The Zombie Apocalypse Means many things to many people. Preparing for it is another story. You may think you’re ready, or may know you’re not. Regardless, those who think about the Zombie Apocalypse often think about how they would protect the ones they love.

What if the one you were trying to protect was too little to protect themselves in any way? What if you were their only protection in a Zombie Infested world? What if you… were bitten? What if the greatest threat to the one you cared most about, was you?

A new indie-short called “Cargo” explores all this and more in a brief but gripping 7 minutes. In the past, we here at ZZN have tried to tell you about Zombie Shorts that really matter. Shorts that really move you. In the twisting sea of Zombie Crap out there, we have tried to let you know about the ones that are a slice above the rest.

We give you “CARGO”. Enjoy.

Remember folks- Better Safe than Zombie! Like, Share, Save a life!

Are we really saying ZILF now?  I keep hearing it, but it sounds a little crude to my oldster ears.  Still whether you call them Living Dead, Walkers, Infected, or just plain old Zombies, Rule 34 still applies.  Hey, I ain’t judgin’.  If you don’t think your friend-with benefits needs to be alive, that’s none of my business.  As Warm Bodies is poised to do for Zombies what True Blood did for Maenads, and Valentine’s Day approaches, it’s time to look at all your favorite um…ZILFs.

–Tammy: Fido.  Fido is one of the more original concept zombie movies in recent years.  It’s not surprising that such a unique films would actually have a measured opinion on necrophilia.  Wait, is it still necrophilia if they’re Undead?  Mr. Theopolis didn’t think so, and maybe you shouldn’t either.  Sonja Bennett is delightful as the cute little zombie girl that—well, I don’t want to spoil it.  Tammy is still the most popular zombie pin-up girl, and with good reason.

–Bub: Day of the Dead.  A zombie who knows how to use a phone?  That puts him ahead of a lot of boys out there.  Bub is a nice guy who dresses neatly and aims to please.  Tell him everything you like and don’t like; Bub is highly trainable and serious about improving himself.  Bub longs to work handy household tools like mops, dishwashers, or handguns.  Bub is okay with the ol’ ball and chain—or let me go, and he’ll follow you anywhere.

–Kat: Zombie Strippers.  It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to guess that a chick like Jenna Jameson is gonna make for a good-looking zombie.  Zombie Strippers is unique in the genre as it’s the only zombie flick I know of that’s based on theatre of the absurd—an experimental live theatre genre from the 60′s.  You’d think it would take real chops to bring this sociopolitical feeding frenzy to life.  And you’d be wrong.  Still, undead Jenna Jameson became an instant and lasting fan favorite.

–Johnny: Night of the Living Dead.  Johnny was kind of a jerk when he was alive.  He’s mean to his sister, eats all the candy, and skips out on church.  As a zombie though, Johnny is finally willing to give her sister the quality time she deserves.  Russ Streiner’s Johnny was snide, dashing, and handsome.  The driving gloves?  The sneer?  Maybe it’s that classic line, They’re coming to get you, Barbra.  Or maybe it’s that when Bill Hinzman’s iconic first zombie shambles toward his sister, Johnny does not hesitate to (try to) kick its ass.  It’s a safe bet that a good brother is also a good boyfriend, just not for the same girl.

–Julie: Return of the Living Dead 3.  Let’s be honest, Return of the Living Dead 3 would not have worked with an ugly Julie.  The whole plot hinged on everyone caring a whole lot about what happened to her—so she had to be smokin’ hot.  Living Julie was a cute and spunky girlfriend.  Undead Julie was loud, had great fashion sense, and knew just when to rage against the machine.  Mindy Clark as Julie walked a fine line between the sexy and the grotesque.  Fans still thank her for it.

–Andy: Dawn of the Dead remake.  The Andy Tapes is easily the best special feature on any zombie DVD ever.  By the time we hear his voice in the movie ** spoiler alert ** poor Andy is doomed.  Shame that, because Andy was handsome and funny in life, and bloody awesome in undeath.  In The Andy Tapes, we watch him slowly go mad (while still playing some pretty good chess) with hunger, and want nothing more than to invite Andy over for a home cooked meal.  Fish, maybe.

–She: Dellamorte Dellamore.  Whether she’s living, dead, undead, or someone else entirely, She has it all.  Well, She doesn’t have a name, or a husband, and she’s not particularly good at expressing herself.  Maybe that’s why she never notices that Rupert Everett is the unluckiest man in all of Italy.  She is a beautiful woman who is down for crazy cemetery sex.  She’s remarkably cool about being murdered multiple times, and She continues to show up where you least expect her.  She’s not for everyone, but She’ll make the right man very happy.

–Ed: Shaun of the Dead.  Aside from the obvious advantages of dating a pot dealer, Zombie Ed probably has the most in common with a typical living boyfriend.  He plays videogames pretty much constantly, hates to argue, and never remembers your birthday.  That aside there are some good reasons to make the romance with undead Ed.  You’ll always know where he is, you’ll never catch him texting another girl, and orangutan impressions are hilarious.

–Trash: Return of the Living Dead.  Linnea Quigley has been a beloved scream queen for as long as most of the people reading this have been alive.  Trash tosses clothes and modesty to the wind in her iconic scene in Return of the Living Dead.  Fans all agreed that Trash was way hot and always ready for the giggity.  ** spoiler alert **  Poor Trash is set upon by a bunch of old zombie men before turning into a ghoulish half-naked hottie.  Ms. Quigley is still hot as ever and is occasionally spotted around the convention circuit.

–Pvt. Mailer: 28 Days Later.  It’s fair to say that the military guys from 28 Days Later (with the exception of poor Sgt Farrell) were not very respectful to women.  Private Mailer, however, was infected before the heroes arrive—so who knows what he might’ve done?  What do we know about Mailer?  He helped out with the science experiment, and was highly motivated once he was cut loose.  Helpfulness and motivation are qualities we all look for in a man, right?  Let’s hope Infected Mailer finds a creative outlet so all that rage doesn’t get misplaced.  That said, if Chris Eccleston’s character comes back infected—I may reconsider.

