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  1. #61
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    PART I: THE 1968 CLASSIC - Q P2

    Then there's the audio, not helping either. It is far too low with various snap, pops and clicks, much of it random. As to be expected, the trailer is worn out with serious brightness issues; too dark and too white. Details can't be seen.

    Like I wrote earlier, if you do want - get this as cheap as possible. Two bucks or less, won't hurt much.

    So three of them?

    Yup. Three public domain movies on DVD with new covers.



    The first was "Battle Of The Worlds" (1961). I can tell you that finding info on "Battle" is hard. I would say - if you care about crap transfer releases - this is rare. So few information online about it. The second is "Voyage To The Planet Of Prehistoric Women" (1968) which has the second best cover of these "Comic Book Collectors Edition" titles.

    Number one and two had covers by Steve Ellis, Medel only did the third.

    So the contradictions?

    When did these come out? Good question.

    Allegedly all three streeted on the same date, February 14th with the same price tag - that's what Amazon claims. The price is mostly constant. But the date for "Battle" isn't. Some websites list it as March 14th, 2017 and not from Dub3, but Polyscope. I can't get a solid answer. I run into both dates in my research.

    Checking my calendar as luck would have it - both dates are Tuesdays; the day when new releases come out. I'm gonna go with Amazon since they are an authority in such things.

    - - - - - - - - - -

    Tangent.

    Okay, kind of. Not really.

    More "Night" news to report. Since screen snaps would been too small (640 x 356), I did some work - enlarged them. Okay.



    Once again a new soundtrack was added to the 1968 film, this time by Bird Peterson.

    After two successful Halloween live performances at the Alamo Drafthouse Ritz theater in Austin, Bird has finally released his critically acclaimed version of the classic genre definer Night Of The Living Dead featuring his new original score. Inspired by 80s horror and post-modern classical composers, the "driving synth filled" new soundtrack creates "an ongoing, rising pulse that brings out the natural anxiety of the film". The full soundtrack is also now streaming everywhere and available for sale from Teenage Riot Records.
    - official press release

    You can view this version on either YouTube (posted by Peterson on his channel on October 8th, 2018) and on Vimeo platforms.

    The presentation is eighty-eight minutes long. Yup, it's been edited.

    - - -

    Extras:

    -none-

    - - -

    Audio:

    * Digital 2.0 Stereo

    - - -

    NOTES/REVIEW

    The new music is synthwave and I didn't care for it. The thing is so generic, take it away - insert into another movie and repeat, no anchor. Same result. Plus it has high pitches/spikes; call it noise, that's not music. Plus film is dominated by music, not highlighting important moments. Overkill. Was this enjoyed? I suppose this is better than the other redo by Ogden; two composers, Robin Ogden with Dallas Campbell.

    You can read about that version with this click.

    The soundtrack as you read above can be bought from Teenage Riot Records - this is a digital only album and is $11.99.

    I would love to hear Le Matos doing their own synthwave interpretation. I can tell you this, it would not suck.

    Sure, if you want to view it with the new music - go to YouTube, type in "Night Of The Living Dead (With New Original Score By Bird Peterson)" in search. Or if you know how, "BFdnliTiidI". It's still there (as of writing).

    How the image quality?



    This is presented in mostly full screen with black bars on the side. It has a bit wideness to it. The print used is a good one. The audio has a problem; presented in artificial stereo - I don't have a problem with it, that's not the reason - not mixed proper. When the music is played (which is most off the time), it snuffs out the film's foley (sound effects) and even dialog. Making it stick out, badly.

    Not joking.

    Don't have to take my word for it. Just find it on YouTube and listen for yourself. The mix (as it were) sucks big time. And the new music doesn't make it better. Okay,

    - - - - - - - - - -

    SOUNDTRACKS PART X



    As far as I can tell, this had an October 8th, 2018 release date; the digital copy. And of course, streaming audio too.

    - - -

    Tracks

    1. Opening Credits
    2. They’re Coming To Get You Barbara
    3. Inside The House
    4. Two Of Them
    5. Burning The Body
    6. Things Get Worse
    7. The Others
    8. From Worse To Worser
    9. Fire
    10. The Feeding
    11. Fear Takes Over
    12. The Cellar
    13. The Next Day

    After watching with the new music, I have no desire to acquire this venture. Pass.



    Yup. I feel the same, Tom - "Why?"

    Work has begun on the next post. A large entry on yet another remake of the '68 flick - with a modern flair. Didn't think I would like it. But I did, even with its faults. Come back here next Thursday for another undead slice of horror, another multi-parter.

  2. #62
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    PART II: THE REMAKES - A8 P1

    No mistake about it.

    There are two dogs in the house. Still recovering. Feeling somewhat better from the aspirins. No flashlight, dark. Just that single weapon, the ice pick. Not good. You can hear them moving, perhaps even smelling the places where you were which will culminate to this unlocked closet.

    Can't get out since you're still too weak. They can and will outrun you if you decide to get out - rush to close the master bedroom's door. A big risk, too big to take in your condition.

    Not even considering how much noise that will create, the barking. When you came to this house it was mostly clear, the street. That was then. Now? Too many unknowns.

    As they say, necessity is the mother of invention. Quietly taking stock of your backpack, you remember that foul jar of Vegemite. You had taken it. A last ditch idea if it ever happened... smear the gunk on your face and clothes to try to blend among the dead. It smells, awful. Okay, maybe not that revolting, but enough to get you an exit - or running head start.

    This is that time.

    You take fingers of it and coat the venetian blinds doors and yourself - face and chest. This better work. Then you take out a piece of cardboard fanning the air - making the smell go beyond the doors. Fingers crossed.

    Entry.

    The two pit bulls strut into the room. You can see that one of them is the alpha. They sniff the air and give a light growl. Showtime...

    You let out a minor moan, that you rise a tad bit in volume; not someone living.

    They hear you and comes to doors. You raise it up once more. Now with your jaw, making the teeth clang - biting the air. Keeping your breath in check - the dead don't breathe. The dogs look at each other for a moment then glance around the room.

    Nothing to eat here. They wander into the bathroom and can hear them licking up the toilet? Did that still have water? You had forgotten to check. The canines run out and look into other open door rooms. You can hear them still in the house. But after unspecified hours, the house is silent. Morning sun has risen. Another day, another chance at life.

    First thing, as quietly as possible close the bedroom door.

    Packed up your gear, wiped off the Vegemite. Time to leave as best as you can. Looking out the window, you see the dogs in the distance, RUNNING. Oh damn. You rush out trying to find that busted window or opening to seal it.

    The dead have arrived. You're gonna be here longer than expected. This could be a good thing, could - more time to recover.

    Another remake!



    The program had a single opening on July 11th, 2015, Petco Park in San Diego, part of '15 Comic-Con . It was made with a budget of $3,500,000(estimated). There is zero box office stats. This was unrated.

    It didn't - but had it opened wide, the feature would've opened against "Minions", "Terminator: Genisys", "Jurassic World", "Inside Out" and "Ted 2".

    This is an official DVD-R (manufactured on demand) titled. It was released on November 15th, 2016 from Walla, LLC for $19.99. Catalog number is W000001. UPC# is 8-06923-00000-0. The region 1 came in a common DVD case with a printed wraparound (not an ink jet print out), looks nice. It does come with a printed disc label which looks pressed, not printed.

    The release came with no slipcover, nor slipcover.

    It has seven chapters.

    The motion picture is sixty-two minutes long.

    - - -

    Extras:

    -none-

    - - -

    Audio:

    * Digital 2.0 Stereo (2 channel LPCM)

    - - -

    NOTES/REVIEW

    There are no subtitles

    The DVD is not dubbed in any language(s).

    It is presented in anamorphic widescreen.

    There is a history here, but none of it in included in the release. Some of which I'll cover. A lackluster release, zero extras, not even a real DVD. Paid $17.41 off Ebay (October 4th, 2018), used. But as it turns out, got a new copy, still sealed.

    In October of 2015 (hard to pin down), the movie was made available for streaming on iTunes and OnDemand stations across the United States.



    Why even have a menu screen when the only option is "Play", not even chapter options? But the greater travesty is how this is presented, beyond being an MOD. This like the pervious post is a single layer title. And just like that is under used. Repeating myself; a single layer disc has a 4.7 GB capacity. Info on my computer, this uses 2.47 GB, that's LESS then the last entry!

    Was it to make a quicker burn time? Less data, easier to churn out. Considering how weak the CGI is here, wouldn't you do your best to make it look a good as it can? Have it near 4.7 to get good video for audiences - not asking too much. Twenty dollar price tag on a movie which is pretty much an extended short.

    You would think that would be a given, it's not.

    A new fully CG take on "Night Of The Living Dead." This is the story of a group of survivors fighting to stay alive when a mysterious plague unleashes the undead on New York City. Barricaded in an abandoned apartment building, the characters from the original film face new terror and question each other’s compassion and sense of humanity as they fight to stay alive against the army of the walking dead.
    - official press release

    Indeed. I took numerous pages of notes while watching, nine pages.

    Let me first say, the CGI is crap, there's no way around it - like the video output from a first gen "Playstation" (PS1; 1995). This was made with motion capture and the movements are jerky. What makes it even worse is the above downgrade. *nods*



    Part of its history is the two directors who made it. The film had been in production on and off for five years since late 2009. Director Zebediah de Soto oversaw the first iteration.

    This was before the project was retooled - when the CGI flick was simply "Night Of The Living Dead: Origins". Things become fuzzy here. As you can see above, no where in that promo does it say '3D'. My speculation. I think this was intended to be a CGI feature, but a new director came into the project which wanted the production to have a wider appeal and at that time cinemas where having a resurgence of 3D movies.

    De Soto did not want it. But second director, Krisztian Majdik did.

    To meet a deadline she opted to go more generic on the character appearances. Which de Soto dislike, so much so - he left the project. From what I've read, De Soto basically burned himself out.

    Add to that, an interview with voice actor Tony Todd said on the project, 'different approaches'.

    Can I prove it? I think I can.



    Above left is Majdik's Ben as seen in the movie. On the right is de Soto's Ben with the other survivors in the background. Notice the huge difference? Besides Harry having a gut.

    By the way, that dopy expression on final Ben is his neutral expression. *shakes head*

    While de Soto's vision was a bit cartoony was far more human looking. The opening moments (credits) when the plague hits New York is footage from the original animation. People fleeing and ghouls preying look different from the rest of the feature. Probably done to save time and money.

    The music by Jermaine Stegall was excellent, fits nicely; atmospheric when it needs to be and tense when the situations call upon it. Would like, if it existed - a CD soundtrack. Good stuff.

    Another plus was the cinematography by Gabriel Sabloff. They were blessed with this guy. The horror moments became red hued surrealism - mixed in with a Grindhouse flavor (scratched film stock, screen jumps and differential exposures).

    "Darkest Dawn" was written Warren Davis II, Zebediah de Soto and David Reuben Schwartz. They did an great job on re-inventing the classic.

    The movie takes place on evening of December 25th, 2010 - winter; it's snowing, some ice on the streets. But there is no Christmas decorations or trees to be seen, only mention once "Merry Christmas" by a stewardess.



    This is a universe where 9/11 didn't happened. End credits has a shot of the Twin Towers in the background. Now this may have been done to accentuate one of the major moment of destruction - death of Johnny. Here, he did not accompany Barbra (voiced by Danielle Harris) to the cemetery, they speak over her cell phone on speaker. Johnny (voiced by Bill Moseley) is at his office in a high-rise. By the way, she lives in Manhattan.

    Film starts with one of the early infected who dies, resurrects within an airliner on route to JFK airport. The Air Marshall (voiced by Gus Malliarodakis) trying to put him down, only to getting infected blood on everyone. Things go as expected.

    Same plane - crashes into his building; Johnny on the phone looking at death rushing towards him. There is footage of the plane hitting the tower on the emergency TV broadcast which echoes 9/11.

    The same idea was used for the finale of "Remember Me" (2010).

    We join the pandemic, not an epidemic; happening worldwide from Boston to Beijing.

    This take place in and around Times Square, NY; major moments retooled to the new location with nods to the sequels; characters have different back stories - told in flashbacks.
    Last edited by JohnIan101; 01-05-2020 at 04:12 AM.

  3. #63
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    PART II: THE REMAKES - A8 P2



    Tom was in the military, did not see combat was a cook. Completed his tour two month earlier. He and Judy are newlyweds - married (checked calendar) on the 23rd, last Thursday. Tom is now an Indian man (...from India); which makes sense since he's voiced by Indian actor R. Madhavan.

    Farmhouse sanctuary replaced with a middle class townhouse.

