The
Zombie Master
Lee Roberts answers your burning quesitons about those flesh-feasting
slow-walking freaks. Want to know the How, What, Why and when of
Zombies? How to kill them? What to do when they come callling?
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This is the place to get answers to the questions that you were afraid
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Zombie
Master,
According to your definition between zombie movies
and "not
zombie"
zombie movies, a zombie can be killed by removing the head but in the
recent remake of Dawn of the Dead during the credits our protagonists
come across a boat and in the boat there's a cooler with a still living
head. In terms doesn't this contradict the very ideas created for
zombie films..."no brain / no functions"? How do you explain this?
Richard, Kansas City, KS USA
Richard,
I am so glad that I am not the only one that noticed that. There are
not a lot of us that will actually sit through the credits of a film.
Most people walk out at the first sign of credits.
You are absolutely correct, it is a blatant contradiction and
one that
will keep this otherwise good zombie film out of my personal top ten
list.
There is no explanation other than ignorance or just disregard
to
serious zombie film rules.
You are well on your way to Zombie Masterdom. Keep up the good
work.
Good hunting and aim high,
The Zombie Master
**Reader rebuttal to The Zombie Master's answer
above**
I
have an
answer for a question that
you got wrong...Well, it actully had all of the organs in the cooler.
The zombie still lives with all of its body
parts still connected, they are just spattered
inside the cooler. So the head is not
disconnected.
Alex, location
unknown
Alex,
I
really hate to argue semantics but I must direct you
to the expert testimony of one Dr. Logan (Day of the
Dead).
The organs have nothing to do with the animation (or
lack there of) of a zombie. It is the electrical pulse
that runs from the brain down the spine.
One
scene
in DOTD clearly shows a "living" zombie with
his organs falling out and he is not put down until a
medical drill is run through the front of his head
thus breaking the flow of electrical current.
I
will
have to watch the Dawn remake again (which I do
not mind doing) but I do not remember seeing a spinal
connection in the cooler.
Good try and I will accept any attempt to keep me on
my toes. It makes for good practice.
Good hunting
and aim high,
The Zombie
Master
Dear
Zombie Master,
In many movies of the Zombie genre the zombies
involved always
have
some sort of super strength power. If (zombies) were to (actually)
happen, wouldn't the rotting muscles of the zombies become weak instead
of super strong?
I know it's more of a comment but it is a question
that I have
always asked.
Alex, England
Alex,
I could not agree with you more. The only "super strength"
zombie that
I will "logically" accept is Jason
Voorhees (who, by the way, has been a zombie since Part VI).
That is the problem after all. Do you know what happens when
you apply
logic to a zombie film? You get a scene like the one in NOTLD
1990 when Barbara finally leaves the house knowing that she can walk
right past the zombies with no problem. Now, when everyone else
realizes that the zombies are slow, weak, and decaying bodies then
there wouldn't be to many movies about our beloved zombies because they
wouldn't be that dangerous or even scary.
That is why we must accept what we don't necessarily find
logical. It
becomes a necessary evil that adds volume to the zombie genre. It's one
of those "rules" that I am willing to see bent in order to keep the
zombie films coming.
Good hunting and aim high,
The Zombie Master
Mr.
Master,
Can you please recommend a truly scary, atmospheric
zombie
film?
David, Lakeland
David,
I usually refer people to the basic Romero standards but if
you are
looking for truly "scary and atmospheric" zombie films then required
viewing for any future zombie master are the classics of Lucio Fulci,
specifically Zombi 2,
The
Beyond,
and The
House By the Cemetery.
I enjoy giving recommendations for zombie movies and am more
than happy
to do it so don't hesitate to ask.
Good hunting and aim high,
The Zombie Master
Hi
Zombie Master,
I'm doing an essay on the zombie genre for a school
project
about the conventions of the zombie genre, but I can't seem to find any
information as to what constitutes a zombie movie, other than 'movie
with zombies'.
Can you shed some light onto this?
Many thanks.
PS: Please don't think I'm asking you to do my work
for me.
I'm merely asking what you would consider to be the basic principles of
a zombie movie.
David, Basingstoke (UK)
David,
I love talking about zombies anyway but I especially love
talking to
students about zombies because it shows an eagerness to learn.
The question you pose, if we wanted to get overly technical,
would take
volumes of which I don't think you would enjoy writing (nor your
professor enjoy reading) but the good news is that it can be broken
down into the basic components without to much trouble at all.
1. There are two primary eras of the zombie film:
Pre-Romero = 1932 (starting with White
Zombie) till
1968. In this period zombies are aproduct of
voodoo and are slaves to
the controller.
