ZRC at Horrorhound Today
Posted By John Sears on September 8, 2012
Come on by our booth in the vendor hall at Horrorhound and say hi! We have Zombie Friendly wares and literature and are very open to dialogue.
It’s what we do.
Welcome to the ZRC Blog
We hope you'll find this blog an educational, entertaining, and inspiring source of information, whether you're recently undead, a long-time member of the differently animated, or a still-living friend of your fallen, yet risen again, brethren. Everyone with an interest in zombie rights is welcome!
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In Political Season, AMC and Walking Dead Stage Fake Presidential Campaign
Posted By John Sears on September 3, 2012
Even on our short break the ZRC couldn’t help but notice the increasingly creative desperation AMC has to get ‘The Walking Dead’ back before millions of American satellite TV customers after a dispute with Dish Network.
I mean, running a fake presidential campaign? That’s both ambitious and bizarre:
A. Zombie, billed as the nation’s first zombie presidential candidate, will appear in Tampa, Fla., on Sunday, headlining the “Zombie Convention Within a Convention” to kick off the weather-delayed Republican National Convention.
With his finger on the pulse of the people, he is running on a platform that emphasizes job creation (“I’ll strive to increase America’s workforce… even if it kills me again,”) and health care (“I am pro-Zombiecare. Don’t be caught dead without it.”)
But like many third-party candidates, Mr. Zombie has one main issue: getting AMC, home to the post-apocalyptic drama “The Walking Dead,” back on Dish Network.
The problem here isn’t so much that ‘The Walking Dead’ is exploiting Zombies, which they do every day anyway, but that they’re attempting to de-legitimize Zombie participation in politics in the process. As we’ve documented again and again here on the blog, Zombies are increasingly vocal participants in politics both here in the United States and around the world.
And yet all the ‘Walking Dead’ types can see here is an opportunity to peddle their hateful wares. What a sad and limited vision!
We’ll monitor their faux-campaign for further developments, of course. In the meantime there are actual Zombie struggles to document, marches to attend, protests and picketing to do.
The ZRC Gets Interviewed!
Posted By John Sears on August 29, 2012
Well, ok, I did, on behalf or the ZRC. Hard to interview an organization per se.
You can see a series of fascinating questions and my attempts at fascinating answers here. I hope this helps fill the void of Zombie Friendliness a bit until Horrorhound and the resumption of full ZRC activities.
Short ZRC Vacation Until Horrorhound Indianapolis
Posted By John Sears on August 24, 2012
Hello out there, Zombie Rights Allies and Knowledge-Seekers alike. Just a quick note from your ZRC President here to say that since I start law school orientation next week (to learn new tools and techniques to protect our clients and promote The Cause) the ZRC is taking a short semi-vacation until September 7th when we will make a public appearance at Horrorhound Indianapolis.
Joining us will be our good convention booth-buddy Michelle Hartz who would love to sell you a copy of her Zombie Friendly book ‘Brains for the Zombie Soul’ (if you can’t wait, it’s also on Amazon and even comes in a Kindle version, impulsive readers)
We’ve also heard rumors that our S.T.A.R.S. nemeses may make an appearance, and past Zombie of the Year Baron Mardi is likely to be in the throngs as well. Buying him a beer is customary thanks for his achievement, or so I’m sure he’d like me to say.
A special target of outreach for this Horrorhound is Timothy Balme, star of one of the least Zombie Friendly movies of all time, Peter Jackson’s ‘Dead Alive’ (also known as ‘Brain Dead’). We’ll have to come up with something for Mr. Balme’s edification in pamphlet form.
Also attending and in need of education on the issues of Undead Equality are Tom Savini, John Russo, Russ Streiner and many other prominent figures from various Anti-Zombie films. It’ll be a busy weekend!
We may still have occasional updates in the interim but the ZRC will return during Horrorhound regardless, rested and ready to fight for the Zombies, harder than ever.
Kickstarter for Napoleonic Age Zombie Adventure?
Posted By John Sears on August 22, 2012
I have to admit to a general ignorance of the historical fiction genre. There have been quite a few period Zombie stories of late, but most are copying the ‘Pride and Prejudice and Zombies’ trend and consist of mashups of varying amounts of original writing splashed in amongst public-domain classics.
Which was an original idea.. once.
Contrast with this innovative and potentially Zombie Tolerant (or potentially not-at-all-Zombie Tolerant) work of serial fiction, ‘The World to Come’, now fundraising on Kickstarter:
Port of Gibraltar, 1805. When French forces steal Admiral Nelson’s body shortly after the Battle of Trafalgar, HMS Spectre is tasked with it’s recovery. Among her crew, rumors and superstitions are traded freely that Napoleon is in league with the devil and is raising an unholy army of undead. Fearing that the Emperor has designs to reanimate Admiral Nelson and gain naval superiority over England, the Spectre makes pursuit to turn the tide of war. Kipling, a convicted crewman pressed into service, embarks on the Spectre as penance for his criminal past, risking discovery that his own life is unnatural as he has twice cheated death.