    Another big change is Ben (Todd)

    Benjamin is a dad. We are given the impression that he and his wife, Tami (voiced by Sydney Tamiia Poitier) are breaking up; should tell their son, about nine - Maddy (voiced by Nazhi McCullough) what's going to transpire. The conversation happens at "Romero's Dinner". Only near the very end do we get more. Not a break up, but a conclusion. Tami has terminal cancer, about six months left. To tell their son what will happen and to prepare him for her inevitable death - misdirection.



    Before things get serious, a scream is heard outside. A woman is being attacked. Tells Tami to stay inside with Maddy. Ben goes outside and is unable to help; the stranger takes a chunk of the woman's neck. He's then attacked by a different person.

    Gets the upper hand, snapping the assailant's neck. That's when the gravity hits him.

    Noise and screams - happening all over town. Before he can react, sees a big rig, gasoline tanker. The driver is dead, smashing into cars going full speed. Tanker crashes into the diner, killing his family.

    Barbra flees the cemetery ghoul in her car, trying to avoid the high traffic and chaos; crashes not into a tree, but a lamp post. Runs out, directionless until finding an unlocked townhouse.



    Another change, the Coopers - particularly, Helen (voiced by Alona Tal). Harry married a woman some years his junior. Helen is not middle age, in her early thirties. Quite proactive here, risking her life to save the group as they try to get transportation.

    It is Tom and Judy while running from the undead who saved the Coopers; pulling them out of their crashed car.

    My problem, character-wise. Harry Cooper is voiced by Joseph Pilato; horror icon, Captain Henry Rhodes from the third Romero 'Nigh' entry, "Day Of The Dead (1985). It was nice they portrayed Harry as they did, the CGI person, an average man. Pilato in real life has... packed in some pounds.

    Pilato made Harry a cartoon villain. So damn campy. The rest are quite somber and serious, not Harry. Too over the top. Safest place isn't a basement, but the roof top. Which is where he want everyone to go. Now this is insulting which could've been done on purpose - I'll concede that.

    Zero shelter on the roof, fully exposed to the elements; winter and it's snowing. WTF Harry? Now I suppose he wants to be up there in case an helicopter passes by. Which does happen later, but not near the townhouse. No blankets - he and Helen are not dressed for a long outdoor stay. Not even talking about their sick daughter, Karen (voiced by Luann de Soto).

    Did like that they showed Karen's wound, remarking how it smells - putrid.

    Harry is an aggressive jackass; hard to be sympathetic, even towards the end when all he has is a dying kid. His tears do not make-up or him being a total bastard. Before you ask, original Harry was the better man. Hell when introduced, Harry practically assaults Barbra holding her hostage against Ben. Not cool.



    Name sparked in my noggin' - Alona Tal.

    HER. She is probably best known as Meg Manning on the cult TV series, "Veronica Mars". Wording.

    And she did the TV series, "Cult" (2013). Too bad that hasn't come to DVD, thirteen episodes.

    Yes, I chose that picture because she has knitted skull tank top.



    Corpse upstairs echoes the dead body, Satchel (Tom's cousin) from 1990 remake, on the floor, seated. Not the face eaten, dead girl from the 1968 movie. The music box has a different tune and does not come with opening/closing doors. This is classical music box, open the lid to see a ballerina spin.

    She's broken, ballerina looks unnatural, dead.

    Mixture of slow and fast moving zeds. The ghouls have different looks, until we reach the end. But I'll get into that in few. To accentuate the carnage, the dead are not just eating the living... which is another gripe.

    We see them ripping people apart and tossing up blood, making it rain as it were.

    Done for a cheap 3D effects, 'what can we put in front of the camera?'



    Action is repeated several times - far too much blood thrown in the air, like splashing paint.

    Next is a huge change, but works for the narrative.

    In the original and both remakes; the 1990 and "Night Of The Living Dead 3D" (2006; Part I, scroll down and Part II) the gang stay at the house, trying to secure it.



    This only partially occurs. Passed the midway point, the power goes out and the house is overrun by the dead.

    The survivors flee into the back alley. Into unknown territory. Where is this going???

    That was a happy question mark. The characters and audience do not know what's coming next. It reinvents the '68 conclusion.

    Taking a pause to talk about the cemetery zombie...



    His appearance reminds me of a Halloween toy from 2004. Above right is one of the hand puppets from SOTA Toys line - "When Puppets Attack". Six different puppets; three zombies, Death, a witch and an angry pumpkin (designed by Matt Rose and Chad Waters).

    These were/are (can at times be found in October prop-up Halloween stores) ten inches tall, retail for $14.95. And would've been super sway if the things actually did as advertised. They were cheaply made and the head was too heavy, the puppet flopped over - as in the neck couldn't handle the weight of the head. Above is the ghoul named Barlowe, he looks like the cemetery zombie. Can't say if this was done deliberately by the filmmakers.

    Only mentioned once.

    ...all digital transmissions from satellites are out - due to intense radiation in the atmosphere. This radiation may be due to the recently return of the Venus probe. *static* This event has had an adverse effect on the global popluation. No word yet on what exactly has cause the malfunctions of several commercial aircraft, though terrorism is been ruled out...
    - radio announcer

    Enjoyed how smart this was. Minus Harry; each doing their best to make correct decisions, thinking. An example is Tom and Judy. When it happened, both were playing around - trying to have sex in the back of their car, an empty parking lot, newlywed bliss. Screams heard and investigated, the world had changed. There is a moment when they are upstairs, the hotel's main entrance, a revolving door. A harsh truth...

    Woman on the street is being chased by a zed. There are many others inside which the couple had dodged. They will be found soon enough - get out while they can. They can NOT help this woman. Even if this went 100% well; Tom, Judy and this woman holding the door static - in a few minutes will be many more pushing on the door, overpowered. Then they all will die.

    Tom times their rush out to the woman running towards them, spinning. This gets them out and the woman with the zombie tossed inside - that stranger is dead, didn't try to help her. Which could very well be the guilt that gets the Coopers saved.

    Even with such a short run time, they made time for characters moments; has zero to do with the plot. Just breathing room for development, sprinkled throughout the program, making the poorly rendered CGI people, human.

    Another example...

    Good evening ladies and gentlemen. We're asking all civilians to head for the safety zones if they're able. Arm yourself, please. If you're attacked, defend yourselfs. Let it be clear though - I am in no way condoning murder, nor do I need a bunch of vigilante groups out there hindering our efforts. But we are dealing with extraordinary circumstances this evening. And the best way to deal with these - for argument sake, 'the infected' is a bullet to the head or massive head trauma. If neither is at your disposal... burn them. Our intel says, they don't like fire.
    - Chief McClellan on the emergency TV broadcast

    McClellan isn't named, just on the end credits. We are to assumed to know - voiced by Tom Sizemore. This I enjoyed, making it known, NOT an excuse to go murdering people.
    Last edited by JohnIan101; 10-31-2019 at 02:23 AM.

  4. #64
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    PART II: THE REMAKES - A8 P3

    Which happened in another undead flick; low-key comedy with some horror. "Life After Beth" (2014). The boyfriend's brother, Kyle Orfman (Matthew Gray Gubler) is the neighborhood captain as the outbreak is happening. Uses his authority to murder the neighbor he dislikes. Claiming the woman was infected, was not. Unknown how many he killed - and by the end, got away with it.

    Same thing in the second Romero installment "Dawn Of The Dead" (1978); snapped racist S.W.A.T. member, Wooley (James A. Baffico) - started to kill the apartment residents he's suppose to be protecting; Blacks and Puerto Ricans.



    "Beth"...

    Zach Orfman is heartbroken when his girlfriend dies, a fatal snake bite - hiking in the woods. But is shocked to see her after the funeral; the family is keeping her resurrection a secret. She's quite human, slowly decaying - until her higher brain functions widdle way into full Romero territory. A different take on the zombie genre. This is a tale of a man who comes to understand that his love was an illusion. Beth didn't genuinely care for him, alive or undead; sometimes seconds chances are not worth it. She becomes patient-zero in an ghoul outbreak.

    Decent flick; ending has Beth taken down. Authorities feared another outbreak. Her grave is a crypt with a metal door, locked and welded shut ...just in case.

    Gonna stop with "Darkest Dawn", left out much, gave highlights. Events of the finale is tragic, nobody survives as in the original. But how it happens is different. Much of it is damn unfair - which makes it poignant.

    Like '68, McClellan and his men are cleaning up, appear to be winning. We have hope that this can be resolved, corked at least. But we know better, small victory to a huge failing later.



    Meta. When Ben is at "Bub's" gas station (nod to "Day Of The Dead") trying to fuel up an old pickup - he goes into the convenience store to turn on the pumps; poster for "Night Of The Living Dead" 1968. Not sure what that means other than a nod.

    Another production quote.

    The hardest part by FAR was budget limitation. We got some big name producers (Simon West, he's great!!) on that helped us get the cast and the financing but there wasn't a lot of it. It was very much a super low budget production on the level of a higher end 20 minute Saturday morning cartoon. We were 20 kids in a garage in 90 degree heat at times. It was fun but hard... very hard. If we would have known how tough it would be, none of us would have done it in the first place.

    This has been in the works for a long time. On a conceptual level, the project started in 2009 as a micro budget animated film. Basically a bunch of kids in a garage type of thing. We hit some hurdles on the way and the project went through a couple long breaks. Most of the work was done in the past two years.
    - 2nd director Krisztian Majdik



    Above, a shot from a major conflict involving Ben and Barbra trying to board a military helicopter. Pretty much up until that moment, zombies were individuals, each looking separate, various degree of damage. Here they started using the same generic ghoul, cutting corners.

    Out of time or money to make each distinctive?

    Earlier spoke how this only had a single theatrical screening, then dumped on streaming services. There was an attempt to do more. Asking the public to help, crowd-sourcing. Did not work out.

    Before their premiere; June 18th, 2015 filmmakers created an Indiegogo page asking for donations to create an HD master print to open in wide release - goal $200,000. There were items from posters to t-shirts and home video releases should you donate X amount of dollars.



    And a promo video asking for funds with Tony Todd as Ben; hunted by ghouls in an alley, kinda cool. Saying what they wanted to do while putting down zombies; bashing and shooting heads. When did that promo happen?

    Can tell you the final trailer popped online, June 20th, 2015. Promo happened within day(s).

    Last I checked, years ago (notes made); twenty-seven days later, rise $1,075.00. Yeah, that "Walker Stalker Fan Fest" at Petco Park was their only big screen showing (9:00 PM).



    A flawed ambition, but I give it serious credit for trying and at times DOING something both original and faithful to the source. Considering how many movies try and outright fail, makes this an exception.

    Was cool to have both Todd and Moseley reprising their roles from the '90 remake. Moseley's screen time is roughly two minutes, a bit part.

    When first announced was impressive to have so many horror veterans with voice roles. From the above to Pilato even Sizemore who has done sci-fi and horror features and scream queen Danielle Harris.



    The two iterations of Barabra. Above left is Zebediah de Soto then Krisztian Majdik's versions. Both leave something to be desired. But de Soto's doesn't look like Barb has sheer pantyhose over her face. There are times when characters speak and their lips barely move.

    Characters here, kinda resemble the actors voicing them.

    Both Judy and Tom in de Soto's iteration have a punk appearance. Things I've uncovered in my research...

    1) Rapper/actor Mos Def was originally cast as Ben. Don't know if he recorded his voice. Was released from the project once they got Tony Todd to reprise his role.

    2) Actor Mike Diskint was cast as Tom. Also don't know if he recorded.

    3) Actress Erin Braswel was cast as Judy. Don't know if she recorded.

    4) First iterations had two other characters, deleted from the final cut. Actress Jesse Corti was a news reporter. And actor Cornell Womack was a 'no-nonsense' New York cop. Is that the zombie cop, Tom puts down???

    5) Recordings were done in separate sessions, none of the actors were together. Nor together for motion capture.

    6) Once hired and the project switched to the new director (Majdik); Todd came back to re-record his dialog. A different take on the character.

    Quote from late 2009...

    I wanted to make this look like a living Monet; it's expressionism. It's going to be the first zombie movie played on a epic scale. This is the 'Empire Of The Sun' [1987] of zombie films. I lived through the L.A. riots and saw the city on fire; I remember seeing people running, people getting pulled out of cars. And with 9/11, these images have been ingrained on people of my generation. I just thought that is the way it would really be, a lot of chaos.
    - Zebediah de Soto

    Lots of passion. At one point, he was working eighteen hours a day trying to make his version. That passion is what got producer Simon West on board.

    Basement or garage? Kept reading both, digging deeper found the answer; de Soto had his computers in a basement. Majdik was the garage as said in her quote.

    This would make three characters Pilato has played in 'Dead' films and yes "Darkest Dawn" counts. He had a bit role as a dock policeman in the beginning of "Dawn Of The Dead" ('78) and mentioned Captain Rhodes in "Day" ('85).



