Dawn of the Remake

To follow in the footsteps of Romero's classic is an impossible task. Yet despite the name, this professed remake could more accurately be perceived as a completely different movie. Though certainly a homage to the original, the only real similarities are the zombies and the mall. Almost everything else was completely different. This is intentional. The writers and director knew full well that they could not simply reshoot the original. Instead, they chose to take the concept from the original and recreate it into a movie of their own.

The premise of the movie follows that of the original. Zombies begin to appear all over the world for an unknown reason. A group of survivors fleeing the plague take shelter in an empty mall, where they are then trapped, besieged by limitless hordes of the undead.

Unlike the original, however, the second generation cast is a larger and more diverse group. Indeed, the large ensemble cast is by far the greatest strength of the 2004 remake. Though mostly still based on the classic zombie movie archetypes, each character seems more dynamic and 3 dimensional than you would find in most zombie movies, and indeed most horror movies in general. Many of the characters even develop as the movie progresses, which gives interesting depth. Though generally considered an Action movie, Dawn of the Dead remains just as gripping, even during the downtime.

Dawn of the Dead also pushed the envelope a little, something very few zombie movies seem capable of doing these days. Most noticeably, the zombies in the 2004 version can run, negating the biggest advantage that we humans would have over the living dead. In addition, they are as strong and coordinated as they were in life, able to punch a wind shield or break in a bathroom door. This makes individual zombies infinitely more dangerous than their traditional counterparts. In the original, the survivors used clear, clever wits and skilled marksmanship to clear out the infested mall. In the remake, no amount of planning could save them if the horde managed to find their way inside their makeshift fortress. Only brute force, constant running, and an inordinate amount of luck allow some of them to make it out with their lives.

However, some of these creative ideas should have stayed in the cutting room. The largest, glaring example is the zombie baby. One of the characters, a pregnant woman, already a zombie movie cliche, gets bitten and even after death is able to give birth, to an undead newborn. The baby is pretty quickly put down, but its very presence in the movie negates any sense of gravity that the movie might otherwise have possessed. True, it's impossible to say definitively what would happen to an unborn child were it infected, but in terms of film style it lowers the movie from a Horror classic in the making to the level of just a really good B movie. It's cliche, it's corny, and it unravels the suspension of disbelieve, a hard thing to establish in a zombie movie. This isn't the only example of this sort of B movie additions to an otherwise excellent movie, but it is the clearest.

So you have a mixed bag, the Dawn of the Dead remake makes a valiant effort to bring the genre out of the ditch of cliche where it has fallen. The characters are for the most part believable and human. The makeup and special effects are professional and expertly crafted. In particular they avoided the temptation to overuse CGI, which most modern viewers can see through immediately, and have thus kept the visual aspects of the movie gritty and powerful. So despite its occasional stray into the cliche, the new Dawn of the Dead carries on the legacy of the original.

Four and a Half Stars.

Zombie Weapon: Bow and Arrows

As a follow up to my previous post regarding crossbows, I feel I should say a few words about traditional bows as well.

Most zombie resources, including the Zombie Survival Guide will tell you that a bow makes a lousy anti-zombie weapon. And there's a lot of truth to that. From the simplest straight bow to the most tricked out compound hunting bow, they all have most of the same limitations.

First of all, they are slow to fire. Even if you leave an arrow knocked, you still need to raise and draw the bow before you are ready to fire. In a situation where you have only a slit second to react, this can make a difference.

The second issue is dubious penetration power. Now, not to get the wrong impression, a well placed arrow with a hunting tip can definitely penetrate the skull of a human or zombie target. However, most arrowheads are designed to hit the torso of an animal and slice their way into the vital organs. Then, as the animal runs, its movement causes the bladed tip to simple tear the creature's insides apart until it finally dies. The hunter then follows the blood trail and retrieves his kill. Unfortunately, zombies don't have any organs they're particularly worried about losing.
Unfortunately, these arrowheads are not designed to penetrate hard bone, particularly a thick and sloped one like the skull. Anything but a direct shot has a pretty good chance of glancing off with no more damage than a truly nasty cut. Not something you want when a zombie's approaching you.

The third issue is the most important. Guns are simple. Crossbows are simple. Point, pull the trigger, and if it's aimed right and your hand is steady, you should have a clean kill. Not so with a bow. Even a skilled archer needs to take his (or her) time to draw the bow, line up the shot, and release the string. This sounds simple, but doing it properly takes anywhere from two to three seconds and not one but two calm, steady hands. Rush the shot and it could go anywhere. And it's a tricky shot. A large human head is about the size of the center of an Olympic target, and it's moving.

The bottom line here? Don't use a bow to try and kill zombies. Just run. So, why bother with bows at all, when they have nearly no combat application? Simple.