Post-Romero = 1968 (starting with Night
of the
Living Deadand continuing on) --
zombies are a
product of multiple
circumstances (i.e. cosmic radiation, demon possession, witchcraft,
etc.) and are monsters that feed on living flesh.
2. Regardless of the era, a zombie is the reanimation of a
dead body.
If it did not die first then it logically cannot be a member of the
undead.
3. Do not mistake a zombie for a cannibal or vice versa. By
definition,
a cannibal feasts on its own kind. Zombies only partake of the living.
They do not partake of each other.
4) Zombies can only be killed by either severing the head,
thus
breaking the connection to the brain, or by destroying the brain
outright.
We can discuss semantics till we are blue in the face but any
truly
serious film in the zombie genre will hold true to these foundation
builders.
I hope this help and if you have any other questions, do not
hesitate
to ask. (And let me know what grade you get on the essay).
Good hunting and aim high,
The Zombie Master
Hey
Zombie Master,
This is more of a comment/rant I guess than a
question, but
you say that 28 days later is not a zombie movie, and it may or may not
be, but it is a good movie along the same principal as zombie movies.
I believe there are two main types of zombie movies
1) Obscure
- out - of - the - way - place/ cabin/ cemetary/ prison/ forest/
whatever-bloodbath type and 2) Post-Armageddon/virus/nuclear holocaust
- fight - to - survive - Mayberry - is - destroyed type. Maybe these
are just different popular movie plots, but both tie closely in with
many zombie movies.
Personally I enjoy zombie movies where the whole
world is
destroyed and a few remaining people have to maneuver their way through
this insanity grabbing M16s and raiding convenience stores living on
whatever they can find, all the while fighting off flesh eating undead
- scared shitless - but with a new renewed hardcoreness because they
don't have to work at Home Depot anymore and get to mow down zombies
and actually work for a living (HeHe).
I was just wondering if you and other people feel the
same
way. Is it really a fascination with zombies (don't get me wrong,
zombies kick ass), or is it a fascination with chaos, and wanting to
see what would happen if the world went to hell, getting drunk the
whole time, and thinking about what awesome things they would do in
that situation (hopefully not getting torn apart alive).
Peace, Rob, Valdosta, GA
Rob,
You have made some good points and observations that I would
like to
touch on if I may.
First, I agree with you that28
Days Lateris a good movie. I enjoy a good "end of world" movie as much
as the
next guy. I believe, however, that the aspects of 28 Days
Later that have the same principals as a zombie movie are
very similar to the aspects of a zombie movie that have the same
principles as a slasher movie. Similar in concept but different in
follow through.
Because of this I do believe we are seeing the birth of a new
sub-genre; the "not a zombie" zombie film. Only time will tell.
Second, I fear that you are limiting your options a little bit
by
trying to pigeon hole zombie movies into two categories. Broaden your
horizons, take in a bad nazi-zombie movie likeZombie
Lake, or a good Troma zombie movie like Redneck
Zombies.
You don't know what you are missing.
Now if I may wax philosophical, I do not think it is a
fascination with
chaos. Quite the opposite in fact, I personally use zombie films and
horror films as a whole as a release from the every day monotony of
life. Society has got us brain washed into thinking that Oprah and Dr.
Phil have all the answers to life's questions, and if you don't listen
to them you may just end up on Jerry Springer. We have forgotten that
real honest to goodness stress actually needs an outlet. I believe that
is one of the reasons for the sudden resurgence of horror movies being
the cash cow at the theaters. If we all learned to allow our
frustrations to be taken out by someone else on a movie screen the
world just might be a better place. See, all we need to do is get more
people to watch horror movies and the earth will become the Utopia that
we have all been yearning for.
Oh, dude, sorry about that. Had a momentary lapse of reason
there and
had to come back down off of my soapbox.
Anyway, it is always great to talk to a fellow zombie fan.
Good hunting and aim high, The Zombie Master
Zombie
Master,
I am stuck on a movie, can you help? A bunch of kids
steal
keys to a department store then zombies try and finally get in. I think
it was out in the 80s, might even be late 70s. Can you help with its
name?
George, Dundee USA
Hey George,
I hate it when that happens.
I have to
admit that at first I did not take your question
seriously. I
mean, who doesn't know the answer to this.Dawn
of the Dead
is the quintessential mall zombie movie.
But after I reminded myself that you probably thought of that
yourself,
I remembered a movie that was released around 1983/84 called Night
of the Comet.
It was a decent little "mid-budget" film that was sort of a
cross
between Dawn of the Dead and
Valley
Girl.
Bad news: It is virtually impossible to find a new copy, and
if you do
it is only on VHS.
Good news: It is available used at both Amazon and
eBay.
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,
and 
.
You don't know what you are missing.
.
It was a decent little "mid-budget" film that was sort of a
cross
between Dawn of the Dead and
. 