    Bought for the Retrospective - a meaty post for the 50th anniversary; pretty sure was going to rip it apart; money wasted for your enjoyment. But was damn surprised, had no reason to be as good as it was. I know my recommendation can't hold water.

    Some won't get over the poor CGI. I understand - was my main concern. Take notes and endure cheap garbage. Like the entry for the other remake, "Night Of The Living Dead: Resurrection" (2012; Part I). Paid five dollars too much for that.

    1990 remake image of Satchel; noticed something I hadn't after numerous viewings. Following being introduced, Harry (Tom Towles) grabs a beer from the frig. Can of Stoney's Beer; brewed in Smithton, Pennsylvania - a local ale. Movie takes place near Pittsburgh, PA.

    Satchel (Albert Shellhammer) was a cripple, there's a bloody forearm crutch next to him - never notice before.

    The last bit is huge. Something that failed to register these past twenty-eight years. Ben's story; how he got the farmhouse, broken into two parts, an intermission when the place was under attack, then continues to speak.

    Beekman's Diner is in Evans City - five miles away. He was at the diner when it happened. Some of the locals had tried to get the upper hand, not knowing they were dealing with the dead. There was an explosion - it set Ben's car on fire, which is why he abandoned it, acquiring the landscaping truck - fleeing.

    There you go. I have another entry in the works, book review - an anthology. Worth your money? Find out sometime in November.

    Film's official website is gone - same URL, now a European lingerie/swimsuit site; theyeatbrains dot com. *shakes head*

    How ghoulish.
    Last edited by JohnIan101; 10-31-2018 at 02:55 AM.

  5. #65
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    PART II: THE REMAKES - A9

    The sound was quite recognizable, someone was getting whacked by an axe. The only real question at the moment... is the recipient alive or dead?

    You have made your life in zed world as an isolationist. Not so much by choice, but as a necessity. Greater evils are committed by wicked people using the planetary reset as an excuse to do all their darkest wanton desires. Messed up people who in the last world - would've been locked up. Now they run free. Worse yet, they're thriving.

    More wet thumpings.

    You peek over the wooden fence of this once nicely kept lake shore home. Okay, it's a dead person getting the blade.

    That's good.

    A bit more extension - there's a large man, shirtless in what appears to be solely dressed in blue overalls. He's living the redneck dream fashionwise.

    More whacks. That's ghoul is most certainly dead-dead. This is way overkill.

    Then sh!t hits the fan. You pull back and snap a twig as you make an exit. A hoped quiet exit, fails. Big guy heard it. You know since there was a loud grunt and the thumpings ceased.

    You just wanted to see if this house had any worthwhile supplies, not to be caught in drama. So begins a slow game of chess about the large backyard. Behind trees, long dead cars and anything that could be large enough to conceal your frame. What pops in your mind is Chaka Chan's "Ain't Nobody". This is so damn stupid.

    Why can't things be all nice and easy?

    'Bobby Boy' as you call him has laser focus; trying to find out what or who made that noise. Choices are fading as you exhaust them rather quickly. But there's an odor in the air, nauseating. Salvation or more woes? Where is that zombie? Can you use him/her to be your surrogate?

    Better the dead guy than you; somebody is gonna get the axe - Lizzy Borden style. And from the looks of it, it will be forty whacks too.

    As promised a few weeks back, I have the data...



    "Night Of The Living Dead" 1990 streeted on October 23rd, 2018 from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (UPC# 0 43396 54634 9) for $24.99. It's SKU is 34331424. The region A/B/C (1080p) came in a common BD case.

    The Blu-Ray streeted against "Mamma Mia!: Here We Go Again - Sing Along Edition" and "Disney Jr.: Holiday".

    No slipcover or insert was issued. And this did not come with a Digital Copy. No idea how many chapters; can not find that info online.

    The motion picture is eighty-eight minutes long.

    - - -

    Extras:

    * Commentary: director Tom Savini
    * "The Dead Walk: Remaking A Classic" making-of featurette (full screen, 24:52 minutes - upscaled)
    * Theatrical Trailer (in HD, widescreen)

    - - -

    Audio:

    * 5.1 DTS-HD MA
    * Dolby Digital 2.0 (French)

    - - -

    NOTES/RANT

    There are subtitles in English.

    While this is part of Sony's MOD program (Manufactured On Demand), a burned BD. This release is a genuine pressed Blu-Ray.

    None of the extras produced for the Umbrella Entertainment, Australian release carried over. You can read about them - click here.

    What we have is an HD release of the 1999 DVD.

    This does fix the visual woes with the previous U.S. Blu-Ray, the 2012, Twilight Time, debacle.



    Anyhow, there have been various remarks that the 2018 release is struck from a new master. A mixed bag over picture quality. It is darker than the Umbrella release, but has more color. And the Sony title has far better audio.

    That's about it. Not much really to write about. Spent more time researching, than on writing or images. Indeed.

  6. #66
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    PART I: THE 1968 CLASSIC - R

    Dreams of the past flood as you look at a faded calendar posted on the wall at this once busy post office. You had got it in your head that this - a Federal building, would be secure... and empty.

    Yes on both. The rear entrance as shut and walled around with both brick and heavy duty chain-link fence. This place was dead free when you creatively used a tree to climb over the barrier. Super quiet as you found an unlocked door.

    Searching about, you found various small offices and the large mail sorting machinery. All silent and devoid of the undead. Some rooms had flats of water. And the staff room with still stocked vending machines - various bags of chips, candy bars and treats.

    This was intended to be an easy place to rough out the Winter. You had gain quite the supply food and water. Sure it won't last for months. But it was enough to be rationed to last perhaps a couple of weeks. Not including all the food found.

    A couple of weeks free of danger and stress. Your vacation from the apocalypse. There was another and it was a deep desire. Getting to open a ton of packages and keeping the contents. It is the post office after all.

    First thing is grabbing various paper items; stapled and taping them together to put under doors with views into the lobby as a light blockers. No need for anyone, dead or otherwise to see light shining under an entry. Squander the whole point of this 'vacation'.

    You had checked this place from the front earlier that day; both doors were locked shut, would not budge.

    The rest were simple enough. Found one of the larger offices and did your best to do without crafting much noise. You moved yourself in. Taking out various furnishing, desks and lamps and others. Like the unworkable coffee maker and mini frig - which did have some cans of soda. Joy!

    The space was made for your inflatable mattress and light bedding you have. But there could be more. Waiting in the mail room. Waiting to be open, like Christmas morning. This you would do tomorrow and the next day and the next day. Just like the food, rationing. All of it yours now.

    The hope is to turn this into a full seasonal home, consolidating all the worthwhile stuff into your 'room'. And you had found not four, but five of those large jugs full of water for the communal cooler. It keeps getting better. This fixer-upper will be grand.

    The sunset had come and you've been a busy fellow, time to sleep. But before you can return to your private Shangri-La, there is a scrapping. At first singular, then multiple. A disturbing thought popped in your head. The roof had not been checked.

    Clearly there would be some part of this building's interior with access to the roof. The flashlight was pulled and switched. After some moment the access point was found, stairs going up. Your ice pick is taken out and a slow accession is made. The roof door was not locked. A pause and held breath, the door is opened. You stand there in silence, waiting to hear footsteps or moans.

    Yes, you do.

    But these sounds are muffled. That doesn't make sense. You pull out, walking like a low budget movie ninja. The air is still, no breeze, no smell. There was still enough light out, some of the sun remain. A glance around shows nothing. The top is empty, minus you. WTF?

    Those noises are still present, muffled. You inch every so slow over to the edge, just slightly raising your head to see the street below.

    There is that moment in all horror movies where the protagonist or future victims witness Death walking by - in a hockey mask or a melted face with bladed glove. Some are saved by quick thinking and others by straight-up good luck. You know better not to scream.

    Dunk down - you had not been seen. This is where a panic attack hits. Below is a sea, undulating with streams and eddies in rotten flesh.

    As if all the people of the county and more had just gotten together to take a walk, destination unknown, a nightmare precession.

    You get on your hands and knees and slowly crawl back to the opening. It's not like they can see you, but fear, that primal fear grips you keenly. In all of your days in dead world, this was more than anything you had witnessed. Hell had come to pay a visit.

    Once inside, the door is gently closed and locked. You stand on those stairs for some time, thinking. Thinking. Thinking. And reassuring yourself this is still a good idea. They can't get in. They don't know you're inside. And as messed up as it is. They are offering you protection against raiders.

    Whatever happens now is so far beyond anything you can hope to resolve. All possible precautions were taken. A walk back to your room, tired and a bit defeated.

    The office door is locked. Hope for the best.

    No mood to watch DVDs on your portable player or to eat some chips. At least here, this room, you can't hear the outside racket. It's quiet. As you fade to slumber land. You remember you had taken a bunch of packages into a cart and placed them next to this room.

    The cart can be put inside. You can still have your 'Christmas' tomorrow... okay.

    SOUNDTRACKS PART XI

    A new version of the 1968 soundtrack is coming in vinyl later this month.



    The last release was a remastered CD from Zero Day Releasing in 2010; "They Won't Stay Dead!: Music From The Soundtrack Of Night Of The Living Dead". You can read about it by clicking here.

    "Night Of The Living Dead: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack", a two LP set, coming from Waxwork Records. Pre-orders available with a $40.00 retail price. But this may already be sold out.

    This features artwork by Robert Sammelin; an 11" x 11" booklet with 'never before seen' production photos; two 180 gram "Ghoul Green" vinyl (pictures have it kinda bluish) discs; liner notes by Daniel Kraus (dialogue recorder) and Gary Streiner (sound engineer) and lastly a gatefold jacket.

    This has been a three year long project. The original music was located, restored and remastered. But wasn't that "They Won't Stay Dead!"? Very same deal, they had found all the original library music and remastered for CD.



    This special 50th Anniversary Original Motion Picture Soundtrack release of NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD features the complete soundtrack for the very first time in any format.
    - Waxwork Records press release

    Anyhow, this include a bonus track; one of the radio spots from the film.

    This will street on November 12th, 2018.

    - - -

    Tracks

    Disc 1 Side A
    1. Opening Drive
    2. Walking To The Grave
    3. Attacked
    4. Flight From The Cemetery
    5. Refuge
    6. Trophy Room
    7. The Clothesline
    8. Dead Connection/Corpse On The Stairs/Ben Arrives
    9. Panic
    10. Blood From The Landing
    11. Smashing The Headlight
    12. Tire Iron Attack
    13. "Don't Look At It!"

    Disc 1 Side B
    1. Back Porch Bonfire
    2. Searching The House
    3. The Music Box
    4. Boarding Up The House
    5. Knocked Out
    6. Fireplace And Torch
    7. Lounge Chair Bonfire
    8. The Cellar Door
    9. Finding The Rifle
    10. Ben Comforts Barbra
    11. Cleaning Upstairs
    12. New Arrivals
    13. Attack At The Window
    14. Grasping Hands
    15. Ghouls Approach The House

    Disc 2 Side A
    1. Down To The Cellar
    2. Up From The Cellar
    3. Escape Plan
    4. Tom And Judy
    5. Unboarding
    6. Molotov Cocktails
    7. Escape From The House
    8. Truck Escape
    9. Truck On Fire
    10. Feeding Frenzy
    11. Lights Out

    Disc 2 Side B
    1. Final Siege
    2. Breakthrough
    3. Helen's Death
    4. Ghouls Overrun
    5. Cellar Nightmare
    6. The Posse
    7. Bonfire
    8. End Credits
    9. Bonus: Night Of The Living Dead 1968 Radio Spot

    The artwork is excellent. Too bad this is exclusive to vinyl.



    Above pictures are the set and booklet. And more Sammelin art from the gatefold. As you can see, the disc are mostly light blue, not so much green.

    No mention of a Digital Copy being made available with the collection.

    For me this would be an novelty to own. I do not have a record player and really don't see myself owning one. That's like asking me to have a cassette player. I've moved on.

    Would much rather have this soundtrack on compact disc. Indeed.



    Ben, I don't think fire will keep them down for long. Half a century later, they still feasting on the living. *nods* Come back here later this month for another entry. A book review. No, not that Warner Paperback Library 1974 novel, I wish.

  7. #67
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    PART IV: BOOKS - A5 P1

    No story since I'm covering a bunch of shorts.



    This month on the 8th, I finished reading the book which arrived mid, last month. Read off and on, had other things to do. This anthology is a mixed bag which I will cover.

    The book was first talked about in the entry for "Night Of The Living Dead" novel (non-canon adaptation) by Christopher Andrews on April 26th, 2017. Some stats before we continue.

    Released on July 11th, 2017 from St. Martin's Press (ISBN# 978-1250112248) for $17.99.