–406: Zombieland.  Lovely neighbor in 406 is the sort of zombie you can only have early on in a film—the kind of person that serves as a setup for the particulars of the milieu.  Poor Columbus thinks he’s hit the apocalypse jackpot when the attractive 406 comes calling in the form of a damsel in distress.  Before anyone can come up with a set of applicable rules, undead 406 is totally trying to eat the kid who made Facebook.  Yikes!  Thank goodness for heavy porcelain, else we’d have been doomed to a world where I wasn’t constantly reminded of my family’s political leanings.

–Machete: Land of the Dead.  If there’s a way to make Tom Savini unsexy, this’ll be the first I’ve heard of it.  Maybe that’s because he’s a goddamn genius.  Maybe it’s because he’s the 2^nd most influential man in all of zombie culture.  Maybe it’s all that leather, or the way he has cameos in approximately ¼ of all zombie movies.  The undeniable truth is that when the Machete zombie showed up on screen, during Land of the Dead mad cheering erupted.  Years later, fans still scream for Savini.

Whether your heart’s desire is living, dead, or undead, Valentine’s Day is not to be avoided.  If you’re like me, your best bet is a romantic night at home with some takeout food and Netflix streaming of your favorite undead sweetheart.  Or skip it altogether and celebrate February 15^th instead.  You can call it half-priced candy day. 

George A. Romero has long been considered the Godfather of the modern Zombie, but what does this mean for new blood like Robert Kirkman?

Any true Zombiphile will tell you that George A. Romero has always been admired as the one man responsible for bringing the modern Zombie to mainstream entertainment. Who wouldn’t respect the guy who brought us “Night of the Living Dead” and “Dawn of the Dead” along with a huge resume of other “…of the Dead” titles? The man merged a social commantary about consumerism and our deepest fears of our loved ones returning from the dead with the soul desire to eat us into the Modern Zombie that we have all come to love… but has his time passed?

There is no arguement that Romero is responsible for the Modern Zombie

In a recent Facebook Poll, we asked our readers who the Ultimate Zombie Autority was. The choices were George A. Romero, Robert Kirkman, and Author of the Zombie Survival Guide Max Brooks. Romero won in a landslide. 12 out of 14 votes went to The Godfather, with 2 votes going to the Master of The Walking Dead, and only 1 vote for the Zombie Survivalist.

Lets think about that for a second. What makes Romero THE AUTHORITY? Sure he created a few great flicks and basically set the rules of the living dead, but seriously, what has he done since? Can you actually name ALL of his Zombie movies? Can you actually explain the plot? Did you even see them all? By the same measure, when someone says the name Robert Kirkman, what do you think of?

Kirkman Reinvented the genre in ways Romero never could

Who didn’t say WTF when the found out that when you die you become a Zombie… bite or not?!

Sure Kirkman is everywhere, but does that make him the New Godfather? Our readers say no, but one is left to wonder how long Romero can coast on the coat tails of his former successes. With a new Romero film in the works (The Zombie Autopsies) fans can expect to see if he still has it or if he is doomed to strait to video for the rest of life and unlife.

One last thought, we included Max Brooks in our survey and only ONE person voted for him. When the end comes (and it will), entertainment will be dead. Max Brooks’ book may be the only thing between survival and joining the ranks of the Undead.

So we ask again, who is the Ultimate Zombie Autority?

Just remember the STZ motto: “BETTER SAFE THAN ZOMBIE!”

(Written by Zombie Zone News reporter Daniel Potts)

All right zombie fans, get ready for the North American release of a new zombie movie that shows a slightly lighter side of our beloved genre. Dead Before Dawn 3D is not your run-of-the-mill zombie flick – it’s a mix of the supernatural, an 80’s teen movie and a new world Apocalypse.

In Dead Before Dawn, Ellen Dubin – a strikingly leggy 5’10&1/2” native of Toronto – plays Beverly Galloway. Her character is the mother of Casper (Devon Bostick – Diary of a Wimpy Kid) and Christopher Lloyd, of Back to the Future fame, plays her father. Ellen has contacted this reporter to give us the skinny on her role in this new motion picture. You will probably recognize Ellen from her many roles as an actress, most notably from her role in Napoleon Dynamite. In that multi award-winning Sundance Film Festival favorite (and one of the most popular film comedies of all time), Ellen plays the Tupperware-loving mom of Napoleon’s potential prom date. Ellen also has shown her affinity for the unusual by entertaining us with her roles in The Dead Zone, Blood Ties, Mutant X, A Wrinkle In Time and Highlander: The Raven- where she is the only female to have a broad-to-broad to broadsword fight in that show’s history.

Daniel Potts/Zombie Zone News: Ellen it is a pleasure to speak with you this evening. I am an admirer of your work and have been following you on Facebook for a while.

Ellen Dubin: Hey Daniel. Thanks for liking the fan page.

ZZN: So what can I do for you?

Ellen: Daniel, with a name liked Zombie Zone news, I figured that it was zombiecentric, and therefore suggested we should do an article on this zombie comedy I have coming out called Dead Before Dawn 3D.

ZZN: I love to talk about anything and everything zombie, so you have come to the right place.

Ellen: Daniel, before we get too far into the movie, I just want to say that you have a great job!

ZZN: Thanks, I do enjoy talking to people that are working in the zombie genre. So, tell me about this new movie.

Ellen: Dead Before Dawn 3D is coming out in North America in March 2013. Christopher Lloyd stars in it – he plays my dad – and Devon Bostick is the male lead. There is a new type of zombie never seen before called a Zemon – part demon and part zombie. This movie is a real hidden gem. It just won a prestigious award for 3D in Belgium and is huge now in Russia and Tokyo.

ZZN: What role do you play in this movie?

Ellen: I play a sweet loving young mother of the male lead (Devon Bostick) who turns into an evil, vindictive Zemon. I loved playing this role because I was able to transform from this old-fashioned type of Leave it to Beaver mother to this crazy wild character – I established the Zemon walk and the Zemon sound. They didn’t even have to alter my voice for the film. The movie is the first 3D zombie movie made in Canada and was directed by April Mullen, who is one of the few female directors in Canada.

ZZN: Ellen thanks for taking the time to seek me out and bring this new tail of zombie goodness to my attention.

Ellen: Thanks you for letting me tell you about this great movie and have a great night.

