Posted By John Sears on October 31, 2011

In our last update I talked about the quite frankly spectacular show put on at the ‘Nightmare on Chicago Street’ event and how difficult our task of spreading Zombie Awareness in such an environment looked upon arrival.

I mean, they hit just about every conceivable trope of the ‘Zombie Apocalypse’ genre of pernicious fiction to create an amazingly in-depth simulation of the Apocalyptic scenario.

We also had a fully staffed ‘Zombie Defense Initiative’ to contend with on the scene:

The Anti-Zombie theme was even being supported by noted Chicago-area horror host Svengoolie, who really should know better:

We believe in triumphing in the face of adversity, however, so the ZRC set up our booth and started passing out literature to fight Anti-Zombie prejudice..

And it just flew off the table! We’ve never had such a brisk response, in fact. Note to self: very receptive citizenry for Zombie Rights in Elgin. Must agitate further in area.

Not only that, but local volunteers took picket signs from the ZRC booth and agitated all evening long on behalf of the marginalized Zombie population! Amazing!

On top of this fantastic response, the ZRC was even allowed to help lead a Zombie Rights March/Zombie Walk down Chicago Street toward the end of the night to protest in favor of Undead Equality:

(I apologize for the spotty audio; the camera’s mic was acting up, but the video is pretty solid!)

On the whole I don’t think things could have gone much better for an evening of Zombie Rights agitation. Zombies were, after all, allowed in to ‘Nightmare on Chicago Street’ where they participated in both the festivities and a peaceful protest in furtherance of their rights, and awareness was raised all over the place.

What a great night for Zombie Rights.

Category: Zombie Media, ZRC News | No Comments »
Tags: Anti-Zombie Products, Anti-Zombie Public Event, Public Appearance, Social Justice, Zombie Public Event

Posted By John Sears on October 31, 2011

So as you may know from previous blog entries and Twitter, the ZRC attended the ‘Nightmare on Chicago Street’ event in Elgin, Illinois on Saturday, and we even managed to strike a significant blow for Zombie Rights along the way. More on that in a later post.

But before we get into our own ZRC adventure, it’s worth noting that ‘Nightmare on Chicago Street’ is far and away the most elaborate Halloween party I’ve ever seen put on by, well, anyone. This felt less like a civic event and more like a one night, tragically Living Supremacist theme park, a stroll through some colorfully insane Armageddon.

Check out some of our photos from the event to get a sense of what I’m talking about (full flickr set here):

The shops and businesses along the street played along, with areas open to the public denoted as ‘Safe Zones’ or Shelters and closed areas marked as being under Quarantine:

Simulated carnage was everywhere, with bodies lying in the street, bags of faux-biohazardous material piled everywhere and barrels full of radioactive goo and body parts all over the place:

The event had an elaborately developed backstory, complete with news publications heralding the Zombie Apocalypse, televisions playing local news related to Zombie attacks, even Zombie ‘experts’ cashing in on the supposed End of the World (or perhaps, End of Elgin):

Did I mention that the newspapers actually existed as souvenirs, and that the videos played during the evening are up on Youtube for anyone to see? Well, they did, and they are. You can watch all the videos at the Nightmare on Chicago Street youtube channel here.

A couple of highlights include the inevitable apocalyptic news broadcast and even commercials touting Anti-Zombie products and sales:

I have to admit, taking on a scene like this with our Zombie Friendly message was a bit daunting. How could the ZRC prevail? Would a message of Zombie Tolerance be well-received in Elgin? Check back soon for the results of our effort to spread peaceful coexistence in the face of such considerable adversity.

Category: Zombie Media, ZRC News | No Comments »
Tags: Anti-Zombie Public Event, Public Appearance, Social Justice, Zombie Public Event

Posted By John Sears on October 28, 2011

Remember the apparently No-Zombies-Allowed event being held in Elgin, Illinois this upcoming weekend that we previously mentioned on the blog?

Well, clearly the ZRC wanted, nay, needed to do something about this disturbing instance of Zompartheid, and so we called in a couple of favors with our many connections in the horror community (ie, we filled out a form and submitted a check for the vendor fee) and now we will be attending ‘Nightmare on Chicago Street’ this Saturday in the name of the larger Zombie Community!

The ZRC’s core mission is peaceful outreach, and so we want to be there, boots on the ground, to hopefully spread some Zombie Tolerance and enlighten the good people of Elgin, who have been sadly misled as to the nature of the Global Reanimation Block Party.

We hope to see some Zombie Allies there!

Category: Zombie Media, ZRC News | No Comments »
Tags: Anti-Zombie Public Event, Global Reanimation Block Party, Public Appearance, Social Justice, Zombie Public Event

Posted By John Sears on October 27, 2011

Update: I kind of forgot to post this one, but I believe the subject matter, ie, the horrible new RE movie in the works, is still relevant to The Cause.