    The softback is three-hundred seventy pages long. The dimensions are 5.3 x 8.3 inches.

    I'm looking at this and has to happen this way. Too much to write about so I'm going to do this bi-weekly the various shorts until finished.

    - - -

    NOTES/REVIEW

    This has Romero's final published work; streeted five days after he passed from lung cancer. I was hoping it was gonna be good - it was lackluster. But later an epiphany hits me. I'll cover that in detail much later, there's a reason why his included sucks.

    Let me take a step back. Repeating what was included in the April 26th post...

    In 1968 the world experienced a brand new kind of terror with the debut of George A. Romero’s landmark movie Night Of The Living Dead. The newly dead rose to attack the living. Not as vampires or werewolves. This was something new... and terrifying. Since then, zombies have invaded every aspect of popular culture.

    But it all started on that dreadful night in a remote farmhouse...

    "Nights Of The Living Dead" returns to that night, to the outbreak, to where it all began. New York Times bestselling author Jonathan Maberry teams with the godfather of the living dead himself, George A. Romero to present a collection of all new tales set during the 48 hours of that legendary outbreak.

    "Nights Of The Living Dead" includes stories by some of today’s most important writers: Brian Keene, Carrie Ryan, Chuck Wendig, Craig Engler, David J. Schow, David Wellington, Issac Marion, Jay Bonansinga, Joe R. Lansdale, John Russo, John Skipp, Keith R.A. DeCandido, Max Brallier, Mike Carey, Mira Grant, Neal Shusterman & Brandon Shusterman, and Ryan Brown. Plus original stories by Romero and Maberry!
    - back cover

    This has nineteen shorts; anthology was edited by author Jonathan Maberry and Romero - with introductions from both men. Tales - their length varies, some are four and half pages and others are twenty-three. I'm gonna do a small synopsis on each. There will be spoilers, but basic stuff. I'm not gonna ruin the whole book for you.

    You may want to check it out.

    Okay, not all of these stories have an ending, quite a few end with a cliffhanger with no resolution. And not finished by another writer later in here. They just end.

    The front cover reads: "All-new, original stories based on Night Of The Living Dead." And the back cover (above), "collection of all new tales set during the 48 hours of that legendary outbreak".

    Not true. Some are set in 1968 and some are set in the present - in reboot form; back to Day One, now in 2017.

    There is an error in Maberry's introduction.

    Dates, for example, are sketchy. Night was released in 1968, but George's movie Diary Of The Dead, released in 2007, technically takes place at the same time.
    I see this in various YouTubers who make "Night" videos. No. It is NOT the same day. "Diary" is a reboot, starting from day one in the current period. The same way the remake was set at the start, now rebooted to 1990. Why is this concept so damn hard to accept?

    It's a reboot.

    Anyhow, I did not have an issue with stories not adhering to 1968. The problem(s) were with crappy stories. One of which in particular, just pissed me off. It's Millennial horror. [shakes head] I'll cover it in detail when we hit it.

    Lets do this in the order as they appear in the book....

    1) "Dead Man's Curve" by Joe R. Lansdale. This is by far my favorite, I wanted more, but it ends on a cliffhanger. It appears to be set in '68 and told in first person. The story centers on siblings, brother and sister. They race cars for profit. Tommy builds and fixes cars. She drives them fast, real fast. Looking at the pages, she isn't given a name. Our leads drive a red, Dodge Charger vs. Matt and Duane in their Pontiac GTO. The plan is the race down "Dead Man's Curve", finish line is the parking lot of the hospital. Beyond that is the city's morgue - winner get $200.

    This is a stretch of road neither sibling had driven down, it's curvy and at one side is an old quarry, now filled with water, a man-made lake. There is some small talk about what had happened earlier that day.

    "Some kind of convention, they all got sick at the hotel. Bet twenty of them died. Hospital has a bunch of sick ones packed in, some in bad shape, probably buying a ticket for the morgue right now".

    "Some kind of mold in the ventilation system, I think".

    They race, but the dead has other plans as they walk from the woods onto the road. The GTO crashes into a person, Duane gets out and is promptly eaten. Matt races away hitting more people. Our leads take off and are nearly overtaken. Down the road before the hospital they find a farmhouse and see the GTO smashed into a tree. They drive in to investigate and see a women calling them into the large barn. New plan.

    Things go bad as they see Matt beating on the woman and trying to lock them out of the barn. The girl uses a tire iron to hit inbetween the cracks of the wood, nearly breaking Matt's arm. Tommy opens the door and she drives in.

    The place belongs to an older woman in her sixties, she's taking care of her four grandchildren when the event happened. The house was getting over run, the front door was open at the time. She took her wards to the next safest place. Turns out Matt was trying to beat the woman; toss the kids and lady outside to be eaten - distractions from him; remain quiet until they lost interest and leave. Matt knows from what he's seen, the dead have risen.

    Soon this place will be surrounded. Our girl comes up with a plan to get their attention while the woman and kids make an escape in a tractor with trailer. It's comes from no where and make sense. A bloody choice. The plan works and the dead follow the Charger. The family is on it's way to town, maybe the local police has a safe zone. The siblings try to make it out in their car, but it's now starting to run out of fuel.

    She spent a lot of it revving up the motor and going in circle - a pied piper of zombies. The road is getting thick with them. They will not get to the summit to flee. She opts an alternate exit. Full speed on Dead Man's Curve on the bend - over the edge into the lake. Hope to reach as close as they can to the other side. Foot on the floor, some of the dead were on top of the car and are thrown off as it goes over the edge; some land in the water.

    They get close enough and swim in turns to reach the edge, but the quarry walls are smooth, no way to grip or get out.

    Right before a cloud had covered the moon, she saw what looked like a trail nearby. They swim to it with hopes. The end. This is played, smart. Lots of good decisions and sibling fun, teasing each other. Matt makes a great foil, he's a bastard.

    2) "A Dead Girl Named Sue" by Craig E. Engler. Story follows Sheriff, Evan Foster and his now captured suspect, Cliven Ridgeway. The crisis is known in this small town which also appear to be a period tale. Cliven is the back of the cruiser being taken to the police station.

    We find out later the Sheriff had made an effort for justice, since the world is coming apart. No more courts. Cold justice for the rape and murder of a thirteen year old girl, Sue Donovan. Cliven is locked in his cell with the girl in a slightly open body bag tossed in. You can pretty much guess the rest. End with Foster planning the next swift justice - Cliven's father, Abel. Who helped with the murder.

    "The sheriff figured they'd have enough time to get Abel before dawn."

    A meat and potatoes story, knew where they were going when it spent so much time with Cliven in his cell, telling us how small it is and covering how much of a jerk the man is.

    Entry three is another favorite of mine; psychic vs. the undead, next entry.



    How's that for a taste? Come back here on the November 29th, 2018 for more of this long book review, I'll give a two part entry next. *wink*

    And this post should've been made on the 15th. *shakes head* My fault.
    Last edited by JohnIan101; 10-21-2020 at 04:13 AM.

  8. #68
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    PART IV: BOOKS - A5 P2

    Just gonna dive in as we continue with the examination of the zombie anthology, "Nights Of The Living Dead", published by St. Martin's Press...

    3) "Fast Entry" by Jay Bonansinga. This was my second favorite. Something I had not encountered before. The story takes place at a Fort Denning, two days after the event. Master Sergeant Jasmine Meredeth Maywell works for D.I.A. (Defense Intelligence Agency). She's very out of place, not looking like a professional, slightly goth.

    She has a gift that's killing her mental health. She can get into people's minds, reading thoughts and the minds of people nearby. To drown out the voices, she drinks a lot and takes drugs for silence... and to get high. This story takes place in the present.

    She is ordered to appear at Fort Denning in Maryland, an urgent matter. The MP at the elevator tells her NOT to descend. But she has all the paperwork and was told ASAP. Below is a bio-medical research facility.

    "scanning the memories of a patient zero to ascertain any information on the origins or spread of an outbreak discovered less than forty-eight hours ago in western Pennsylvania."

    She goes down and finds a massacre. Jasmine cradles a dead scientist's head, witnesses his final minutes. Then the void. But that void which should be total black has a spark that grows brighter...

    "the strange alabaster dot swelling, expanding, blazing brighter and brighter, the droning white noise inside of it intensifying, a wave breaking on a beach, a tsunami coming straight out of the dead scientist's mind and heading straight into Jasmine."

    The guy, Dr. Hanrahan reanimates while under her 'sight'; she breaks free and shoots him, but not in the head. Jasmine flees and runs into the pathology lab and encounters patient zero, a middle age female. She fights the woman and unintentionally connects to her memories before the woman's death.

    The struggle get weaker and weaker. Jasmine sinks into the abyss, the undead mind. So quiet and focused, hungry. Until it consumes her.

    Jasmine Meredeth Maywell became a zombie without dying. She eats the face of the woman in her hands. Security finally reaches the area and shots the unknown bloody woman in the head. Then patient zero.



    The only thing close is from Max Brooks' "World War Z" 2006 novel - the Quislings. These were people who snapped from what they saw, 'Z-Shock'. They died inside and started to mimic the undead. Not some game, they fully behaved as they did. Eating the living and when discovered 'alive' by the dead, allowed themselves to be eaten, no resistance. Until they truly became the undead. Quislings is how some of the infection spread though misinformation.

    "Quisling" is a French word for traitor.

    In the Brooks novel, early on, people who were bit - didn't die/resurrect from the bite. They didn't since the person who bit them was in fact, not dead, but a highly psychologically damaged. This resulted in confusion and misplaced hope. Which lead to more deaths.

    "Fast Entry" was a good story.

    4) "In That Quiet Earth" by Mike Carey. This is a story about a scientist, Dr. Richard Cadbury who was busy with his research - faced buried in his work after his wife Lorraine died, isolated from friends, family and even his co-workers.

    "The rest of him as falling into it it in slow-motion cascade that would probably last until his dead".

    It took him some time to realize the dead had risen.

    He gets an idea and grabs one of the dead and decapitates; taking out the brain for examination. The second walking corpse was a petite woman he bound and brought back to his home. He measured her brain waves on a machine he built. And pondered if such a thing could be replicated without dying and resurrecting. A mask for the living as it were.

    Later after five cadavers, a working prototype. Looks like a plastic bucket with an adjustable metal collar and various dials. To work it, Cadbury taught himself rudimental braille since he could not see the knobs on the outside. The device in short created a near death experience through oxygen depletion. His encephalometer chart of the dead was his guide. Much trial and errors he got the machine to make himself invisible; register as not alive to the dead while still possessing cognitive functions.

    Once done he took the device and portable generator in his van to the cemetery to be with his wife. To have time to dig up her coffin he cleaned out the dead population with gun shots to head. If a mass got too close, back in the van to move away, then get out and shot more of them, repeat. Once clear, started to dig up the grave.

    He opens and finds his dead wife moving about, nine months dead. Still recognizable, too weak to get out of the coffin. Dr. Cadbury tuns his device on and three minutes later slid into the casket to lay with his wife who didn't see him as food, just one of them. Snuggling her body and he went to sleep. The end.

    This appears to take place in the present and is one of my least favorites. Dr. Richard Cadbury was so disconnected from reality, probably even before The Event. Not sympathetic in the least. The helmet could've been put to good use for humanity. But it was used to sleep with his dead wife... where he dies (for real) in the coffin. Could not get into it.

    5) "Jimmy Jay Baxter's Last, Best Day On Earth" by John Skipp. The story is about a racist, redneck with a lot of guns living his fantasy shooting people he didn't like. He met a young woman, jail bait redhead who wants a gun. She was dressed in black for a funeral which turned into something else. Moments earlier Baxter had gunned down a zombie pastor, saving the girl.

    She joins him in his pick-up truck.

    The plan now is to use his guns and take out a mosque full of Muslims. He wasn't alone. When he arrives, there are others like him, armed and ready to shoot which also is the other side next to the mosque. Somebody fired first, a race war begins. A moment later Jimmy Jay Baxter goes down, eight shots from behind.

    "Thanks for the guns, you stupid fascist sack of sh!t," she said. "And no, you don't get to know my name."

    Head shot. The end. One of the shorter tales. More of a 'meh' for me. Nobody to root for - just lots of prejudice.

    6) "John Doe" by George A. Romero. This is the story that I had hopes for that floundered. No crescendo, just puffs into a squat. The story is set in the present about a John Doe taken in; case number 129-46-9875 in San Diego, California. How a guy in the Medical Examiner's office had died twice (but we're not shown that). This is day four of the pandemic.