To reach Ellen Dubin and watch the trailer for Dead Before Dawn 3D, check out the links below:

http://deadbeforedawnthemovie.com

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ellen-Dubin/22626224975?fref=ts

ellendubin.com

You can also meet Ellen in real life at:

MegaCon 2013
March 15-17, 2013
Orange County Convention Center Hall D
9800 International Drive, Orlando, FL 32819

From the film’s web site promo:

Ellen Dubin lands a supporting lead role in a 3D adventure comedy movie Dead Before Dawn. She plays Beverly Galloway, a sweet overprotective mother who turns into an evil vindictive Zemon. The film was shot entirely in Stereoscopic 3D, making it the first full-length, live action Canadian feature. Dead Before Dawn portrays college kids accidentally unleashing an evil curse that turns zombies into demons. Wango Films has assembled a young all-star cast lead by Devon Bostick (Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Adoration) as Casper Galloway, including Martha MacIsaac (Superbad), Brandon Jay McLaren (The Killing), Brittany Allen (The Rocker), Kevin McDonald (Kids in the Hall), Ellen Dubin (Napoleon Dynamite), Kyle Schmid (A History of Violence), Rossif Sutherland (High Life), and Wango Films’ April Mullen and Tim Doiron. 1/2 Zombie. 1/2 Demon. All Zemon!

We here at ZZN choose to take another approach, and it would seem that so do the respected people at The Discovery Channel!

While others choose selfishly to swear off chocolate and in vain to shed those pesky pounds, we urge you to consider a much more practical resolution: to insure that when Zombies begin to rise- you and those important to you WILL be ready!

But how? First off RESEARCH! We have SEVERAL articles posted on ZZN with amazing tips on everything from how to make a bug-out-bag for less than $100 to how to Zombie Proof your House! Not to mention a full library of book reviews so you’ll know what literary masterpieces can help you to survive and which are a waste of time!

Second, TAKE ACTION NOW! Make that Bug-out-Bag you have been thinking about making. Learn basic first aid, take hand-to-hand self defense classes, and organize a neighborhood Zombie Apocalypse drill or better yet, a City Zombie Walk!

Remember folks- Better Safe than Zombie!

It’s impossible to deny that zombies are here to stay.  They are deeply ingrained in our mainstream consciousness.  We watch them, read about them, listen to songs about them, critique, imitate, and even kill them in scores of video games.  It’s getting damn difficult to come up with fresh and original zombie material.  Indeed, the concept of humans powerless against another force is just one of many manifestations of zombism.  In the hands of fiction writer Nat Robinson, this concept is explored with a fresh eye, a keen horror sensibility, and a whole lot of weirdness.  Nat was kind enough to take a few minutes and tell us all about his work.

WLF/ZZN:  Hi Nat (May I call you Nat?), thanks for the interview.  You’re a horror writer.  Tell me, why in the hell would anybody spend valuable time writing horror?

NR:            I know it’s an odd compulsion, I can’t help it. I get an itch of an idea and the only way to stop myself thinking about it is to hammer it out into a story. Otherwise I imagine I’d get wound up about it, which I do about some ideas. The problem is time. I have more ideas than time, it’s very frustrating! Some folk might think I’m morbid for writing what I write, but death is part of life and vice versa. It’s something that all humans have to think about at some point. I don’t obsess over death or anything, I’m not into snuff movies and I don’t really watch all that much horror, I think as a society we’ve become too diluted by blood and gore for it to have an effect on many people nowadays. In honesty I don’t really see myself as a horror author as such, I prefer moralistic tale teller; but I don’t think there’s a category on Amazon for that.

WLF/ZZN:  Your novella is Starers.  Tell us a bit about it?

NR:            I was inspired to write Starers one evening when I was drawing the curtains and I saw an old man at the bus stop across the road staring at our house. Now, we live in a newly built house and we often have people looking and pointing at our house as it stands out from the older properties on our street, so this was nothing unusual. For whatever reason I looked out the window about an hour later and the old man was still stood at the bus stop still staring at our house. So then the seed popped. What if he was still there in the morning? Still staring. So I started writing, first as a short story before it took off on its own tangent. What if more people joined the old man? What if a crowd of hundreds appeared outside my house, just staring. What would you do? What could you do? So I made up a typical family called the Keene’s and put them in that situation and let the story flow from there. So much so I’m currently penning a sequel with a third in the planning stages. All this from an old man staring from across the road; there must be something wrong with me.

WLF/ZZN:  What do you think makes the Keene family resonate with readers?

NR:            They’re typically dysfunctional. Just like any family with their own loves, hates and problems of their own. Dylan, the father works all the hours he can but his family life suffers for this. Kirsty is the mother just wants to keep the peace and hold the family together. Lucy is a moody teenager rapidly becoming a young woman but with more problems than the average teenager. Lennon, Dylan’s stoner brother was my favourite character to write as he provides a little comic relief to deviate from the building tension as the family suddenly find them under siege in their own home.

WLF/ZZN:  Thematically, what would you say is most compelling about Starers?

NR:             I think it’s the fact my “zombies” aren’t your typical flesh crazy fiends. It’s more the fact they’re so damn many of them which makes it unnerving for the characters and reader alike. Whereas in typical zombie lore the changing is usually down to a chemical spill or virus, I’ve taken a different route and you don’t find the cause until nearer the end of the story. Even then you’ll still be asking questions, which I plan to answer.

WLF/ZZN:  When I think of Australian horror, I think of growling zombies or crazy killers in the middle of nowhere.  How is this book different?

NR:             It’s actually set in England. I’m English only the publisher is Australian. I chose Severed Press for two reasons. I really enjoyed an anthology they put out a few years back called ‘DEAD BAIT’ which was a collection of fishy horror tales which blew me away. Read it, you’ll be impressed. Secondly, I figured that the horror market in the southern hemisphere wouldn’t be as saturated as it is here in England and the States. I do actually have an Australian set horror called ‘Never, Never’ that I plan on sending to them when it’s finished. Imagine Wolf Creek with a higher body count.

WLF/ZZN:  I understand that your wife is an editor.  Does this mean that she is your editor?  How’s that working out?

NR:            She reads my drafts before it gets sent off to the whoever is publishing me, so she’s not a professional editor as such, but she is a school teacher by day; so I thought I’d utilize her excellent skills in English and grammar for own gains. As well as working full-time she’s also a mother to two year old twin boys, cooks, cleans and she’s very good at eating olives and drinking red wine. I admire her very much for keeping it together and having the patience for me and my silly little stories.

