s unclear which role he will take on in the subsequent films. What is known is Candyman (2021) director Nia DaCosta is scheduled to direct the second film in this trilogy and that the third will be filmed immediately afterward. Whether DaCosta will direct both is still unclear.

Alex Garland is writing the scripts. Garland is having a successful time at the box office right now. He wrote and directed the current action/thriller Civil War which was just knocked out of the theatrical top spot by Radio Silence’s Abigail.

There is no word yet on when, or where, 28 Years Later will start production.

28 Days Later

The original film followed Jim (Cillian Murphy) who wakes from a coma to find that London is currently dealing with a zombie outbreak.

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