    Four days earlier a sixty-something homeless man was panhandling when he was killed from a police pursuit. The criminal had an uzi and were shooting at the cops. Rounds ricocheted off the cruiser hitting the guy, killing him - four hits. Lusi Acocella, a coroner was eating a a taco joint when it happened. He rushed towards the guy, who should not have died from his injuries. But the police did not call an ambulance for him, since a paramedic was on their way to help them with their injured. Once a crowd gathered, cops reluctantly called for another ambulance.

    A pissed off, Acocella set off to prove that police negligence was the cause of the man's death. He died at the hospital. The body was transfer to the morgue and the coroner went to work with his assistant Charlene Rutkowski. As it came to its end, it was concluded that the gun shots were non-fatal. The man had died from a heart attack, shock from what he endured.

    Next step was taking out the heart to confirm which was done... less than an hour after the start of the autopsy, John Doe started to stir. He sat up and place his gaze on the doctor, both terrified by what they were witnessing.

    The end.

    I kid you not, just when the story should've really begun; all the background given - it just ends, utterly anti-climactic. As you may have guessed I was very disappointed. This was Romero's last published work before his death. This should've been better, a lot better.

    Look, I'm not the brightest person around, I'll admit to it. Took me more than a week later to make the connection and not a deliberate, connect the dots. It just dawned. "John Doe" was NOT created for the anthology! This was an excerpt from a larger story. Yes, that larger story. This reinvigorated a quest I had ceased a year or so back.

    And - I found the truth.



    Man, this was a damn long road; some serious answers to a long asked question.

    In One... Two...

  9. #69
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    PART IV: BOOKS - A5 P2b

    THREE...

    Before we continue with the breakdown of the zombie anthology, "Nights Of The Living Dead", we are taking a hard tangent.

    As readers of this forum know (what few of you there are), I had been covering and investigating the lost George A. Romero novel - which was to suppose to finally give the cause. What caused the dead to rise and an expanded vision of the world coming undone?



    That novel was "The Living Dead", below was the official press release from the publisher, Headline (United Kingdom)...

    [Zombies are] one of the new buzz words in publishing. I think that the world is ready to re-embrace the zombie culture - after the massive amount of vampire novels that have been published, it's time for a change of antagonist. We are very aware that there is going to be an explosion of zombie novels being published over the next year, but we absolutely believe that we have the definitive novel from the one author whom every fan of the genre will want to read. There is no one more qualified to write a zombie novel. You just have to look on the internet and around the world at the enthusiasm with which Romero, and zombies, are greeted, to see that there's a huge amount of potential for these books.
    - Headline publisher, Vicki Mellor

    The back cover...

    In San Diego, an autopsy seems routine until the corpse sits up and begins to walk - after all of his organs have been removed. Suddenly, the rules of this world have been rewritten and the dead now walk the earth. In Atlanta, a reporter covers the epidemic, showing viewers glimpses of increasing chaos from across the globe. Nowhere, it seems, is safe. The captain of an aircraft carrier hopes to save his crew from the disease by remaining at sea, but seemingly within moments zombies are wreaking havoc on the ship. THE LIVING DEAD follows different groups of people as they react to the crisis, working together or, for some, using their limited knowledge of zombies to try to survive. But is survival even possible? Or desirable?
    - book description

    This happened in Fall of 2009 (man, it's been decade I've been following this) with the book set to be released on July 2010 - then nothing happened. Not going to recap all the research I uncovered in those years. You can read about them here and here.

    Learned, publishing rights shifted to Grand Central Publishing in December 2011 with a book date of July 1st, 2012. This also failed to materialize. There was some talk coming from Romero himself on the book topic Within the special features for the DVD release of "George A. Romero's Survival Of The Dead: Two-Disc Ultimate Undead Edition" (2010). Saying it was BS, no such thing.

    BUT... at one point Amazon had an entry for Headline, then removed it. This was replaced with a book (same name by Romero) "Unknown Binding", one copy - then going for $74.99. Don't know - sold or pulled.

    This drifted into lore - the lost/aborted novel.

    Reading the Romero short (anthology), things clicked into focus. The fifth story "John Doe" is in fact an excerpt from "The Living Dead". Both are set at the beginning; in San Diego, CA at an autopsy. The short has no ending, it just closes as the body rises on the coroner's table.

    Refueled, I restarted my investigation...

    And found it.

    We were tricked - the book does exist, but not in the way we imagined. It was rumored that Romero was paid $300,000 in advance to pen the book for Headline.

    The news came out on February 14th, 2018 with next to no fanfare.

    This novel was never completed. What was sold on Amazon was the uncompleted manuscript ("Unknown Binding"). I do know know if there as a legal battle with Headline who lost or sold the rights to Grand Central Publishing - as in, he would not finish until he knew who had the rights or tried to gain the rights back himself.

    OR that he had trouble coming up with a proper finale. Whatever the reason was - he passed and the book was set down...

    That is until his manager, Chris Roe and wife, Suzanne Desrocher Romero decided to get it out. For the writer to finish the book, they choose author, Daniel Kraus.

    Only half the job I’m doing is finishing this book. The other half is putting George back together, in a sense - not just from reading his every obscure interview and analyzing his every obscure work, but also immersing myself in the art that he loved. I'm studying his favorite movies, watching his favorite operas, listening to his favorite music, all in an attempt to find in them the inspirations he might have found. I’m taking thematic and structural cues from these works and working them into the book. It's not like having George next to me, but it’s what I have, and I’m treasuring every moment of it.
    - Kraus

    And the final clue that "Joe Doe" is an excerpt - the new official synopsis:

    On October 24th, John Doe rises from the dead. Assistant Medical Examiner Luis Acocella and his assistant Charlene Rutkowksi are vivisecting him when it happens, and so begins a global nightmare beyond comprehension.

    Greer Morgan is a teenager living in a trailer park, and when the dead begin their assault, the true natures of her neighbors are revealed. Chuck Chaplin is a pretty-boy cable-news anchor, and the plague brings sudden purpose to his empty life.

    Karl Nishimura is the helmsman of the U.S.S. Vindicator, a nuclear submarine, and he battles against a complete zombie takeover of his city upon the sea. And meanwhile, a mysterious woman named Etta Hoffmann records the progress of the epidemic from a bunker in D.C., as well as the broken dreams and stubborn hopes of a nation not ready to give up.
    Mystery solved.

    I WAS right!!! There was a book. Just in an incomplete form.

    Another quote:

    The state [of the manuscript] varied. Some of it was in tremendous, publish-ready state. Other parts, near of the end of what he wrote, were sketchier, clearly intended to be fleshed out later.
    - Kraus

    As it stands "The Living Dead" will be released in the Fall of 2019, published by Tor Books. And yes, I will be getting that when it comes out. A future entry for this Retrospective. *nods*

    Okay, back to the anthology.

    I was right!

    - - -

    7) "Mercy Kill" by Ryan Brown. This is a period tale told in first person from pages of Marvin Whatley, his experiences written down in an abandoned motel with his girlfriend, Pam. Whatley is a Vietnam vet who got home the day before. Back home to find the dead have risen.

    Inside their trailer home, finds who he thought was his girlfriend (body was so mutilated) undead - around town, various people he knew, now like a lifetime ago also zombies. His rage is centered on Assistant Under-Deputy Shane Garrett. He was dumped into county jail by Garrett for allegedly speeding. But wasn't behind bars at all at the station.

    As Garrett took him inside the police station - a car came crashing through the south wall, fires and chaos - Whatley escaped and rushed home. But in the mess it took over twenty-four hours to get there, dodging zombies and police. All that mess had taken time from going home to be with his beloved; saving her from the dead. Garrett is person who killed his girl. Whatley is quite confident that he could've saved her.

    Garrett hated Marvin since Pam picked him. He was being a prick and this went into high gear when Marvin got drafted and went overseas. He made moves on her and when she didn't accept his advances. Assistant Under-Deputy got physical, beating her. She wrote to him about what had happened. Marvin was going to check on Pam first then go after Garrett, badge or not.

    Seeking Garrett for revenge he had found the town's safe zone on the property of the local hustlers, Lenny and Delroy Slocum. Ready to pounce, he hears her voice; Pam had taken shelter there and was looking for Garrett too, demanding to know where Marvin is, she knew he was coming home.

    The dead woman in the trailer was her co-worker, Bekcy Lynn from their work, "Cuteicle". At this point, Garrett thought his rival was killed in the car impact. Whatley goes into full rescue mission mode. Get into the compound as it were - save Pam and kill Garrett. Things get complicated with his plan and Pam shoots him thinking he was a zombie (a mercy kill as Marvin was masquerading as a ghoul)... or so it would appear.

    She took a gamble that he wasn't really dead - trying to get inside to save her - shot him in the mouth, an open mouth. From a distance it looked like she had given a head shot when she just shot him in the cheek. Once reunited, they plan to escape, but not before justice.

    Marvin snuck into Shane's one room home, did some damage and using the deputy's own handcuffs, secure him to his recliner. No bullet - just an open door and some zombie which were tossed out from the flatbed their pickup; racing away as the dead feasted on bastard.

    "He was begging me for a mercy kill. I'd run plumb out of mercy."

    End in the motel room; Pam sleeping (having a nightmare) and Whatley thinking about what might be waiting for them come dawn, but at least they'll fight whatever that may be - together. It was a solid story.



    More? Yes, please. See you back here on December 13th, 2018 as the review continues with a tale set in... space... space... space.
    Last edited by JohnIan101; 12-09-2018 at 09:14 AM.

  10. #70
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    PART IV: BOOKS - A5 P3


    Here we are once again. Lets continue.

    8) "Orbital Decay" by David Wellington. This takes place in an unspecified future and is another of my favorites.

    "The following is the final radio transmission of the International Space Station, discovered on a backup drive at the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. That night three astronauts and one cosmonaut were aboard the station..."

    Mission Commander, Jackson Hartzfeld was addressing Baker Elementary, answering kids questions, at least that was the intent. The rest of the crew was busy with the upcoming docking of a Soyus spacecraft for crew replacement and station restocking.

    The classroom he was talking to goes empty. There was an evacuation at the school. The kids and teachers are at the parking lot, it was unknown at the time what had happened. Some talk that there was an Active Shooter Drill. No it wasn't.

    Meanwhile all communication with the Soyuz is down; the ship is a distance away, but racing towards them. You can guess what happens next. Moments before impact, Mission Control says a depressurization had occurred at liftoff, crew dead; automated system had taken control. The plan was the move the station out of the way. They didn't have enough time.

    The impact took out the station's main communications antenna, nearly all the camera feeds, oxygen generators are gone too and rupturing several modules, hemorrhaging air. Plus they lost most of their solar panels. Sergei Favorov, Russian Mission Coordinator was in the lab module. The recording has Favorov moaning in pain as he died. Hartzfeld managed to get out before the blow out.

    You see - Favorov was doing his exercise, strapped into the treadmill (to keep stationary). Karl Guernsey (Science Mission Specialst) was injured badly from the crash and also suffering from decompression. The only person not injured is Flight Engineer, Marcia Jernigan.

    The plan is the ration what they can, sealed up in this mostly unaffected module - they have food and water, some batteries still work. Turning off all the lights and anything not needed to keep them alive. And wait for a rescue boat to be sent to them.

    It was never sent. In fact Mission Control is on a skeleton crew, only half had showed up. A later transmission has Jernigan commenting on a massive forrest fire in California below them. This is when even more sh!t hit the fan. What little tech was still working is showing a readout - the treadmill is moving. *dark smile*

    Hartzfeld blame himself for not saving Favorov and sees this as a miracle. He uses an old Russian space suit to exit and move into lab module. Mission Control is against this, opening the door will waste air. Jernigan helps him into the suit. He has trouble navigating though the debris floating around, but finds him walking/moving on the treadmill.

    This is where I have a problem with the story. A space suit isn't paper thin. The cosmonaut attacks Hartzfeld, biting and tearing through to his flesh. Okay, Wellington make a point to explain this was an old space suit, maybe it was super worn and barely functional. Hartzfeld breaks fee, leaking air and makes his way back the intact module just in time.

    In the fight, Favorov got out from the straps, he's free to move in zero gravity. Should be noted that Guernsey has a weak pulse. He's not gonna make it. At this point, Jernigan has from the little antenna - been receiving SOS and various distress calls from around the world; from police stations to ships at sea. This is global.

    After X amount of time, Mission Control issues a direct order to her - the moment Guernsey dies, his head must be bashed in. There is banging on the door, Favorov wants in. Hartzfeld still thinks the Russian can be saved; maybe what had happened earlier was trauma based. He wants to open the door to let Favorov inside... after all there must be air on the other side since Favorov is moving about on the other side. Hartzfeld does this.

    At time point, most of Mission Control is gone, minus one person.

    More time later...