WLF/ZZN:  Who is the horror author that frightens you the most?

NR:            Oh many do! The first proper horror author I read was Guy N Smith and his Night of the Crabs series when I was about ten. It was lurid and sexy and I just ate it all up. Richard Laymon’s Island blew me away with its twist on the very last line which made it a very satisfying read. I remember reading Ogre by Mark Ronson and being frightened by the creature it that. I had nightmares about the zombie on the cover of The Return of the Living Dead novelization by John Russo. I’ve never finished The Shinning. I think Jack Torrence was a terrifying character and it felt wrong to be hearing these horrible thoughts he was having. I see why Joey put it in the fridge.

WLF/ZZN:  If someone is unfamiliar with your work, where should they start?

NR:             Well if you want value for money check out The Spinetinglers Anthology 2011. I managed to get four stories including my first published piece ‘The Chicken in Black’. Some great writers appear alongside me as well. Spinetinglers is a great site for a new writer to start. I won first prize of £100 with my first submitted story which was a great confidence booster. If you like audio books check www.pseudopod.org I have a story on there called ‘Top of the Heap’ episode 225. It’s free to listen to and I’ve had some fantastic reviews. They did a poll and it came in as the listener’s second favourite story from the year. I was quite proud of that fact!

WLF/ZZN:  Do you write with a particular demographic in mind?

NR:             I write for my own selfish pleasure and no one else. And cash.

WLF/ZZN:  You’ve also written a bunch of short stories, yes?  Do you write horror exclusively?

NR:            Horror is a broad spectrum and I’d like have a go at everything if possible. I’ve got a ghost story in one anthology, a poem in another. I have an idea for group of space couriers based on my place of work (by day I delivery office furniture). Horror isn’t just about blood and guts and chainsaws. I think what horror really is the realization that things will never be the same again.

WLF/ZZN:  You also have an antho of your own coming out soon.  What’s the theme?

NR:             Well now Starers is done and finished I can concentrate on my other stories. So I’ve a few ideas in mind. The first is ‘Devil Let Me Go’ which will be supernatural tales some new and some old. After that it will a collection of stories about a viral apocalypse and the people that are left and how their lives carry on after everyone else is gone. I’m playing with the title ‘The Last Stories You’ll Ever Know’.

WLF/ZZN:  If we could talk zombies for a moment, what are your thoughts on the new season of The Walking Dead?

NR:            I’m trying to keep up with the comics at the same time, as I was a fan of them first. It’s a good thing that they deviate from the original graphic novels a little as it keeps it fresh for fans that already know the story. I don’t really see it a Zombie show and I think that’s the key to its success. It’s a drama about humanity that happens to occur during the zombie apocalypse. My wife loves it and she hates horror.

WLF/ZZN:  Do you have an opinion on the proliferation of CGI visuals?

NR:             Less is more. Unless it’s done well, it ends up cheapening whatever you’re watching. I’ve not seen the remake/rehash/prequel of The Thing but from what I’ve gathered a lot of fans felt the CGI did exactly that. The original had none of that and remains one of the most frightening realistic horror movies of all time. Keep it real. CGI is just creative laziness.

WLF/ZZN:  How can readers best catch up with you and follow your news?

NR:            I’m on Twitter, so follow me @natthewriter or on Facebook you can like my author page. I’ve also got pages on Goodreads and Amazon with all my published works on.  I’m all over the place!

WLF/ZZN:  Thanks a bunch, man!

NR:            No, thank you!

Starers is now available on Amazon Kindle and paperback published by Severed Press

…And in the end times, there will be strings.  Earlier this year, ZZN told you all about Collin J Rae, and his awesome compilation, Music for the Zombie Apocalypse.  Collin J Rae’s interests are not limited to music or zombies.  He’s also a respected photographer, tattoo enthusiast, an old-school horror fan, and a zombie purist.  When he sent me his new collection for review, I wasted no time giving it a listen.

           I had my doubts about this collection going in.  The first volume of Music for the Zombie Apocalypse had so many fantastic selections.  It flowed together well, offering some stark and unsettling moments.  I feared that this new album would be full of leftovers—things that weren’t considered good enough for the first album.  As it turns out, Collin J Rae was saving some for later.  One might even argue that he’s saved the best for last.  I hope not, because I could do with another one of these.  It’s like “That’s What I Call Music” for people who like to wake up in a scorched landscape with no memory of the life they once had.

Volume One treated us to a collection largely made up of funeral marches and requiems, awash with minor keys.  There was familiar horror music side by side with obscure symphonies.  It is a stirring collection that triggers unease, even after many, many listens.  Honest.

Volume Two features indelible symphonies and surreal vocals, nocturnes, piano trios, and Gregorian chants.  It’s as diverse musically as it is cohesive thematically.  In all honesty, I had some difficulty taking notes while listening.  It kept sucking me in, making my mind wander.  This collection is superbly assembled, emotive, and visceral.  I use it as writing music.  It’s the perfect background for artists and literary types, or while you’re waiting for the ravenous undead to bash their way into your safe room.  You know…whatever you’ve got going on that day.

Christie qui lux es et dies (Translated to the uplifting: Christie who Dies) is a surreal vocal-intensive track that I found simultaneously relaxing and unnerving.  The sort of thing you might hear after you’re drugged by your closest friend, drifting away, almost at peace with their betrayal.  But not quite…

The Parker Quartet playing String Quartet No 2 is incredible.  Despite the footnote claiming it is “stiff and calm: this piece is a mind-fucker.  Seriously.  Alternately terrifying and suspenseful, robust and discomfiting.  I love it.  Love.

De Natura Sonoris No 2 features the unmistakable passion Penderecki’s cello and a myriad of random instruments.  This is the track that pulls the listener back to reality, and reminds them that something is amiss.  To call this track disturbing does it a disservice—it gets under your skin, into your bones, crawls around in your brain and dares you to do something about it.  Just when you think it’s done with you, it isn’t.  It just isn’t.

Stille Musik is what would be playing in the background if your life was a series of Twilight Zone episodes.  It has a vibe somewhere between classic and antiquated, eerily familiar with an edge of the unknown.  This is the music played while shaky hands shine flashlights down deserted hallways, and kids tell their friends to “stop messing around” and reveal themselves—only to find that they’ve all been brutally—well, you know what I’m getting at.  It’s scary.