I know what you’re thinking, ZRC readers: ‘unholy army of undead’? That sounds ghastly (no pun intended). But there’s something a bit more complex going on here:
The zombies in The World to Come won’t resemble the typical brain hungry, mindless hordes depicted elsewhere in the genre. That is to say, not all of them do. The undead in our world are merely amplified reflections of the people they were in life, and the attitudes and appetites they most indulged.
So, if a zombie had been a bloodthirsty war-monger in life, he might more closely resemble the flesh-eating monsters we’re all used to seeing in typical zombie fare. Yet our protagonist (still a zombie) is an introspective, reluctantly undead, properly British chap who puts his pantaloons on one leg at a time.
Apologies for the large quotes from Kickstarter but they’re here to illustrate a very interesting dynamic: Zombies as individuals with thoughts, feelings and drives!
On the other hand, apparently the majority of them are driven to act like ugly stereotypes. And our protagonist may be most special for fighting his own kind, as it were. Hmm.
Not an uncommon theme for the Undead and other ‘monsters’, actually. Vampires have Alucard, Demons get Hellboy, and Zombies have had a few candidates. Bub, Fido, certain characters from the ‘Monster Island’ series.
Yet, at least tentatively, we hold out hope. Putting aside the potential for what the ZRC sometimes terms a ‘Magic Zombie’ scenario (where a single Zombie individual exists to be the Good Undead and help the Living characters out of a bind), ‘The World to Come’ seems to be trying harder than most (almost all) fiction to see things from the Zombie perspective.
Bonus: it’s not another ‘Apocalypse’ story full of guns and unwashed everyman survivors. Thank your higher power of choice.
‘ZomBee’? Really.
Posted By John Sears on August 21, 2012
The practice of calling things you don’t like ‘Zombie’ has long bothered the ZRC. Recently there has been a veritable epidemic of such namecalling about the study of our sickly honeybee population; bees wander off and die, for various reasons. Obviously this is a bad thing, at least if you like honey or eating fruits and vegetables, and studying the various phenomena to blame is a good thing.
But honeybees have been in trouble for years; they’ve only been ‘Zombies’, or here, ‘ZomBees’ since journalists and some scientists studying the problem figured out you get more attention with Zombie in the headline.
She looked perfectly normal. But what was she doing roaming around at night on the Google campus in Mountain View, Calif?
She’d been drawn out of her home, following the light, and now was taking mincing steps across a white bed sheet. Had she just taken “the flight of the living dead”? Was she actually a “ZomBee”?
Let’s all give a good groan at the misdirection/melodrama in the opening paragraph too.
But at least THESE bees are actually undergoing a profound biological change, albeit nothing like Undeath. No, it’s more of your parasites-making-insects-act-weird story. As opposed to, say, Zombie Stocks or Zombie Department stores or Zombie Economics, which were never alive to start with, let alone Undead.
Small comfort. As for us, we feel for the ZomBees, but they’re not really our clients, just some sick bugs.
Shoot With Actual Guns at ‘Zombies’ for Entertainment?
Posted By John Sears on August 17, 2012
The talented and vigilant Michelle Hartz forwarded us this disturbing story from Ohio, which the ZRC visited just this spring and clearly need to patrol a bit more often:
The Shoot Extreme gun range in West Chester, Ohio, is drawing crowds with so-called Zombie Hunts, where customers can take down flesh-eating imposters.
Shoot Extreme provides pistols, shotguns and rifles that have been converted to fire Simunition, a nonlethal, ballistically realistic training ammunition that the military and police use to close-range simulation.
The Zombie Hunts have attracted experienced shooters as well as novices and even families.
“The first one comes up behind you and kind of scares you,” said Brent Garland, who tried out the range for the first time. “I took two bullets on that one, and the rest came down pretty easy. It’s pretty fun.”
Now this, obviously, is just heinous. Actual guns, fortunately converted to fire non-lethal, but still; they’re using actual guns to train the public in shooting at Zombies in a ghastly sort of Living Supremacist haunted house. I really don’t know what gets into these people.
On another note, I have doubts this is actually safe. If you go to the manufacturer’s site for Simunition, you’ll note that they consider the use of face, neck and groin protectors *mandatory* for the safe use of their products. Do the Zombies, or more likely, actors playing Zombies, really lurch out at the guests wearing a full face mask and some sort of armored neck warmer?
