This was always going to be tricky to pull off. When a sequel to perhaps the first horror film of the 21st century to likely be regarded as a classic was announced, the filmmakers basically threw themselves into their own figurative uncharted cave system, ready to be devoured by a mass of lurking genre fans. With its Stateside releases this week on Lionsgate DVD, however, the good news is that it seems they’ve been able to escape with only a few missing limbs and flesh wounds to contend with.
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To call George A. Romero’s latest zombie thriller a horror movie is only half right. Certainly, this sixth entry in his 40-year-old series details what happens when the dead return, armed with a blind instinct to rip the soft parts of the living to shreds—but, as any serious scholar of these pictures knows, none of Romero’s DEAD films are alike.
Let’s face facts: the vacant, cross-eyed stare that lasers out of Charlie Manson mug shots is far more unsettling than any masked stalker or gore effect could ever hope to be. Thus Manson, notorious 1960s hippie prophet, murder-cult leader and Beatles obsessive, has been a reliable go-to bogeyman for many a horror filmmaker.
Truthfully, DEVIL (Dark Horse) doesn’t begin on a high note. In fact, the premise and first couple of pages of issue one come across as something we’ve all seen before. You’ll get the sense that while it’s done well and doesn’t shy away from splatter, it’s really nothing spectacular. Then it goes a little bit crazy, and even though it never ends up “amazing,” it settles nicely right under “intriguing and worth checking out.”
Imagine living in the 1920s—and yet Prohibition, class struggles and equality issues are the least of your worries. That’s the world Alaya Johnson (pictured) brings to life in her debut novel, MOONSHINE, coming May 11 from St. Martin’s Griffin.
One of the great things about the undead is that you can tell a good zombie tale in just about any setting. Terminal Press evidently agrees, and has released ZOMBIEBOMB! DEAD NOT DEAD, a collection of short stories, pinups and more from myriad artists.
The concept of combining superheroes and zombies is not a new one, although it’s usually presented in a “what if…” scenario, painting an alternate world in which the heroes themselves wander the streets in search of the mother lode of brain buffets. Author Peter Clines’ EX-HEROES (Permuted Press) turns the hero/undead mashup on its ear, with mixed results.
Zombies, zombies, zombies, zombies and more zombies. It seems like everyone and their mothers love the undead in this day and age. These days, anywhere you go, you can purchase something ghoul-related, including comic shops.