As with the first volume of Music for the Zombie Apocalypse, Volume Two has plenty of cool vocals, percussives, moods, and terror for any scary music lover.  But what really blows my mind are the strings.  Fast, furious, deliberately unsettling, nothing adds drama like vigorous strings.  Twenty awesome tracks and nearly two hours of music make this a great investment in scary scores.

Music for the Zombie Apocalypse Volume Two is a great listen and an excellent choice for horror fans trying to build a collection of atmospheric music to do scary shit by.  If you want to get in to classical music, and are not sure where to start—THIS is where you start.  And while you’re at it, give Volume One a listen.  You really should be listening to all the Penderecki you can.

You can find Music for the Zombie Apocalypse Volume Two at iTunes, and wherever digital music downloads can be had—legally, I mean.  Support small artists with your wallets!  They deserve it.

Brad C. Hodson is best known as the head writer for the sketch comedy group: Happy Nowhere.  He’s also written comedy for morning radio shows across the country.  His short fiction has attained a cult following and won numerous awards.  His first novel, Darling was recently completed, and is coming soon.  We are delighted that he was able to tell us about his new zombie movie, George’s Intervention.  He is the writer and producer of this satirical homage to—among other things, the king of the living dead.  The cast includes Lynn Lowery and Peter Stickles, and features a special appearance by Lloyd Kaufman.

WLF/ZZN:  Hey Brad, thanks for taking time out to answer our Q’s.  Your new film, George’s Intervention, makes it clear that you’re a fan of the great Romero.  Please tell us about your introduction to his work.

Night of the Living Dead. I was probably five years old when I first saw it. I remember going for walks at night with my grandmother and being afraid that zombies would crawl out of the ground and come after us. Being too young to quite grasp the concept of burials, I guess I thought that zombies just spontaneously sprung from the soil like some kind of ambulatory flesh-eating weed.

Now there’s a story…

WLF/ZZN:  George’s Intervention is described as a horror-comedy.  Does this mean that we shouldn’t expect realistic characters or heavy plotlines?

We’ve got a few twists and turns plot wise. From a character standpoint, we approached the script as a drawing room farce. Our two biggest models were the original “Death at a Funeral” and “Arrested Development.” We tried to make realistic, well-rounded, and ridiculous characters. When it came to shooting, there were things that didn’t end up being shot and other things that hit the cutting room floor (or vanished into the digital wastebasket, as it were), but this definitely isn’t your typical “random teenagers get eaten” kind of film.

WLF/ZZN:  Your film features Lynn Lowry, who totally creeped me out in The Crazies.  How did she come to be involved in your film?

Lynn is great. And fun as hell! JT (the director) and Lynn are close friends and, when we first sat down to sketch out the story, we knew we had to have a part for her. Lynn doesn’t get a chance to do comedy very often (which is a huge shame as she’s great at it), so we wanted to give her a part that let her get out of the usual types of roles she plays. And boy did she nail it. Her take on the character of “Barbara” is one of my favorite things about the film.

WLF/ZZN:  Tell us a bit about George.

We all have a friend like George. Good hearted, loveable, funny – yet broken. George refuses to grow up. He refuses to take responsibility for himself or how his actions impact the people in his life. So he’s hit a sort of stasis, not moving or growing, just being and consuming. George was a zombie long before he ever became undead.

And now he eats people. Which is only one of the reasons his friends and family decide to host an intervention.

WLF/ZZN:  What made you want to combine zombies with the theme of addiction?

We wanted to do a comedy, first and foremost. Being horror fans it seemed like a no-brainer (pun intended) to venture down the horror-comedy road. We started sketching things out well before the current zombie zeitgeist, otherwise we might have ended up going a different direction. But we did want the film to be about something other than zombies and addiction seemed a natural choice to explore.

I often vacillate on how I feel about the zombie sub-genre. I have a love-hate relationship with it. I sometimes feel like most zombie films and whatnot are just Romero fan-fiction. But NY Times Bestseller Jonathan Maberry pointed out that, in the best zombie films and literature, the zombies are just a backdrop to the story. You could replace them with a plague or an earthquake or a hurricane and be able to deal with similar themes. That’s really turned my view of the genre around. While there are some zombie mechanics at play in “George,” and some gore, the zombies are really just a backdrop to a story about what can drive someone to a dark place and what it takes to bring them back.
Plus tits and blood.

WLF/ZZN:  Tom Devlin is a prolific FX man and has worked on some movies that I dig the hell out of.  What would you say is his most striking contribution to George’s Intervention?

Tom is a machine, a wondrous and magical machine that you feed reduced-price pork products into one end of so that it can spit bloody intestines out of the other. He definitely added that level of over-the-top gore that you want to see in a campy low-budget film. We only wish we could have done more with him. We were moving so fast in both pre-production and during production that we didn’t get enough chances to sit down and go over some of the scenes in detail in regards to what Tom could unleash. Which is a shame as Tom’s main strength is his creature design. Anyone who saw him on SyFy’s series “Face Off” knows how talented he is in that department.

By the way, did everyone know he makes Halloween masks now? Check out his site and make everyone else at your Halloween party hate you.

WLF/ZZN:  Did you ever have to ask him to tone it down?

No, but I wish we had. In the final gore scene, when George is using the Weedonator to hack everyone up, Tom brought in pig guts for the chunky bits and made blood out of syrup. The smell in that room was like someone had eaten at a rancid Cracker Barrel and then vomited onto the ceiling. Shannon (who played Francine) couldn’t eat pancakes for months after that.

WLF/ZZN:  I love the poster for the film.  It has a classic vibe and is simultaneously funny and creepy.  Who designed it?

That was El Director, JT Seaton. He took the photograph and created the poster himself. I’ve always been fond of it, too. I think it looks like the poster for a much larger and more expensive movie.

WLF/ZZN:  How can fans go about seeing George’s Intervention?

The film’s been released under the title “George: A Zombie Intervention” by Breaking Glass Pictures. You can find it on Amazon (or wherever DVD’s are sold) and download it from iTunes.