    Marcia Jernigan did manage to close the door, but in order to save herself she pushed Hartzfeld out. Her Commander has a chunk of his neck bitten off. No saving him. There was a huge loss of air in the compartment. She saw Sergei face and had a hard time coming to terms to the impossible happening.

    Trying to recover from her actions, she sees Guernsey moving in his restraints, the man is a zombie. Jernigan takes him out by bashing his head with fire extinguisher.

    Even more time later...

    The person Jernigan had been talking with was bitten, dying himself. Banging on the module's door is Favorov and Hartzfeld - relentlessly. I'll stop here. Spoiled it? Kinda, but there is more. This is a short that would make an excellent movie set in the Romero universe - the same with "Dead Man's Curve". Good stuff.

    I wanted more.

    9) "Snaggletooth" by Max Brallier. Oh man, this was the worst for me, did not care for it. Think of it as a mash-up of Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart" and Romero. None of the characters are likable. I'll make it short...

    This takes place the day or so before the event in 1968, told in first person. Beau Lynn is dentist of a rural town who has a "rotted gray snaggletooth". It was suppose to be an easy insurance scam; Beau's wife, Deb wanted her husband dead for the money and convinced her lover, Jack (narrator) to do it. Taking her husband out to go deer hunting - murders him (shot him in the adam's apple) and eye's the tooth that always bugged him.

    The gray tooth is pulled, his souvenir; drilled a hole into it and turns it into forbidden necklace. Police chief Tharp was told Beau had shot himself, it was his very first hunting trip. He convinces the law that it was an accident. But things go wrong when Tharp come to Deb later to tell her that the body has gone missing. The area was out in the sticks, so a regular pickup was used. Tharp speculates that perhaps a bear had found the body and took it away while he and his men were looking about if some kind of foul play had happened. Leaving the body in the car, all alone.

    "There was a path of blood leading the way, but it didn't appear as if the body had been dragged. Some bits of skin."

    This is told to Deb on her porch with Jack there 'condoling' her. But Jack sees Beau coming towards them coming out of the woods. Only Jack see him approaching - at first. Thinking this is a delusion, because of the tooth. Jack kills the police chief with a beer bottle then takes his gun to shoot at Beau, The former dentist is hit several times, but does not go down.

    It is Deb who take down her not dead-dead husband, using Beau's rifle - a head shot. Then shoots Jack as he's the only person in the know who can take her down.

    "Christ almighty, I wonder just what in hell will the insurance man have to say about this?"

    Like I said, unlikeable.

    10) "The Burning Days" Carrie Ryan. Vague when it take place, also told in first person. This is the story that ticked me off, a Millennial tale. A group of friends are trap in a cabin in the woods. When a car caught on fire, they discovered that the dead fear the blaze. So they decided to set a fire around the house, burning everything they can, taking the house apart.

    They spend most of the fuel quickly; blankets, drapes, clothes, broken up furniture and even wood in the walls and floor. What started as six has become four with two seeking help by leaving the house. They didn't make it and try to rejoin as the undead.

    All the fires made have created a ton of smoke which bring in more of the dead... which means more things need to burn - which bring in more zombies. They screwed themselves so badly.

    The core here is a love triangle with Carson, Lainey and Robert. She thinks Robert will leave his on and off girlfriend. Nope. Carson gets bitten and the survivors discover that the dead can be used for kindling. Nothing important is learned.

    They have low supplies and even burning the dead will not save them. They're all screwed, all of them, soon from starvation and will draw hundreds of ghouls to their location from the huge billows of smoke in the woods - no other smoke. No chance for an exit.

    All of this could've been avoid. Just take everything of value, food and water - even important furniture, upstairs since this is a two story house. Once done. Take out the stairs with an ax. Hang a painted sheet outside with rocks attached as weights - 'We're Alive. Help!' Just like that.

    The dead can't reach up to them and there will be significantly less of them, not turn the place into a bonfire beacon. The survivors only need to be quiet and would go mostly unnoticed. Safe. Time to decide their next course of action - instead of needing to keep feeding the fire constantly, running out of things to burn. Which will kill them.

    Reading that story infuriated me. The sad part is I can see that happening, not thinking beyond the immediate, even if that creates more problems than it solves.



    There you go. More to come on December 27th, 2018. There are a lot of shorts presented - hits and misses. Hits and misses.
    Last edited by JohnIan101; 12-14-2018 at 08:31 AM.

  11. #71
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    PART IV: BOOKS - A5 P4


    Man, this is a long a$$ book review; past the mid point. Two entries took a life of their own, so I'm breaking this into a two parter. Good food for thought.

    11) "The Day After" by John A. Russo. Yes, that Russo, co-writer of the 1968 movie. This is a direct sequel to the movie. Another of my favorites here. Taking place seconds after the end credits, showing the corpse pile being ignited.

    We follow Sheriff McClelland as he and his posse clean up/shoot up the dead. They're at "Miller" farmhouse. The dead have mostly left the place. Out wandering, somewhat together (a pack) is the ghouls, Johnny, Karen and Barbara...

    "Pieces of her were now gone. She bore a big bloody bite marks and gaping wounds on her body. Part of her lips, nose, and ears were missing".

    The main part of the story is about Jed Harris. He's a lineman for the Willard Power Company; going up poles - fixing connection problems and general maintenance. Since this area is out in the sticks, he's been out there alone, going from pole to pole, climbing up and doing his job. Well, not alone, his dog Barney is there with him. He's been pretty much camping in the company van all this time, sleeping under the stars as it were.

    What saved him from the apocalypse was being so isolated from civilization, there's pretty much nothing out there, but the woods and the road. It is now as he's up a power pole that the dead have come to him... three of them.

    Different three.

    Hands reached for the dog in the van, sleeping in the passenger seat. Barney fought back, biting a hand but was pulled out and eaten. The noise is what got Jed's attention, he rushed down and got circled. His only weapons are in his tool belt - hammer and large screwdriver are blunt. He almost got bitten, but used his hammer to crush his assailant head.

    Five more come out of the forrest to meet their meal. Because of their numbers they blocked his escape. Making matters worse, he dropped the screwdriver, a distance away.

    He's saved by a woman in a jeep who crashed into the ghouls, clearing the road for a moment - Jed jumps in.

    She is puzzled why this man is out in the middle of nowhere and he's confused about what is happening. Both clue in the other. The obvious question is asked...

    "The dead are coming back to life. Don't you watch TV or listen to the radio?"

    I've been out here in the boondocks on my own, checking and repairing telephone lines. The job got harder and stranger, 'cause all of a sudden there was no communication from my home office. I kept on trying to do my job, trying to figure out the problem. Power lines seem to be out of whack everywhere - malfunctioning at best.
    - Jed

    The young woman is Danielle Greer. She sells cosmetics and various women accessories door to door.

    This makes sense.

    The year is 1968 after all, many people did live out from the cities, away from the suburbs, rural areas. There would be enough customers to make a decent living do that. Even charging a premium for this person to person service. Folks who don't want to travel far into town to buy that shampoo, soap, creams and make-up. Clothes too.

    She lives in Willard, but has a cabin in Evansville to be near her customers when she does her rounds. Danielle found out the hard way when she visited one of her customers. She found the lady dead in the living room, all chewed up. No power, no phone - all dead. She was heading back to Willard to report it to the police. Had the radio on and discovered the improbable was happening.

    Jed was out there trying to solve a mystery, the pastor of St. Willard's church had made a call, saying the power was out for the church and school. He went out to fix that, then a ton of phone calls came in saying the same thing - no power.

    He's been busy trying to fix the connections; some of which had frayed breaks in the lines. Too busy to listen to the radio, workin'.

    It's Danielle who decides to change course and head for the church, "by now they could be surrounded."

    The school is at siege - the one room room school, next to the church. The place had been under attack for several hours. Many of the stained glass windows had given way. What could be, were boarded up. The place has nearly two dozen ghouls, trying get the flesh inside. There is a radio inside, but because of their location, can only get intermitted signals. Things are bad. And it's happening everywhere.

    The adults present are the pastor, a nun Sister Hillary and Janice Kimble - mother of Annie, the eldest kid in school (at twelve).. All four are doing their best to keep the others safe; nailing boards and doing what they can to boost morale, some of the children are five and six.

    The ghouls who have not attacked - are milling around the place and growing in numbers. There is a fourth adult, but useless, Pete Gilley the janitor who is reaching his breaking point. End of the world, pulls out his hidden stash of booze (whiskey) and starts drinking and smoking in front of them.

    Then Gilley goes over to his toolbox and pulls out a chisel. He's gonna make a dash to the back of the shed where his motor scooter is. A plea not to go, the risk of him letting them inside. Nope. Informs them "I quit! I'm gettin' the hell outta here. Don't try to stop me."

    No use, but to minimize danger. The pastor goes to the back door to open and shut quick, a gray steel door. No luck. Pete becomes diner, came close though. Too many of them around the scooter. By the way, McClelland and men are headed in the same direction as Danielle and Jed.

    One of the kids' parents comes to save the day... yeah, he gets eaten too in front of his kid looking at his dad through the window. Kyle Samuels was eaten by Karen, Barbara and Johnny among others. But not before Kyle tried to flee in his car - which crashes into the school, busting open a hole and setting the place on fire.

    Zombie Karen is destroyed in the impact; Johnny and Barbara are still moving about. Bad timing and location, the impact took down Janice who got dead and set on fire too. Because of the crash, the noise and smell of cooking flesh, the ghouls move towards the opening, keeping a distance from the fire.

    A break in the concretion. They rest flee though the back door. The pastor grabs a log from the log pile and tells to kids to...

    "Grab something to bash them with!".

    Three kids were too slow or in shock and were promptly dined on. Then two more children. It is because of their deaths, the rest had gotten away, attention focused on the uninfected flesh.

    The two had heard an explosion as they raced towards the church, not sure what had happened. Once they arrived they saw the aftermath: school on fire, dead kids still being feasted on. But the dead numbers do not add up - no child zombies. More of them, had to have gotten away. It was just a question of - where???

    The pastor and nun lead the rest of the students up a cliff, a "hazardous climb" to a semi-safe place, a cave. They could push down any ghoul trying to reach them, a good fall to the base.

    But things get worse. Not from the zombies, but humans, well armed rednecks coming from a blue van. No salvation.

    "More hostages. More zombie feed, Blaze".

    Now... this is the point where I was confused. It's what Father Ed said to the men that is perplexing. From the start of this story were are made quite clear this is 1968, picking up seconds after the movie ended. This one line, is trying to set it up as revisionist history.

    Whatever you've done, we can't tell on you. We have no cell phones, we have nothing.
    Pardon???

    Nowhere previous was there any mention of modern tech. Don't know if this was an error in Russo writing. Did he want to straddle both, past and future? For me, I just ignore that line. Cell phones never come up again. AND the internet isn't mentioned at all.

    I'll stop here. Things go real bad (in the good way) for our characters. Some end up dead. In the very end, it is Sheriff McClelland, his men and National Guard who save the day. Not saying how. This is one of the better stories, minus that cell phone comment.

    12) "The Girl On The Table" by Isaac Marion. Another period tale, told from the point of view of Karen Cooper. The situations that lead her and parents to that isolated farmhouse. And what she hoped from life - she wanted to live in New York, sights seen from a school trip; in-between this is the happenings above the cellar, the voices that she hears.



    It was okay. I much prefer the non-canon book that was Christopher Andrews' "Night Of The Living Dead" (2009; from Rising Star Visionary Press) - reviewed here on April 27th, 2017. You can "click here to read Part II", about midway, you'll hit The Coopers after the entry on Tom and Judy.

    That had more weight to it. Marion's version of events is mundane. He does adhere that the radiation from the Venus Probe what created the crisis.

    So what happened?

    The couple had been watching the news - coverage of folks who had gone mad. But these reports are still a world away. What was their catalyst?

    Cigarettes.

    I kid you not.

  12. #72
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    PART IV: BOOKS - A5 P4b


    Harry was out and wanted smokes; Helen volunteered to get him a pack and herself a bottle of wine. Yup, we're going there. With all the bizarre commentary, Harry didn't think if was safe for her to go the store alone (in the car). So the whole family got in their car. Harry and Helen bicker with Karen in the back, being silent - thinking.

    Once arriving at their local market - they find the place empty, devoid of life.

    "An overturned cart near the entrance. Groceries scattered and smashed. Red wine soaking the pavement."

    A normal person would see this and be very cautious - not Harry, his thought it would mean less waiting in the line for checkout. It is a Friday night, the place should be packed.

    This is where we are presented with a 'what if' - Karen knew something was amiss. She asked to remain in the car while her folks bought the cigarettes. Harry said "of course not". And that sealed her death, since time was spent running, the three of them. When it could've been much faster if there was only two.

    That said... the three walked into the grinder.