I hadn’t actually expected the hospitalizations from the new ‘Resident Evil’ movie to crop up until audiences were subjected to it and turned to gouging out their own eyes to stop the pain, but apparently it’s getting off to a brisk start during filming:

CNN can confirm that eleven background actors were hospitalized after an accident on the Toronto set of Sony/Screen Gems’ “Resident Evil: Retribution” Tuesday.

The actors were filming when they fell through a gap created when a four-foot high platform separated from the set at Cinespace Film Studios. According to Deadline, the 16 people who were injured in total were in costume as zombies.

The cynic in me wonders if the production took less care to safeguard actors portraying Zombies out of lingering, perhaps even subconscious, Anti-Zombie prejudice.

Lead Anti-Zombie Actress Milla Jovovich, meanwhile, has apparently taken to visiting the worst injured actress in the hospital:

The movie’s star Milla Jovovich has been visiting one particular zombie extra at a Toronto hospital.

“I promised her that I would come and see her every week while I’m here to give her support and strength in her recovery,” the actress tweeted Tuesday of actor April, who she reports is “in a lot of pain” with a back injury. “I can’t believe she said she wants to come back and finish her part, she’s incredible.”

Now if only Milla could demonstrate nearly as much compassion toward the actual Zombies her movies insult! Not to mention the portion of the audience, Zombie and Living alike, who are sadly still in possession of consciousness when they watch the trainwrecks that these movies have become over the life of the series. (RE: Afterlife, I maintain, will one day be prohibited by an update to the Geneva Conventions)

The ZRC wishes all involved a speedy recovery, and of course, greater enlightenment toward Zombie Rights in the future.

Category: Zombie Media | No Comments »
Tags: Movies, Videogames

Posted By John Sears on October 27, 2011

It’s not many movies that inspire labors of grisly love like this so many decades after their release:

George A. Romero’s 1968 classic Night of the Living Dead is the kind of movie that continues to lay the chills on hot and heavy decades after its release. The good thing for us? The merch surrounding it is pretty nifty, too. Case in point: the following poster.

…

“My work often tends to veer towards darker themes, so when I was presented with the chance to pay tribute to Romero’s classic, I jumped at the opportunity,” says Domaradzki. “Conceptually, I wanted to do something different, something that wouldn’t be obviously apparent upon first glance. I arranged the composition in a way that the characters worked together to create the shape of a skull, the symbol of death. It took time to get just right, but in the end the result is just as I had visualized.”

I won’t post the image here; it’s pretty disturbing stuff. You can go view it at DreadCentral if you like; suffice it to say the Anti-Zombiism is pretty overt, with the tagline ‘They Won’t Stay Dead’ and the skull dripping blood layout. Why should Zombies have to ‘stay dead’? They don’t say, but the implication is obvious: because they’re Zombies, and we don’t want them around.

Right. Who’s the bad guy here again?

This is of course a disturbing reminder of the power of the cultural iconography we’re combating here at the ZRC. Few films have this kind of staying power, make this kind of impact on the popular psyche; it would do all of us in the Zombie Rights Movement well not to underestimate it.

Category: Zombie Media | No Comments »
Tags: Advertising, Anti-Zombie Products, Movies, Romero

Posted By John Sears on October 26, 2011

This could have been a positive, image-changing project but I gather that it indulges in a lot of negative stereotyping about Zombies instead:

The 2012 Zombie Pinup Calendar has arrived! Gorgeous &
Gory exhibits a variety of uniquely seductive images. The
styling of each photo is unlike any other, and at the center of
each vision creeps a bewitchingly beautiful brain-eater.
Each calendar is professionally printed on high quality, heavy
grade, coated paper, and fastened together with an attractive
metal binding. The new layout extends to a full 11” x 22” when
opened. Date boxes have been incorporated into the design,
allowing plenty of room for writing, planning, and scheduling.

Leaving aside the stereotype that all Zombies are, as described here, ‘brain-eaters’, why must Zombies be defined by the peculiarities of their dietary requirements?

Do we refer derisively to those with Coeliac disease as ‘wheat-avoiders’? Diabetics as ‘insulin-injectors’?

I thought not, and detect a double-standard.

And of course, the calendar is sold as a way to plan for the ‘Apocalypse’.

Right. Apocalypse. An apocalypse that, apparently, is also full of eye-candy for your patrons?

I don’t know what these people are thinking.

Pick a side, calendar makers! Come to think of it, why would anyone need a calendar in the Apocalypse?

Not like you’re going to be keeping a lot of appointments or scheduling meetings, right?

Did I just negate the entire premise? Hmm. Oh well.