WLF/ZZN:  You’re not exclusively a screenwriter.  Your new book, Darling, is dropping soon from Bad Moon Books.  Tell us about it?

Darling is my take on a Southern Gothic haunted house story. Though it’s not really haunted and it’s not a house. But I grew up in East Tennessee and there’s so much folklore there, hundreds of years of these dark and bloody stories floating around, and it’s left its mark on the area. I wanted to explore that folklore. I also wanted to play with the concept of nightmares. What if nightmares could leak into the world? What if those horrid things that ran through your mind at night bled out onto your pillow? And what if something godlike were having these nightmares…?

WLF/ZZN:  I understand that it’s based on true events.  Was it researched, or do you live a life that’s easily translatable to horror?

My life could be either a horror story or a sitcom. It depends on how you look at it…

Darling definitely took a lot of true life folklore and put it into a blender. There’s also a dark history to that area that went in. Knoxville, for a small city, has a disproportionately high number of gruesome murders. Just a couple of years ago, three guys ran two teenagers off the side of the road and beheaded them. A few years earlier, a girl bashed another girl’s head in with a rock on UT campus and ate some of her brains. It’s a weird fucking place.

You go back further and you get involved in the history of tuberculosis, the Civil War, the Trail of Tears… There’s a lot of blood soaked into that dark Appalachian soil.

Then you take my life and throw it into the mix… Well, I won’t go into all of the personal tragedy my family’s experienced, but anyone who knows my history is never surprised that I write horror. It’s definitely in my blood (pun, again, intended).

WLF/ZZN:  Who are the horror novelists that you find most inspiring?

Oh, man. Where to begin?

Like everyone of my generation, I’m a big fan of King–especially early King. `Salem’s Lot is hands down one of the scariest books I’ve ever read; and, of course, The Shining. What a book… King has definitely had some stinkers, but the man’s talent cannot be denied.

Richard Matheson’s Hell House was a definite influence on Darling. So were Summer of Night and A Winter Haunting by Dan Simmons. Peter Straub’s Lost Boy, Lost Girl and Julia had a huge impact on me while I was writing that book as well.

Clive Barker’s Books of Blood made me want to be a writer. So much of his work is frightening and yet hauntingly beautiful at the same time. And then, of course, there’s M.R. James. James wasn’t a novelist, but his ghost stories have sunk so far down into my subconscious that I don’t think I could ever dig them out. I don’t know how much James influenced Darling, but I can see a heavy James imprint on most of what I’ve written in the past couple of years.

WLF/ZZN:  Do you have any interests not related to horror?

I am a huge history geek, especially classical history, and Ancient Rome. I love travel and have been lucky enough to spend a little time in Rome. While there (and in Florence), I developed a deep and abiding love for all things Italian.

I’ve also been lucky enough to land a day-job that requires international travel. I’ve been to India, Hong Kong, Amsterdam, Paris… There’s nothing more exciting to me than dropping into a new city with no support system and just diving into the local culture. It makes me feel a little like Bond.

Cooking is another passion of mine. I also do amateur powerlifting, which I hope balances out my indulgences in the kitchen.

WLF/ZZN:  How can fans keep up with all your scary goings on?

Mosey on over to www.brad-hodson.com. Once there you can read some of the articles I post, check out the page for Darling, hit up my Bibliography with links to where you can find some of my short stories, or watch some videos we’ve shot over the years.

WLF/ZZN:  George’s Intervention has won some awards and gotten a lot of support from fans.  Anything you’d like to say to them?

Send more cops.

Seriously, I just want to say “thanks.” This film has become the little movie that could. We paid for it entirely out of pocket and had to deal with everything from locations being pulled from us at the last minute to unusable sound to angry bill collectors. The fact that this movie was not only completed but is actually enjoyable is really a miracle. We’re going to be working on a new film soon and it’s entirely because of the fans for this one. Filmmaking is not always enjoyable and, if it weren’t for the fans of “George,” I might just hang up my hat and focus exclusively on prose.

So if I go broke on the next one, it’s your guys’ fault…

One of the coolest things about being an interviewer for ZZN is talking with all the amazing people that I wouldn’t otherwise know about.  One such writer is Scotland-born John McCuaig.  Born in Glasgow, Scotland in 1968, McCuaig moved down to London, England at age twenty and has been there ever since. By day, he works in the railways as a Production Manager to a team of engineers who maintain and repair commuter trains. Lives with Pam, his partner of 24 years. They are due to be married next February, on the 25^th anniversary of their first meeting.  McCuaig has written several zombie-focused novels, both alone and as collaborations.  As luck would have it, he’s also funny and downright fascinating.

WLF/ZZN:  Hey, many thanks for taking time away from writing to answer our Q’s.  Let’s start with an easy one: Why Zombies?  Or to put it another way: Zombies, why?

Fear. For years I have had night terrors where I wake up screaming as the hordes catch me. It may sound a little bit clichéd but I watched Night of the Living Dead when I was about 13 and that was it. That film scared me so much that even to this day I still cannot watch it all the way through. With other monsters, like werewolves and vampires, there is usually only the one or even a mere handful to deal with. Zombies are so much different, the classical scene of the never ending, never stopping deluge of dead flesh shakes me to the bone. There is no real escape, all you can do is put off the inevitable for another day.

WLF/ZZN:  You grew up in Scotland.  Pardon my ignorance, but is there any sort of indigenous zombie lore in that part of the world?

None that I know of, we do however seem to have a load of water monsters. Be that from the sea or Lochs (lakes), from the famous Loch Ness Monster to the Blue Men of Minch, blue skinned humans who attack fishing boats and take the bodies to underwater caves.

WLF/ZZN:  You’re probably aware of the contention between zombie purists and those with a more open-minded interpretation of what a zombie is.  Would you say that the antagonists in 28 Days Later were zombies?

A bit of a purist I’m afraid, the only true zombie is someone who has died and then re-animated. (WLF note: ** exasperated sigh **)  That’s not to say I don’t like movies like 28 Days/Weeks/Months later, I think these are fantastic in their own right but a “rage virus” is different than the walking dead. However, the opening scene from 28 Months Later, where the farmhouse is attacked and it’s everyone for themselves–is a tremendous piece of horror filmmaking.

WLF/ZZN:  I’m aware that you’re a fan of traditional Scottish garb, kilts in particular.  Do you have an opinion on the advantages of kilts in an apocalyptic Zombie scenario?  What are the disadvantages?