    Karen saw the first bodies and thought it was more wine on the floor. It's not. Child's naivety...

    "They stand up and move towards her and she has a wild urge to greet them. Hello, who are you? Where did you come from? What are you here to show us?"

    The family flee from the market before they could get cornered and into their car, but Harry in his attempt to leave the location, crashed their car into another car in the parking lot. Yeah, didn't even leave the store. The car has a rollover, windows shattered. One of the dead reach in for someone - grabbing Karen's arm and biting. You know the rest.

    It covers her death and resurrection. As I wrote earlier, it's okay. Doesn't really add much to the mythology.

    But...

    This story hints that perhaps Karen is mentally handicapped, not explicitly but in her thoughts, words.

    13) "Williamson's Folly" by David J. Schow. This is set in 1968 in Williamson, Nebraska; running parallel to the movie if you like. We follow various residents who encounter the undead epidemic from the start. The main characters are Dr. Manny Steckler of the Williamson General Clinic and Sheriff Joseph Delaney as they deal with incredible events. Things come to head with the military trying to keep it from spreading further.

    The place is nuked to keep it from infecting other townships and cities. But as we know - it didn't stop the infestation. The nuclear option for "sterile condition" is code named Anubis. An inside joke. As mentioned before, the film's original name was "Night Of The Anubis" changed by their distributor to what we have today.

    You see Williamson, Nebraska was the recipient of a trophy, a long distance one. Before the Venus Probe could arrive back to Earth, NASA signed its self-destruction. Yes. BUT...

    A fragment of that long distance exploratory gadget had come back. And cashed landed upon their local Credit Union bank in the afternoon. Nobody got hurt, but the place had to close "due to unforeseen circumstances".

    "The object resembled a nose cone about two feet in diameter. Shiny, still-warm factory-rolled steel with the kind of rivets you see on jet airplane wings. Contact with oxygen at high speed had burnished the metal and left sooty charcoal-colored streaks. The underside was concave and featured a scorched docking collar (it reminded Delaney of a septic tank join) girded by concentric, tubular metal ribs. Stamped on the outermost rib was Made In USA."

    Debris was part of the probe's detector. It was in fact NOT radioactive. As scanned by Dr. Steckler's, old geiger counter. I'll cover this in a moment. Schow give a different reason for the ghoul resurrection, something I had not thought about before.

    The first dead person to come back to life happened that afternoon at 4:21pm inside the morgue, locker number two - the man that once was Paul "Sonny" Brickland. One of six who were in the morgue. It happened so fast, it could not be contained. By the way, they're near Michigan.

    Because of Dr. Steckler's inquests - attention is drawn on Williamson. And because their newspaper's article on the fallen probe piece. It went national... providing a much needed cover story.

    The military comes into town. Not so much helping the residents; Sheriff Delaney demands answers and is taken away to see the C.O., Captain Fletcher.

    We get two interesting reveals.

    1) As mentioned before - wreckage was not radioactive. Explosion of the probe did NOT cause the pandemic.

    Yes, we had reports from California, Boston, New York City, all over. But the satellite crashed in Williamson, Sheriff. Your own newspaper had already posted stories on the wire services. It was exactly the kind of story we needed to explain what was happening, in order to stave off major panic for as long as possible.
    - Captain Fletcher

    2) The bigger one. Fletcher continues...

    Nope - nothing reported yet [bio-war spill or some military screw-up]. No ground zero. It's not from space unless it's a [I]cosmic ray belt that saturated the entire planet at the same time.
    This had not occurred to me until reading that page. It had been done before, twenty-five years earlier. *nods*

    In 1992 [B]Bantam[B] published Al Sarrantonio's "Skeletons". The paperback (with embossed cover) retailed for $4.99. I have a copy, bought when new - from a book store at my local mall that no longer exist. The store, not the mall. Not all malls are dead, mine is still active. Granted, not the same foot traffic as it was in the 1990s, anyway...



    In Moscow, the sound of bones echoes across Red Square. In America, skeletons patrol the streets of Manhattan and blood stains the cornfields of the Midwest. While in Washington, D.C., Abraham Lincoln is heading for his third term in the White House. The best - and worst - of humanity are back with a vengeance, a skeletal army hell-bent on conquering the living and uniting the world under the banner of the dead. Against this bloody backdrop of global horror, a small group of refugees find themselves drawn together by a single vision and a shared fate: to determine whether the last two humans on earth will survive - or join the ranks of the newly risen.
    - novel back cover

    The idea is a cosmic cloud was responsible for the extinction of the dinosaurs. This massive, massive cloud is in a long orbit around our galaxy, millions of years for each full rotation. It has a unique property.

    It raises the dead. And now it's back, surrounding Earth for some time.

    The dead in skeletal form with the person's shape outside of it, a transparent image of the person that once was - this has mass, they can wear clothes. The dead revived have all their memories before they passed intact. But an intense hatred for the living, imbedded. The dead hunting to kill all those alive - once dead, they become skeletons. These 'people' still eat.

    It doesn't try to explain how this is happening in much detail, pretty much feels supernatural. And like with Romero, just go with it.

    A different kind of apocalypse novel. Towards the end Lincoln learns from Albert Einstein (White House Science Advisor) -this phenomena is short lived. The cloud is leaving our solar system. A limited time to save what is left of humanity; the living will inherit the planet once more - what's left of them.

    It's an enjoyable book, not great. But quite entertaining, would recommend for a lazy day.

    This should be a mini-series or a one season show, full season (twenty-four episodes). A lot happens and while could be done in movie form it would be very abbreviated, not doing proper justice.

    Which means the strange radiation that lead to NASA to blow up the probe - was not carried, but detected.

    I like this - Earth was exposed to a cosmic ray belt that created a planetary reset. And like Sarrantonio story, this could've happened long ago in our planet's history.



    Okay folks, this is the last entry for 2018. With more to come next year. Still not finished with this prolonged book review. See you back here on January 10th, 2019. Stay hungry.

  13. #73
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    PART IV: BOOKS - A5 P5


    Like the dead themselves, this book review won't go down. But - we are coming to the dawn. The night is lifting, ever so slowly. Indeed. Let's continue...

    14) "You Can Stay All Day" by Mira Grant. This takes place in an nondescript period. The story begins with the apocalypse in full swing. Some of the dead are stuck - entangled on fake horses in a merry-go-round; until the power gives out. Though flashbacks we learn about the final day of Cassandra - a zookeeper... at the zoo.

    The first tipping point in her life was her co-worker, Michael who had gotten bitten by his roommate, Carl that morning. His left bicep is wrapped in a white bandage. Michael thinks the man was boozed out, ticked off though. As she goes about her daily rounds, we learn she is socially awkward, more at home with animals than people. It is the large cats which were the first animals that felt something was wrong this day, tigers.

    The second tipping point was finding a putrid smelling man in the enclosure's moat, one of the zoo's night groundkeepers. Having trouble walking with what appears to be a broken left arm, dangling. Cassandra thinks the man is drunk or in shock. And is having trouble convincing her superior, Dan that an accident had happened - since it would make opening the zoo difficult with paramedics and police. She is vindicated when one of the staff radios, confirming. Dan radios back, "a dead man"?

    That's biologically impossible. He's up and walking, if non-responsive to questions. Angela thinks it's Carl from the night crew. She's going to get his shift supervisor. But he doesn't answer when we call his name, and he keeps snarling at us when we try to offer down a hook. I don't think it's safe for people to approach him. I think he might get violent.
    - Roger, zoo attendant

    Not the news Dan want to hear. And tells the man to deal with it; shut down the tiger path until it can be resolved. Cassandra wants that portion of the zoo to be shut down until Carl can be taken out. And by the way, the same Carl that bit Michael? The story didn't make it clear.

    Back to work - Cassandra was about the feed the cats when she hears a scream. She grabs a weapon/tool a large pole with hook, meant to remove snakes for guests. The odor hits her when she leaves the enclosure, the smell of decay. Another scream. The fellow who was Carl was now out of the moat and ripping open the throat of one of the security guards with his teeth. Now she's screaming.

    It is seeing the man up close that she comes to understand the dead or at least him (at the moment), dead have come back to life; especially a moment later when that dead female security who had bleed to death, opened her eyes and lunged at her co-workers. Then Michael shows up, also smelling. Her crush had bit her on the shoulder.

    The contagion presented here is fast moving from death to resurrection. Cassandra manages to flee and find refuge where she gives herself first aid; a bottle of hydrogen peroxide, dumped on the wound. She at this point still believed this was only at the zoo, her plan was to go to the hospital, screw Dan. Then reality hits; realizes she's dying, the throbbing in her arm getting worse.

    What will happen to the animals? A detour, open an enclosure - let the animals out, a fighting chance and rush to the hospital. But then what about these critters? And those critters? Cassandra spends her final time hiding from the dead and opening gates; zebras, kangaroo and various birds too plus her beloved tigers. The end is what you think. The twist here (as it were) - she locks herself to keep the zombie-her from hurting anybody.

    Yup, that is spoiled, but there is various details left out. I'll be honest, Cassandra kinda ticked me off. I'm hurt, probably dying; I would do my best to get help. I don't want to die if I can help it. She doesn't. Too invested in animals than her own life.

    15) "Pages From A Note - Book Found Inside A House In The Woods" by Brian Keene. This take place in the present in Pennsylvania. A group of robbers picked the wrong day to five finger discount. John, Phil, Tiny and Marko were in disguised, but a poor transport plan leaves them stranded before reaching their destination - to rob a comic book convention. Now I thought this was stupid at first, then realize a ton of money is there. So many vendors to take from.

    They do the deed and have the cash in a large backpack (police hadn't showed up), ditching their stolen car is when they hear the first gunshots and sirens from various directions. Something big was happening, a distance away. But at that moment didn't think much of it, since it didn't involve them. While discarding their masks they see their first dead man, a guy with his throat cut from ear to ear and still moving about. They loose one of their own when the dead fellow attacks their group.

    They ran into the woods. After some time find an abandoned home in the woods. But the place is soon surrounded by the dead. You see, the story is told in first person, John has been writing this in a pad - for you. A courtesy; you're reading this in an empty house. There's a reason why. The place is haunted. And it does not want any guests. The house has been actively creating conditions to force the men out to be eaten. Only one left and his words is a warning to YOU. You picked the wrong house for retreat, it won't let you leave - alive.

    I left most of the 'meat' out; bad stuff goes down for the robbers. The story has an interesting twist, it was okay.

    16) "Dead Run" by Chuck Wendig. The year is unclear. The story deals with a truck driver, Max and his retarded (strong) brother, Billy. Max was trying to do the right thing, but gets coçkblocked by his sibling.

    This started by a girl running out of the woods onto the road - same road Max was driving on. He nearly hits her, nearly jackknifing the big rig. And out of shock, collapse. He didn't do the heroic thing. He was still registering what had happened which culminating in him just hocking the horn. It woke the girl up who continued to run. We don't know her story or what happened to her.

    A side effect of the noise was the beast who was pursuing the unknown girl, set its sights on the truck... trying to eat it.

    Not working out, it tries to get inside the cabin, Max pushes the gas and it falls off - onto the wheels where it's squashed. The second dead person Max meets was at a Giant Eagle parking lot, eating a man on the floor. The zombie is only a torso, the rest was missing. Then he saw more. Max plowed himself though the dead masses.

    He thinks about the future - the immediate future. Food. HIs work is transporting non-refrigerated foods; canned soups, sodas, bottled water, cereal, spices, beef jerky, lemonade and more. When the radio went dead, he knew this was happening wide, the worse is yet to come.

    ...food

    A commodity which has a ton of value right at this moment. He fills up his truck at the company warehouse and from his travels, knows some small towns which could use sustenance - trade the food inside for personal safety/security.

    I move things from Point A to Point B. You want to see the country fall apart, you take out the truckers first. Wanna save the country, you save the truck drivers. We'll keep it all together.
    - Max

    The problem here is Billy; Max wanted to bring him along. A promise he made to their mother - 'take care of Billy.'

    The large sibling thinks this is a passing thing and has abducted his brother to their parents' cabin in the woods. To wait it out. Trying to convince his mentally handicapped brother that the dead have risen isn't working. I like this mention of him. Billy has Max tied up in a chair, he's looking at his brother snackin'.

    Billy's eating dry ramen noodles like that's a thing you do. He's not even breaking bits off - he's eating it like it's a fuçking biscuit or something. Taking big bites right out of it, crunch crunch crunch.
    I cook with ramen, those things are when dry, jagged muthers as you try to break them up. Captain Crunch cereal makes the roof of my mouth raw.

    Anyhow, the duo get a putrid guest outside who goes from out to in. Billy saves Max, but not before getting bitten. This convinces him, they should leave.

    As they pull out, Max is wondering, what happens now? What becomes of Billy?