They weren't designed for hunting zombies, but you can always use them for what they were designed for. Hunting animals. Hunting with a rifles is easier, yes, but a single gunshot could alert every zombie and every potentially hostile human in the area. Then every zombie who hears, moans, drawing even more of his undead brethren to your location. It also depletes your limited supply of ammunition.
On the other hand, in the hands of a skilled hunter, a good bow and the right arrows can bring down anything from rabbits to bear. (Though I would recommend you avoid the latter.) Not only is it a silent way to find food, arrows can usually be reused. A wood or fiberglass recurve bow is also light and can be stored pretty easily under a seat or on the back of a bike.

Now, I'm not saying that every survivor on the run should carry a bow. In fact, almost all of the advantages of a bow and arrows also apply to a crossbow, while a crossbow negates many of the disadvantages. So, Zombie Weapon? Maybe not, but they were the weapons of choice for other survivors throughout the centuries, and if you know what you're doing they'll work for you too.

Amusing Story

Someone sent me this, and I thought all you other zombie fans might appreciate it.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,484326,00.html

Not that it's a good idea to hack into the road signs. The article is right, they are there for a reason. But of all the crude or insulting things they could have posted, they decided to post something tasteful.

Besides, you never know, what if there were zombies up the road? It's the sort of thing that the commuters should know so they can plan their trip accordingly.

Zombie Defense Plan: By Travis Richardson

Here is the first of what I hope will become a continuous series of guest submissions. Our post is courtesy of Travis Richardson. This plan is not censored, and therefore does not reflect anyone's views but Mr. Richardson. Still, I think that it is well thought and informative. Hopefully my readers will find it useful in planning for their own zombie crisis.

Well, my friends and I have laid out our plan for the zombie apocalypse in full detail. My house located in the middle of the woods with access to fresh water from my pond and plentiful game animals to harvest will become our base of operations. When the zombie apocalypse occurs the first 24 hours are vital. We will all meet at my house with all our assortment of weapons from our own personal collections. This includes an assortment of weapons rifles, shotguns, handguns, and melee weapons.
We will then leave 50% of our force at my house to begin preparation for barricading the house as well as preparing wood for the stove and as well as clear trees around the house to provide a obstruction free killing zone. The other 50% percent will run to Richmond Indiana and with the like hood of mass looting being 100% will gather supplies of ammo, gas, can food, powdered milk, and anything useful we can get our hands on or if looting hasn’t begun run our charge cards buying the essentials. The alternative raiding city is Greenville if Richmond has fallen victim already to the zombie menace though if both have fallen we will raid a few small towns within 10 mile drive from my house we're maintaining safety while raiding is possible, if need be. Then once the raiding or buying is done the other 50% will return to the house now known as Alpha base.
Alpha base is a two story log house with logs spiked together with extremely thick walls. The trees around the house would've been cut down by the group left behind to provide a 20 yard kill zone. The preliminary boarding of all first floor windows and doors should have begun. The first floor should be completely boarded up accept for gun port to fire out if the need be. These task once complete are the first phase of occupying alpha base. We will then move all non important furniture to the pole barn to maximize space for which to store gear and deploy cots and beds. Thus, with these tasks complete the objective is survival by all means.
We will burn through our rations in a couple of months and then will begin to hunt for food. The hunts will take place with two groups heading in opposite directions and return six hours prior to sun set to field dress kills and prepare them to be cooked. They will stay in radio contact so that there isn't an over abundance of food, because the lack of refrigeration. We will also occasionally harvest fish from my pond located in front of alpha base and the one 1/2 a mile up the road. We will also take my neighbors chickens and continue to raise and butcher them as well as harvest their eggs. We will stave of cabin fever by rotating jobs and the once and a while scouting party to investigate towns.
The scouting parties will not go straight to their objective rather zig zag to it taking different roads there and different roads back to minimize the possibility of being followed by the undead or anyone else. We maintain these survival methods until relieved or taken out. The plan, if we're attacked by a large force of zombies is to load up in the vehicles if holding alpha base is impossibility regardless of the fortifications. We will then proceed to seek shelter at any alternative site to be determined by necessity, but most likely another log house located 20 miles away owned by friends. They will have already done all we have to this point and also have access to clean water and game.

Zombie Weapon: The Crossbow

No one can deny the efficiency and the effectiveness of firearms. They make excellent weapons against both zombies and humans. However, they also present an incredible risk to someone on the run. A single gunshot can alert every zombie for miles of your presence, causing them to converge on your position.
Melee weapons pose other risks. Obviously, hand to hand combat is risky, even if only against a single zombie. One false move and instead of a quick, clean decapitation you might find yourself fatally bitten. Less obvious is the zombie's moan. Zombies tend to moan when they sense prey, and this moan can alert other zombies just as effectively as a gunshot.

So, what's your average civilian, who would not have easy access to a sound suppressor, to do in such a situation? One possible solution is a crossbow.

A modern hunting crossbow is almost as effective at destroying a zombie as a rifle, while having the advantage of almost complete silence. They are as easy to fire as a rifle, allowing for a quick clean headshot without alerting anyone, zombie or human, to your presence. Their ammunition is also reusable, if you have the time to retrieve and clean the bolt.