Category: Zombie Media | No Comments »
Tags: Anti-Zombie Products

Posted By John Sears on October 26, 2011

We do some work here at the ZRC fundraising for breast cancer research via The Lurch for the Cure, as our loyal readers are no doubt aware, so seeing others also bring the Living and Undead together in the same cause is very nice:

Be they zombies or ROTC members, nothing rallies the dead and living around the effort to end cancer like… dodgeball?

University of Wisconsin Oshkosh students involved in Colleges Against Cancer hosted and participated in the Oct. 12 ‘Bresticle Testicle Festival’ dodgeball tournament on campus to raise awareness and research funding to fight the disease. Student organizers and athletes capitalized on October’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month in staging the event.

Yet another example of Zombie Friendly Wisconsin! Man this state can be awesome sometimes.

And what a great example it is, too. Civic-minded Undead helping raise money for cancer research. Really good show, UW-Oshkosh Zombies. Really good show.

Category: Zombie Media | No Comments »
Tags: Zombie Public Event, Zombies Doing Good

Posted By John Sears on October 25, 2011

We had a wild and crazy few days in Bloomington, IN for the annual pilgrimage to The Dark Carnival, and have now arrived safely back at ZRC HQ in Madison.

Here is the festival that was:

Day 2:

The ZRC saw all the films we wanted to evaluate, including ‘A Chance in Hell’, ‘Fitness Class Zombie’ and ‘Dead Friends’. We also witnessed disturbingly hilarious antics from the horror hosts of Atomic Age Cinema, including 2010 Zombie of the Year Baron Mardi.

Basement Boy should really be more careful about what vials he swipes from Doc Calamari’s lab; not all of them are alcoholic in nature.

Scenes from the festival’s fire show. Very neat stuff.

A Q&A with some of the people behind ‘The Small Assassin’, the period piece, officially endorsed adaptation of the Bradbury story. If you get a chance to see this one don’t pass it up! It helps to illustrate the real menace facing our society (rather than Zombies): babies. Terrifying babies.

Would you take cookies from this squid-man? I don’t recommend it.

And yet, many people did. Astonishing the lack of care for one’s personal safety sometimes on display these days.

Day 3:

We wrapped up the festival with a slate of mostly non-Zom films, talked with some of the other attendees and vendors and even did a little picketing in front of the theatre (though of which films I won’t say yet so as not to spoil the detailed reviews coming soon).

Some of the very talented people behind the scenes who, amongst other things, clean up the messes that Doc Calamari inevitably creates.

A tip from experience: you cannot buy off the AAC hosts with gifts. (Though major awards from Zombie Rights Organizations seem to go over well.)

You can also view all our 2011 DC pictures here.

Who gave him a kazoo anyway?

Also, this video from the opening party finally got uploaded to Youtube correctly; I’ll probably append it to the earlier post as well, but for the benefit of newer readers, here it is:

Category: The Dark Carnival, ZRC News | No Comments »
Tags: Movies, Public Appearance, Zombie Public Event

Posted By John Sears on October 22, 2011

We had a long journey but we’re settled into the hotel and ready for a full weekend of film viewing and agitation.

We also got to attend the opening party last night here in Bloomington. Some highlights:

Doc Calamari has found a new and even more hideous outfit to parade around in. He describes it as the ‘Zombified skin of a thousand leisure suits’ which I think qualifies as likely to spread Anti-Zombie prejudice.

Mr. Dark interacts with one of his younger fans.

Scary clowns? The DC’s got that.

Hello pizza guys. It’s a scary clown!

The costume contest

That’s about it from last night! We’re heading out to see some Zombie Friendly (we hope) movies. ‘Dead Friends’ here we come!

Category: The Dark Carnival, Zombie Media | No Comments »
Tags: Movies, Public Appearance, Zombie Public Event

Posted By John Sears on October 21, 2011

A fascinating Q&A with Patricia Tallman of the Savini ‘Night of the Living Dead’ is up at BuyZombie. Needless to say we read this with great interest here at the ZRC and suggest you do the same. A highlight:

6). As this is a zombie site, tell me about your experiences on “Night Of The Living Dead”.

The zombies were very graphic and real. Being a Savini film the effects were very important, and he loves making violence as technically real as possible. I was grossed out on a daily basis. It’s not something I enjoy. I can appreciate it, but do not like it. I don’t go to horror movies, I don’t like zombies cause they are too disturbing and give me nightmares. I know this is a zombie site, and you all might be disappointed in me, but that’s the truth.

But Ms. Tallman, can’t you see, the ‘Zombies’ that grossed you out and scare you to this day weren’t real, they were creations of a diseased mind, namely, Tom Savini’s diseased mind!

If you’d get to know some actual, Unliving, possibly breathing (or not!) members of the Differently Animated community, you could get past those fears and finally find some peace.

Not to mention reconciliation with an entire group of people your work, sadly, helped alienate from their Living brethren.

We’re here to help, and ready to assist at any time.

Category: Zombie Media | No Comments »
Tags: Movies, Tom Savini