    This was a decent short. And zombie Billy will be a menace. Super strong with an insatiable need, a dreadful combination.



    That's it for now. Come back here on January 24th, 2019 for the next and possible final part to this lengthy book review. Nearly at the end folks.

  14. #74
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    PART I: THE 1968 CLASSIC - R


    Even dead, you could clearly see this young woman was hot - was. Gray sickly skin and glazed over eyes. The telltale sign of her demise is the wound on the side of her head, not brain damage just rather big gash.

    She wasn't bitten, that is quite clear. This woman must have fallen (maybe running from hungry pursuers), hit her head hard enough to open and bleed to oblivion.

    This 'person' is the only one present on the street. Just one. And you have time to kill. Before this... kill. The sandy blonde was either going to a comic book convention or some kind of costume party. She reaches out, but you keep walking brisk enough to keep her at a safe distance. But having within your orbit.

    She definitely rocked the sexy steampunk outfit; black booty shorts with a chained pocket watch dangling, dark blue corset with various brass buckles and pockets, old timey aviator glasses on her forehead, a gun belt with a crushed vacuum tube laser pistol still in the holster.

    That must have been a window box, one-piece beige swimsuit with sleeves under all of that, a square in the middle showcasing her stomach, overlapped by that corset; steampunk gal is quite fit. You walk around a bit more.

    That's when you notice her left shoulder, it has a tiny bridle - wait! Was that suppose to be for a prop bird? Maybe a tiny falcon or hawk? That would've rocked. The prop is gone. Wonder if that bird of prey had an eye patch - of course it did. Was it a stuffed animal? Or maybe one of these Halloween store props, made of plastic?

    A well placed, pleated semi-sheer black cape around her waist conceals her rear. Which would've gotten a lot of stares by guys and girls alike. Her torso is crisscrossed with leather harness/straps with various shiny buttons and a knife sleeve across her bust. Still with plastic dagger inside.

    Topped off with black, thigh high stockings and garter belts on her shorts. And black high heel boots. Holy crap, she must have been a sight to behold when alive. But it's getting late and you need to move on. From your back pack, you pull out the trusty ice pick.

    You move quick behind her - before she can turn, stab into the open head wound with a slight jiggle. No noise. She drops to her knees and you catch her as she falls backwards. Life's not fair, she didn't deserve this. Tom Petty's music video, "Last Dance With Mary Jane" comes to mind.

    That's when your sight goes back to that pocket watch. A good tug pulls it out. The brass time piece is not some cheap battery powered clock, this is real. An actual wind-up watch. A few twists and it comes back to life - nice metaphor. This would be something to keep and used daily. The chain remains attached. And the glass face is unscratched or scuffed.

    You're gonna keep this. *snap - closing the watch*

    Clipped to your pocket. A souvenir of that time you met a cool dead girl.

    Back on October 1st, 2015 I wrote explaining what laser disc was for those who were unfamiliar with the obsolete format. It grew to include a couple of stage play adaptations. Yeah, I don't understand either.



    One of which was a musical from 2009 by Hole In The Wall Theater in New Britain, Connecticut. You can read more about it by clicking here. Bill Arnold wrote, directed and composed the play (produced by Rebekah Royer-Poppel) who brought up a thought provoking idea regarding Karen Cooper.

    Still don't know if he's right. Maybe.

    Now 2019 - another musical adaptation.

    This month; Wednesday, Thursday and Friday evenings will have "Night Of The Living Dead!: The Musical!" at New York's Kirk Theatre (off-Broadway). This is January 16th, 17th, 18th, 23rd, 24th, 25th and 30th - all start at 8:15pm.

    Ticket price is $67.25 as shown their site.

    Night Of The Living Dead!: The Musical! is a sidesplitting rock n' roll sendup of the legendary 1968 zombie film. In the style of such super hits like Bat Boy, Evil Dead, Urinetown, and Toxic Avenger, Night Of The Living Dead!: The Musical! promises Horror! Bloodshed! Beltng! Facing a growing mob of strange, bloodthirsty creatures, three couples seek refuge in an abandoned house... but will they survive the night!? With an infectious original score and plenty of surprises along the way, Night Of The Living Dead!: The Musical! is gravely entertaining and bloody good fun!
    - Official Press Release



    The adaptation was made by Jordan Wolfe who wrote the play as well as did the music and lyrics. This is directed by Mitchell Walker and produced by Tom D. Angora. Wolfe also co-stars in the play.

    Jaime Cepero as Ben and Meg Lanzarone as Meg. The rest of the cast include Michelle Dowdy, Philip Bryan and Susan J. Jacks. Sorry, I don't know who they play.

    Gonna guess that Meg is the new Barbra.

    There's a sample song on YouTube, the song sung by the dead when they enters the farm house towards the end. Interacting with Ben.

    I'm just relaying this news here. I'm not impressed. But I could be wrong.

    Feels like 'meh'.
    Last edited by JohnIan101; 01-25-2019 at 07:44 AM.

  15. #75
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    PART IV: BOOKS - A5 P6




    Yup. Six installments to reach this conclusion. That's how it ran. *shrugs* It's the final part of the 2017 undead anthology, "Nights Of The Living Dead" review. Let's finish this up...

    17) "Lone Gunman" by Jonathan Maberry. This takes place in 1968, running a bit earlier to the events in the movie; takes place in Fayette County in Pennsylvania. Then later in Evans City - where our tragic gang bled.

    We follow a former Special Forces soldier, now a mercenary; Sam Imura wakes up among the dead - as in buried under "a mountain of bodies". Left for dead by his crew who thought he was killed. He and his brothers were taking supplies from a food distribution warehouse to a rescue station when they were overwhelmed. Saved because he was wearing a Kevlar body suit and still having his ballistic helmet still on (with visor).

    A good chunk of the entry is wiggling himself out - only to discover he's not the only one still moving. A slow race as he tries to push out before the zombie underneath reaches him.

    Once out, searches for a gun, finds a SIG Saucer, but one clip - nine bullets. Using one of them to shoot his brother in arms who had his throat slashed; now coming back to life.

    No place to go nor transport - spends the night at the food warehouse after cleaning the dead with lawn care tools. Next day got into the office and found a Glock 26 with three boxes of 9mm hallow points. Power is still on at that point. Watching the TV in there, sees this has gotten worse these past hours.

    The survivors who were shuttled out were being assaulted by refugees who had abandoned their homes. Believing the buses have food inside.

    He would go mad, alone. Enough supplies to last perhaps ten years - in solitude. A bullet to the head. Sam decides to use this as a launch to a better life. Doing the same as Max did in "Dead Run". Loading pallets of supplies into a semi; everything the survivors would need; from sleeping bag to toilet paper and food. Then gassed up the truck from a company fuel pump on site.

    Plan is sound - create a camp at the National Armory in Harrisville, if still intact. If not - find a way to take it back from the dead. Driving, he goes into Evans City to pass through; various bonfires still smoking - we know, done by Sheriff McClelland. One of his woes is the dangers of refueling. Spending too many bullets getting in and out. He passes the cemetery and Johnny's car, crashed into a tree. And later while taking a breather/bearings, no map; sees a house with pile of corpses still smoking in front; curious - investigate.

    The wreckage of the farm house, some kind of stand was made, windows and door boarded. And down into the basement, finding blood, bone and a bloody trowel.

    This story was nothing special, felt like filler. Not saying it's bad. But not special either. There is no ending, Sam heads out to find this group of men who cleaned the area. They would need his supplies.

    18) "Live And On The Scene" by Keith R. A. DeCandido. Another short set in 1968. This entry is on a reporter, Harvey Lincoln who works for WIC-TV in Butler, Pennsylvania covering the apocalypse, unknown to him. Still under the belief these are random acts of violence, the real information is not yet known.

    His boss, Jack Olden tells him about another murder spree which had happened in West Pennsylvania and North Chestnut. He gets into the station's van and heads off. Another aftermath, interviews with witnesses and relaying what is known. Which isn't much. Now including the comment...

    I heard a terrible noise next door, so I ran over to see, and I swear to God almighty above that there was a man in there chawin' on Edna!
    - Mr. Posey

    Next is the news crew in the WIC-TV conference room, there finds his rival, Linda Kamin who is ticked off that Harvey had stole her coroner's source. That's when things got real. Jack informs his crew that verified reports from multiple cemeteries, have corpses rising up and walking away. And one of the first official instructions coming from the government - burn the dead, cremate a.s.a.p.

    At this point we learn that his father has been trying to reach him, mom is sick, real bad. Shrugs it off since his father makes mountains out of mole hills. Another report on the field, this time interviewing a cemetery caretaker. Same as what was told by his boss. The dead have come back to life and exited. At this point his father is beseeching him. Harvey gets into the van with his driver, Frank - heading towards his childhood home in Kittanning.

    Van nearly hits a man wandering in the middle street, swerving and hits the local bank. Both men survive the impact. Ticked off, Havey gets out to yell at the stranger - that's when reality surfaces. The man is dead - has a hole in his chest, bone seen. He runs; leaving an unconscious Frank behind. On foot after some time, finds himself near his old neighborhood. No further dead encountered... for the moment.

    Reaches home in time while his mom is still alive. His father questions him, since Harvey has a face with blood, car crash. The mother goes into seizure. No help from the phone; no police, nor county hospital. She passes. The government order - 'burn the dead'. He fights with his father over what has to happen - especially after what he had seen. No go.

    You can guess what happens next. Harvey Lincoln is the sole survivor of the home, leaves to find more of the dead outside - with Frank among them. No happy ending. Concludes with a news report by Linda Kamin getting her time in the spotlight.

    It was a decent tale. And now the final entry. They did go out with a good one.

    19) "Deadliner" by Neal and Brendan Shusterman. We follow a carnie named Owen who was in Savannah Georgia when it happened in 1968. He became a hero as he put down hundreds of them over six months. The world is still infected, but the zombies have become mostly under control.

    Using his fame, Owen comes up with a plan to make money - a grand circus of the dead! Lions, clowns, tightrope walker, a juggler and more. He put together - "The Savannah Post-Apocalyptum". He hires Hollywood make-up artists.

    It's your job to make them look just as terrifying from a distance.
    The cadaver is bound, can't move their head or jaw for the cosmetics. Owen hires the best lighting and set designers for his mega show. The audience is separated from the stage by a fence. His main right hand man is Cristoph, a sharp shooter - security and 'wrangler of the dead'.

    His staff is not enthusiastic about the spectacle. It should be noted, he had some rather unscrupulous backers with digs on what the venture could bring in.

    I saw my sister get bitten, and my mother. They then both came after me. It was my neighbor who put 'em down.
    - Horace, a clown

    So why present? Money. And needing the work. Many within have similar testimonies. Even the tightrope girl, Clara is offended by the job they agreed to. Opening night is standing room only. Of the staff, only Clara quit; "girl had walked away from a million-dollar career".

    Coming to the main event - revealed by Owen, the Ringmaster. The doors opened in the rear and two strongmen holding the dead on chains like dogs, dressed up as macabre clowns. The showcase of the night is having the dead state senator among the undead precession.

    Now, ladies and gentlemen, don't be alarmed. Those chains are tempered steel. And as you can see, they are happy to make your acquaintance!
    - Owen

    Hinted - among the dead is Julia Childs. A famous movie comedian. Owen had discovered what Dr. Logan had understood from "Day Of The Dead" (1985); zombies can be trained. AND actress Elizabeth Taylor who was trained to do a little dance; shuffle right and left with some shoulder rolling. The audience is eating it up, applauding and cheering.

    This is what the young carnie had wanted, fame and fortune. All of it happening, the dream...

    That is until Cristoph, wrangler of the dead has a heart attack on stage. No captain to control them, the dead reverted back to old habits. First were the strongmen, surrounded by the damned; seventeen of them. The senator was the first to be put down. But they didn't expect his many to revolt. The dead are over the fence and into the first row. When one of the sharpshooters misses and kills a patron by accident, they abandoned their posts.

    He had been so sure that Owen didn't have a gun. And just like that it was gone. The fame turned to infamy and fortune snuffed - both dollars and luck.

    Just like "Orbital Decay" and "Dead Man's Curve", it needed to be longer - I wanted more. Owen's last name was not given by the way. *nods*



    That's it folks; three-hundred seventy pages later. Hope you enjoyed the ride. All the doors and windows are boarded for the next onslaught - which will come, it always does, damn.

    It should hold. Right?

    Last week, did a write up of a new stage play in New York based on the '68 movie. Looking at my archive, I found another.

    On December 1st - 3rd, 2011 at 7pm; Elk Grove High School in Elk Grove Village, Illinois had put on a play on the Romero classic.



    Above was their poster.

    I wonder if it was any good.

    Double-Damn.

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