At least I would be comfortable!  It’s hard to explain how good they feel without sounding a bit strange! Also a traditional kilt would sure be helpful if out on the road. These are about five foot wide and twenty foot long and are designed to also act as a sleeping blanket, a hammock, a backpack and will hopefully put the fear of God into any of the living who might have their sights on your gear. During the First World War the Germans were terrified of the Royal Highland Regiment, when they saw them charging with their kilts flapping in the wind they called them the “Ladies from Hell”, not very flattering I suppose but it shows their fear. The biggest disadvantage is the lack of protection when walking through tall grass or brambles, or scrambling over a hedgerow. That could get a bit painful. Ouch!

WLF/ZZN:  Your first book, The Church combines undead horror with themes of religious abuse and corruption.  Tell us about it.

Set a little while after the zombie uprising the story is told from the viewpoint of an ordinary man, Sam, who finds himself holed up in a fortified Church. This is ruled by the Reverend McKay who controls all with an iron fist along with his chosen “disciples”. He truly believes that the plague is a punishment from God and they need to show complete devotion to him in order to survive.

When another group of survivors is found they soon discover they have only one choice- follow the Reverend or be destroyed. I hope the story shows how people will change under enormous pressure, the Reverend thinking Faith is their only hope, bullies taking positions of power to give themselves some feeble excuse to carry on handing out pain and to the ordinary man having to do things he would never have dreamt of before. I’m not talking about some brave heroics, it can be from turning a blind eye to murder right through to plotting the demise of another.

WLF/ZZN:  What will readers find most compelling about protagonist Sam Miller?

He’s just an ordinary bloke. A lot of zombie stories have ex-military, cops or the like. Sam is far from a fighter, a simple civil servant before the rising.  He can’t use a gun and can barely even look after himself. The biggest challenges he faces are the demons within his own mind.

WLF/ZZN:  What was the reaction like among religious types?

Well I’ve had no death threats yet! I’d guess there are probably a few people that think clergy should be left alone but not me. Hopefully the vast majority of people, even religious ones, will understand this is only a story.

WLF/ZZN:  Did you have any reservations about depicting a corrupt religious official?

None, there are good and bad people in all walks of life. Add in the madness of the zombie uprising and I’m sure any minor cracks in a person’s character will be forced wide open.

WLF/ZZN:  You’re quite a prolific zombie writer, publishing with small houses and also self-publishing for the Kindle.  Where do you find the time?

That is a struggle! I try and grab an hour or two a day on the computer but once I check on my e-mails, Facebook and the like it doesn’t leave much time. It’s really only the weekends where I can get a bit of quality time to get some of my ideas down.

WLF/ZZN:  What do you see as the advantages of self-publishing versus more traditional avenues?

It makes publishing far more available to all, nowadays anyone can get their work out there even if they only sell a few copies, what can be wrong with making people happy? I must however admit that personally I prefer the traditional route, I definitely need the professional editing help and feel more comfortable with the support they offer. When I self published my short story collection, Children of the Plague, it was more of an experiment that I’m not sure I’ll try again for a while. But of course it is each to their own, I would never dream to slag someone off for going down the self pub route, I know there’s loads of fantastic books out there.

WLF/ZZN:  If someone was unfamiliar with your work, which book should they read first?  Why?

The Church is my first novel and will always be my baby. It may not be written in the most popular style, First Person Present Tense, but it has been well received by most people who have read it, especially readers from the UK who say they enjoy the fact that it’s not all gung-ho with bullets blazing. My only disappointment has been the sales, Escape from Dead City has sold more copies in a month than The Church did in a year. My newest novel, a collab with Sean Page, which is called Meta-Horde is probably the book I am most proud of.  We think it’s an old fashioned “ripping yarn” set all over Europe a few years after the zombie invasion where bad just got worse.

WLF/ZZN:  Escape from Dead City takes readers through the first 24-hours of the zombie outbreak.  What inspired you to make such a departure from the typical formula of dropping a protagonist into a blighted wasteland?

It’s something I have thought about for a long time, how quickly would things fall apart, what information would the authorities give out and how would I try and escape? How could I get my family together? My stepdaughter and stepson, and their own families, are both about a 40 minutes drive away but in opposite directions, and my parents, brother and sisters are over 500 miles away. It’s those first moments of panic that I hope come across in the book.

WLF/ZZN:  What do you do when you’re not writing?

My day job is on the railways. I’m a Production Manager at a depot where we repair and maintain a fleet of commuter trains. It’s a pretty good job, I work with some fine people and we actually have a lot of fun at times. In my spare time I enjoy taking my dogs for a walk, we have two mad Dalmatians who are quite a handful to say the least. At the moment my partner Pam and I are spending most of our time planning our wedding. After many years together we have decided to make it official! It will be pretty close to the actual 25^th anniversary of our first meeting when we get hitched in February.

WLF/ZZN:  How can readers learn more about your work?

I post most of my news onto my blog.  I try and keep that regularly updated. There’s also Twitter- @johnmccuaig plus I have a website, but that really needs a lot of updating- I need to get that sorted soon. I am also available via e-mail if anyone would like to get in touch. Please feel free to contact me.

WLF/ZZN:  Anything you’d like to say to the fans?

All I can hope is that people enjoy my stories. They are not be the happiest tales ever to be told but there might also be something of everyone in there, hopefully my readers will think about what they would do, or even not do, if they were in these situations.

And just a little bit of news, I have two other novels off with publishers at the moment. Fallen Angel is my first non zombie book, a supernatural tale about one of Satan’s disciples trying to return to Earth. The publisher has today agreed to take it on, don’t want to say too much more until the ink is dry on the contract- I don’t want to tempt fate!

There is also Pyramid of the Dead, set in the ancient Incan Empire this does include zombies, although it’s not a virus that re-animates them, its demons.

And finally a huge thanks to you Wednesday for giving me this opportunity, I just hope I haven’t bored your readers too much.

WLF/ZZN: If the readers are bored, this’ll be the first I’ve heard of it!