At least guns that fire Simunition have to be refitted with special parts, which reduces the chance of accidentally loading live ammunition. Still, the risk of someone shooting their eye out seems relatively high.
The risk of inflaming Anti-Zombie prejudice? Almost certain.
The Zombie, Err, Thing Rights Campaign at Flashback Weekend
Posted By John Sears on August 15, 2012
First, let me apologize for the belated post; ran into a few difficulties, including photographing some items.
So the Thing Rights Campaign was devised, in part thanks to the encouragement of ZRC pal Michelle Hartz, to take the important issue of Things and their proper, and often sadly ignored, civil liberties to Flashback Weekend, featuring as it did John Carpenter as the guest of honor.
First, on Friday night, we had the screenings. Before ‘The Thing’ played on the big screen, however, there was a showing of the pilot for ‘The Zombie Factor’, a sort of spoof on trashy reality shows.. only this time featuring grotesque and shameless Anti-Zombie violence.
(on the big screen)
‘The Zombie Factor’ recalls early 90s reality tv a bit more than the current celebrity-stalking version; a gaggle of random citizens with personality problems are put into a stressful situation together, then given bizarre challenges to compete in toward an unspecified goal. Presumably a large cash reward from the way the show’s contestants talk.
So, for those old enough to remember, something like The Real World, Road Rules, or, particularly relevant here, Survivor.
For ‘The Zombie Factor’, those challenges involve Zombies. Taunting them, tormenting them, and, at random times, being attacked by Zombies let in to the living area of the contestants.
Naturally we don’t condone said Zombies seeking revenge on their Living tormentors either, but it’s understandable, and a more decent and sympathetic motive than cashing-in, at least.
(On Saturday we actually had a chance to talk to the director of ‘The Zombie Factor’, Matt Cantu, in the vendor room, and we raised a number of these concerns, especially about the patently hostile (and potentially actionable) work environments of the Zombies on the show, who are unwilling participants, unlike the contestants. I think it was a productive exchange, though I remain skeptical that said conditions will actually improve if a full season is made.
We shall see.)
After ‘The Zombie Factor’ it was time for the main event, ‘The Thing’ on the big screen. Exciting, sad, gruesome all at the same time, it was every bit the story of misunderstanding and unintentional mayhem I remembered, and the digital presentation was quite nice.
Before the film started John Carpenter gave a short and amusing talk about the initial lack of appreciation for the movie, a lesson in perseverance for us all.
And then the tragedy unfolded:
(Extremely cool in an actual theatre)
Those poor Things, and poor researchers too! Honestly, I think the real villains of The Thing are the Norwegians. Talk about irresponsible science! Were they even legally authorized for a first contact scenario with alien visitors? I sincerely doubt it.
The next day it was time to take our pamphlet and our message to The Man himself, Mr. John Carpenter. They had a nifty set of backdrops for photo opportunities, if you’re in to that sort of thing:
However, we had outreach in mind.
We got a couple of items autographed and gave Mr. Carpenter a ‘Thing Rights and You’ pamphlet, letting him know that we were there for the Things, and that they had an organization behind them. He seemed open to the idea, at least far more open than some we’ve talked with, and that’s a start!
A promising start.
We puttered around the vendor area afterward, and as previously mentioned ran into Matt Cantu and had a good talk. We also saw the Meatspider Studios booth, and they had a lovely line of Zombie ‘Chomp’ Boxes. I had to pick up one, and it’s gorgeous, showcasing the natural beauty of the Undead, but in.. box form. Take a look:
Gorgeous. I love Zombie art that doesn’t involve anyone being dismembered or eaten alive, don’t you?
That about sums it up; talks with two directors, sweet merch, autographs and a historic screening of an important film. A great first outing for The Thing Rights Campaign.
ParaNorman ‘Night of the Living Dead’ Teaser: Good or Bad for Zombies?
Posted By John Sears on August 13, 2012
I have to say, while this ParaNorman teaser spreads some unfortunate misunderstandings about Zombies (like that they all eat Living humans, let alone exclusively), it still, in a strange way, feels sympathetic toward the Zombies even as it misunderstands them:
I’m wary of the ‘humorous fat sidekick’ kid as well as the Zombie-bashing, but that’s a story for another day.
We’ll definitely have to check this one out for the ZRC.
We’re Back from “Flashback Weekend”, Important Thing Rights News to Follow
Posted By John Sears on August 13, 2012
Been catching up on some stuff and housework after a very successful bit of outreach at Flashback Weekend. Will have a writeup soon, but suffice it to say we talked Thing Rights and Zombie Rights with some very important people.
Also, saw ‘The Thing’ on the big screen. Which was sad, as it is a sad tale of mutual destruction. Tragic.