However, the crossbow does have some rather severe limitations that make it ineffective as a primary weapon. First and foremost, each shot has to be individually loaded by hand, an arduous and time consuming process. Though very effective at dispatching a single zombie in silence, the process is very inefficient. Against multiple zombies you may well be forced into using firearms or melee weapons anyway.
Another issue is it's size. A hunting crossbow, though often made of lightweight materials, is still a large and bulky piece of equipment. It's awkward shape also makes it difficult to carry on a pack. The bolts (arrows) also take up much more room than a similar quantity of rifle ammo would, meaning that you can't easily carry as much ammunition. More importantly, a crossbow would have to be carried in addition to a standard firearm, since just a crossbow is not enough for a sizable zombie threat. That means that the crossbow, bolts, and all necessary accessories, are extra gear, and as any camper or backpacker will tell you, ever ounce you carry on your back matters.

Ideally, one member of a 5-7 person team should carry a crossbow or similar silenced weapon. Another member should carry the ammunition in an easily reachable location. That way the crossbow can be used as a team, if need be. One person shoots, the other feeds ammunition and spots, much like a pair of hunters or a military sniper team. This will help the shooter reload more efficiently, while having someone else to guard his back. This arrangement slightly reduces the encumbrance to individual members of the group and would slightly increase efficiency of use.

A crossbow's uses are somewhat limited, but it does have its niche. The simplest one is taking out a single zombie threat while maintaining stealth. If, for example, a group is moving through a city or town, and encounters a zombie, a gunshot might bring every zombie in the neighborhood down on them, quickly trapping them. They might use a single, well-aimed crossbow shot to kill the zombie before it notices them. Then, just as quickly, the move on.

Similarly, a group of zombie survivors hiding out for the night or laying low might need to dispose of a zombie that has wandered too close without giving themselves away and being forced to move.


A crossbow isn't the perfect weapon by any means. In fact, when on the move, it's often just a dead weight. Still, don't count it out. When the situation calls for a single, swift, silent kill, a good hunting crossbow can deliver.

Undead

Alas, if you're looking for a serious zombie horror movie, do not watch Undead. This Australian independent movie seems to have been made based on the idea that they can't afford to do something scary, so they'll just make it as over the top as possible and call it offbeat humor. At that task, it succeeds.

The plot is pretty traditional. A group of people from a little fishing town in Australia find their tiny town overrun with a plague of strange occurrences, among them meteors, steaming rain, beams of light taking bugs up into the sky, and of course, zombies.

Among them is a reluctant local beauty pageant winner, the pregnant women she beat for the crown and her husband, a foul-tempered and foul-mouthed sheriff and his squimish deputy, and Marion, the redneck gunstore owner who claims the whole thing is the product of a vast alien conspiracy that he knew was coming all along, even though no one believed him.

Naturally the acting and particularly the stunts are equally over the top. In one notable scene, Marion jumps off the back of a zombie and does a backflip, slamming his spurs into the plaster above a window. (He does not own a horse. The spurrs are a mystery.) He then proceeds to hang upside down and unload clip after clip from the seemingly endless supply of guns he carries in his overalls.

Even more eccentric is Marion's weapon of choice, a triple shotgun. No, not a shotgun with three barrels, this monstrocity is actually three individual shotguns attached to one another and fired from a single trigger. Just the look of the weapon is enough to make most people ask why.


Still, if you know what you're getting into, Undead is worth a watch. If you're looking for Dawn of the Dead you won't find it here. However, if you're looking for a movie where Aussies use aerosal cans and ballpoint pens to kill zombies and crazy people start to make sense, this is the movie for you.

Worth a watch. Two and a half Stars.

Land of the Dead: Road to Fiddler's Green

This is our first game review on ZAC, and probably one of the few that I will do personally. I hope to find a resident video game guru to review all the latest zombie games.


Road to Fiddler's Green is based on George Romero's Land of the Dead, but takes place before the movie. Your character is a rural farmer who finds a stranger on his property and naturally decides to shoot him in the head. From there the plot is fairly straightforward. It's one redneck farmer with whatever weapons he can find against an unending horde of zombies. However, once you make your way through a zombie infested city and arrive in safe territory, your troubles have only begun. You are hired to clear a high-rise apartment building of the zombie infestation, floor by floor.

I found the game very satisfying. You can play it through on easy, if you're a lightweight like me, or go at it on hard and be literally mobbed by zombies. Either way, the decent (if a little dated) graphics and creepy soundtrack are as adrenaline inspiring as the scariest zombie movie. You use more than once sense to play, as zombies will often moan as they come at you, and every footstep in the dark could be one of them. This game will suck you so far into its zombie plagued reality that your skin will crawl even after you've stopped playing.

Still, don't expect the latest game with bleeding edge graphics and radical gameplay. The style of play is the same thing they've been making since Doom, with your group of weapons arranged along the number keys. There are a limited number of zombie body types, so they do start to repeat after a while, but the ones they have are realistic and fairly gory. The envirement is creepy, dirty, dark, and authentic.

So, if you've ever wanted to star in a Romero movie, this is your opportunity. The game's a few years old, so you might have trouble finding it, but, on the plus side, it might be pretty cheap. It's definitely worth it.