The split-personality is a delightful horror premise even if it has very little basis in real-life psychology. We’re all intrigued by the idea of an alter-ego who can do things we’d LOVE to do but could never get away with. If there were no repercussions at all…who’s to say we wouldn’t rob a bank, knock on a door and run away, or even start our own series of macabre online vids. Dr Rotz Laboratory is good stuff.

Happily for us, internet get-about Dr Rotz has agreed to answer some of our most pressing Q’s. If you haven’t seen Dr Rotz collection of awesomely spooky shorts, you’re only cheating yourselves. Look for vids after the interview! We begin by speaking with Brian Brotz, creator, producer and star of the show.

WLF/ZZN: Hello, and thanks for answering our Q’s. I’d like to start by giving readers a look into your zombie cred. Please tell us about your first experience with the cannibalistic undead.

Brian: My first experience with zombies? That’s a tough one. I remember loving The Monster Squad when I was a kid, but that didn’t have zombies, just a mummy. My first zombie encounter that I can remember came from Army of Darkness. I saw the movie at a Friday the 13th party. It was an amazing film! As far as real life zombie encounter, the details are rather gory.

WLF/ZZN: It’s clear from your work that you’re a hardcore horror fan. Do you recall what cemented your love of all things horror?

Brian: When I was a kid, my neighbors use to go all out for Halloween. Their yard was decorated like crazy. I would help with the decorations as much as I could. We would watch horror movies (Monster Squad, The Nightmare before Christmas, Ghostbusters, The Witches, Tremors), tell ghost stories; the whole thing was awesome. Ever since then, I’ve loved everything Horror/Halloween related.

WLF/ZZN: The set dressing and props are fantastic. The Dr Rotz lab set in S2E1 is perfect. Don’t move a thing! “Paging Dr Rotz” features the craziest version of Cavity Sam I’ve ever seen. What year is it from?

Brian: Thanks. It’s a newer version. I honestly don’t know the year. I picked it up at the store the day of filming.

WLF/ZZN: How have fans and reviewers responded to Dr Rotz?

Brian: Mostly positive. I’ve received a few critiques here and there, which I’m totally open to, but most feedback for the show has been good. I’m always looking to improve Dr. Rotz’s Laboratory, so any constructive criticism is welcome.

WLF/ZZN: Can we speak to Dr Rotz, please? And if we do that, are we in any immediate danger?

Brian: Sure thing. It depends on what type of mood he’s in. He can definitely be a dick at any given moment.

WLF/ZZN: Welcome, Doctor. Let’s start with an easy one. Who the hell are you and why the hell should we care?

Rotz: You wanted the interview, you should know who I am! But for those reading that don’t know, the name is Dr. Rotz. I’m the host of the cornball horror show Dr. Rotz’s Laboratory!

WLF/ZZN: I hope I’m not offending you, but has anyone ever told you that you look like Seth Green?

Rotz: I get it all the time. I’ve heard Mr. Green, this guy named Zoolander, and from time to time some wizard from a Disney show. I think he (the wizard) is in that show with that hot Selena Gomez girl. The things I would do to her with my wand.

WLF/ZZN: Do you write all your own material for the show?

Rotz: Everything comes from that pathetic excuse for a human, Brian. He does a decent job. I try to get him to do rewrites, but he never wants to listen to my ideas. I’ve been trying to kill off Larry since Episode 1.

WLF/ZZN: What kind of degenerates would actually watch the obscene and bloody trash you call a program?

Rotz: Any ghoul with at least the tiniest sense of humor and appreciation for cornball comedy. We aim to please a variety of viewers, but the Horror-Comedy fans would get the most out of the show. If you love Elvira, or Tales from the Crypt, we’re right down your alley.

WLF/ZZN: Please tell us how your um…unique assistants came to be in your employ.

Rotz: I put a wanted add in the post for assistants, and well, Larry showed up at my door. He definitely wasn’t my first choice for an assistant, but he was the only “person” to show up. It was between him and a pile of sh*t on my doorstep. It was a close race, but Larry just squeezed it out.

WLF/ZZN: If I may say so, you responded rather callously to Larry’s haunting poem “If I weren’t a servant.” Why are you such a heartless bastard?

Rotz: Heartless bastard? Haha, you are too kind; I love receiving such compliments. Besides, Larry deserves what he gets; he’s a f*cking moron and not good for much at all. When I have to speak about him, I can barely hold back the vomit of insults.

WLF/ZZN: Please tell us a bit about your relationship with the band, Dead Cassette.

Rotz: I found them at a garage sale. The first time I laid my eyes on them, I knew they would be a hit. They’re currently working on some material, which will debut in an upcoming episode. They supply all the sound effects for the show. And you know that intro? All Dead Cassette.

WLF/ZZN: Do you actually prevent Nurse Candy from speaking, or is she merely a woman of few words?

Rotz: She’s free to say anything that a woman should say, which is why she doesn’t speak! Hahahaha! Truthfully, she’s not much for words, but she is plenty for your eyes and hands. *wink wink*

WLF/ZZN: Speaking of Nurse Candy, does she prefer to suck on a specific flavor of Tootsie Pop?

Rotz: The Nurse will suck a variety of things, that’s for sure. As for her most desired Tootsie Pop flavor, she’s not picky. She’s satisfied as long as she has something to fill that oral fixation of hers.

WLF/ZZN: The host of “Guess Who’s Going to Die” had the freakiest eye ever. It’s difficult to watch. What the hell is going on there?

Rotz: Seymour? You know, I’m not sure. I heard it was exposure to radiation or a chemical burn or something. Either way, the guy is fucking horrorific! He has another episode on the way, and I’m told it’s a bloody good time.

WLF/ZZN: What kind of scientist are you anyway?

Rotz: I believe the name of the show is Dr. Rotz’s Laboratory, not The Laboratory of Some F*cking Scientist. In all seriousness, I’m practically the best f*cking scien-doctor-ist ever. I’m right behind that Bill Nye character, but I’m definitely more evil.

WLF/ZZN: How can fans reach you, and get more info on the show?

Rotz: Patients can reach me on my Facebook, become a fan of the show, and subscribe to my YouTube channel. I’m also on Google+ and Twitter under my name, Brain Rotz. That’s B-R-A-I-N, not Brian.

WLF/ZZN: Thanks, man.

Rotz: The pleasure has been all mine – Doctor Approved!

Also Doctor Approved is the Pilot vid :

Season Two: Episode One: