Ok…I’m going to go ‘off’ my regular rating scale here…and why? Simple: this movie is an independent film. Why should it be treated differently than any other film? Simple again: It looks like a full on Hollywood production.
‘The Dead Matter’ is the first full-length film conceived and directed by Midnight Syndicate founder, Edward Douglas. What?!?!? The Music score guys? Yeah, THOSE guys. Think about it- instead of just writing more music (which we love by the way) they went out and shot their own movie! They didn’t go half assed either, they got some genre favourites like Andrew Divoff (Wishmaster), Jason Carter(Babylon 5), and Tom Savini (You BETTER damn well know who he is…FX master…Dawn of the dead) then mixed in amazing effects and makeup, while composing their amazing music to go along with it all. Again: AS AN INDEPENDENT!!!
With that all being said, is this the greatest movie in the world? No. there are some failings, the younger cast is not the most experienced group of actors in the world, some of the effects might seem a bit ‘hokey’ to some, but I still have to give it up to Midnight Syndicate for going balls out to put out one of the best looking ‘independent’ films I’ve seen in a while! It’s a good time and fun as fuck. (there’s yer tagline Ed!!!)
NOW…let’s get to the ‘even more awesome’ the DVD set I got was a THREE disc set, it has the movie, the original soundtrack CD AND a ‘greatest hits’ Midnight Syndicate CD as well! That is a jam packed DVD/CD set for only 20 bucks… You can get it over at your local Hot Topic, or just online HERE…
Since I’m not ‘rating’ the film in the same way I’ve done others in the past- I’ll say this: I thought it was fun and the 3 disc set is WELL worth picking this one up…
Here we go, Shamblers…with another book for the ‘Well Read Undead’ with me- ‘the Zombiequeen!’ (and yes…I realize this book has been out since 2004… I don’t care- a good book is a good book. But IS it good? read on and find out!
Monster Island is the first in a trilogy of online serial novels from David Wellington which was received well and they decided to put em out as these old and dusty ‘book’ things… While online writing is nice, curling up with a good laptop or Kindle just doesn’t have the same ‘ring’ to it… but I digress.
The story takes place in zombie-infested Manhattan and follows a group of Somalian School girls-turned-soldiers (YES you read that right) led by a former UN weapons inspector (Dekalb) as they attempt to locate medical supplies needed for their ailing warlord (Dekalb’s daughter is being held by the warlord, ensuring his co-operation). They encounter a zombie who has managed to preserve his consciousness (Gary) and who is being controlled by a mysterious dark force whose intent is to destroy the human race. Well…what’s left of it anyway!
I enjoyed this novel at the beginning and it did have a few interesting twists… but I did find the plot got a bit messy at times later on – zombies and mummies and druids- oh my! (You’ll get that joke when you read the book!)
I really liked the concept of the ’sentient zombie’ (I thought that the Zombieking and I were the only ones!) and the lead character was interesting enough… Stack up a good zombie death count, and we have a pretty decent book…just not ‘perfect’. Maybe the others in the series (Monster Nation and Monster Planet) will win me over…we’ll see!
I give this one 3 out of 5 bloody eyeball martinis!
I am the Zombie Queen and this topic is DEAD …and buried!
I’d made my was through this city only twice before the accident, so I knew a few of the streets. But the train station I was shambling through was foreign ground. I slid past some ancient subway cars, their doors still miraculously functional. Turnstiles, posters advertising some sort of pharmaceutical company. My cataract riddled vision could barely make out the edges of heavy steel doors, some crudely welded shut. But the smell of the living was in the air, my instincts were always correct. A helicopter landed near the entrance. Its sound was unmistakable. The smell of life multiplied. Finally! Brains!
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Killing Floor (Shatterline Productions) is a first-person survival horror Unreal mod. I was introduced to the game by an ad for it on Steam, and only interested in passing at first. I had Left 4 Dead. I wanted not for another survival horror coop game so soon. Not yet ready to betray Louis, Zoe and the gang, I ignored Killing Floor. Then I witnessed it in action at school one day and was convinced I’d made an error. I was right.
Killing Floor is a survival game, in the sense that the main goal is to survive a number of waves of enemies, ending with an encounter with a “Patriarch” at the end of the run. The thin storyline puts you in the role of “exterminators”: guns for hire that are sent in to cleanse certain areas of these horrific mutants. As you defeat each wave, you are allowed to shop at a roving, undersexed black market trader. The various weapons available at the trader are tied to different perks that you can level up through use. The guns and perks are easy to match up, and once leveled the perks are pretty potent bonuses to your slaying. You can also sell items for cash, or give cash away to your teammates (accompanied by amusing quips and quotes.)
The slaying itself is intense, filling the screen at times with hordes of enemies, or throwing a few more powerful ones at you in small bursts. The waves are announced, giving the game a very structured feeling compared to the more random-feeling AI Director from Valve’s Left 4 Dead. There is no aiming reticule in Killing Floor, but the iron sights work great, and the hip fire is alarmingly lenient. Some heads hots trigger stretches of slow-motion, shared among all players, that lets you plant pin-point accurate shots for a short period of time. Each one of those moments had me cheering a little, unloading round after round, throwing grenades, welding doors closed and healing my teammates. The welding and healing are pretty fun little diversions, but if you’re good at the game you hardly have to do either. Though healing does help when you notice a teammate is getting a little low on vitals.
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The living evaded me again today, flying through the hallways blasting everything that moved. Their accents were thick, I even heard some laughter from behind their masks and armor. The woman that supplies them, a delicious smelling black market trader, often jokes and flirts. Hardly the place to be flirtatious, the monsters in this place put my own rotting frame to shame. Spikes, screams, big fat ones overstuffed with bile…I make special care to avoid them all. What an awful place.
Killing floor is a very fast paced game. The level of action on screen, however, hardly seemed to chug even on my machine, and mixed into the mayhem were some truly terrifying, but easy to identify monsters. You never feel “too” lost, compared to the overwhelming rush of infected in a comparable game like Left 4 Dead (where the screen can literally be nothing but bodies at times.) The sound of Killing Floor is nothing to really celebrate: decent gun effects and distinct monster sounds play over uninterested English accents. All the characters sound more or less the same (not really an issue in a game with little by way of story), but some variety or drama would have been appreciated. The finishing layer of polish falls juuuuust short of the game play.
Killing Floor is worth the price of admission…if it’s on sale. While it’s a fast and fun game, very enjoyable with friends over Steam, there isn’t much to do but the coop wave crawl. Forgettable levels and “meh” sound/graphics mean you won’t really be drooling over the screen but if you like to run with friends, blow away zombies and generally get frantic with your survival horror action, look for Killing Floor on Steam!
Pros: Frantic action, persistent perks system, easy to learn and enjoy.
Cons: No longevity, bland sound/graphics
I’m not sure what’s going on here, but I am sure I do NOT want to be here. The screaming Patriarch, with his chain gun and rockets, rattles my bones every time he fires the damn thing. None of the others seem interested in talking, or even brains for that matter. Makes a zombie wonder if he’ll ever find a good home. I left the blood-soaked train station in search of brainier pastures, less noise and maybe a nice cool breeze…I was getting a little ripe.
We’ve been reviewing things here but the ZQ (Zombiequeen) has decided to rise up and clean out a little corner of her own around here, so we introduce a new section here at Zombieinfo.com… ‘The Well Read Undead’ will feature written works reviewed by us… If it’s in writing and it features Zombies or Horror… you can see a review of it here!
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the Zombiequeen has been in the background since day 1… she’s just been a bit ‘DEAD’ on her contributions in print- but she has been helping me and helping produce the site, so I’m glad to see she’s found her voice! Ladies and Gentlemen… ‘the Zombiequeen’!
Hello everyone,
I am the Zombie Queen and have been lurking in the background and assisting the Zombie King with research and what not for some time. Since I do a lot of reading I thought it might be kind of fun to write some reviews and share my book lists of speculative horror with fellow zombie and horror fans on the zombieinfo.com site.
I grew up reading sci-fi, fantasy and horror novels and was encouraged to do so by my book loving parents who allowed me to buy comics such as Tales from the Crypt, The Witching Hour!, Grimms Ghost Stories, etc. from the local used book store. They also let me stay up late as a kid to watch old horror movies starring Vincent Price (one of my first movie crushes!), Bela Lugosi, Peter Cushing and tv shows like the Twilight Zone, Rod Serling’s Night Gallery and Star Trek. I’m just a sexy, swingin’, Martini sippin’ ZOMBABE!!!
I hope you like what you read here and in the future…
DISCLAIMER: I am not an expert critic, just a book lover so all reviews are my personal opinions. If you agree with me – GREAT, if not, …SO WHAT?!? I am going to tell you what I think and not get into silly flame wars over sparkly vampires and such. There are enough places on the internet for people to nerd rage about unimportant things …and this is not one of them.
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The Reapers are Angels – release date TODAY!!! August 3, 2010
For twenty-five years, civilization has survived in meager enclaves, guarded against a plague of the dead. Temple wanders this blighted landscape, keeping to herself and keeping her demons inside her heart. She can’t remember a time before the zombies, but she does remember an old man who took her in and the younger brother she cared for until the tragedy that set her on a personal journey toward redemption. Moving back and forth between the insulated remnants of society and the brutal frontier beyond, Temple must decide where ultimately to make a home and find the salvation she seeks.
ZQ’s H.O.:
* No spoilers!
A nicely written novel about a zombie infested world as seen from the view of a teenage survivor who travels the southern states battling zombies, mutants, a vengeful foe and her own inner demons. The heroine is likable, the landscape alternates moments of bleakness with moments of beauty, and it features some surreal encounters with what is left of humanity and a not so typical ending. Overall I thought this was a good read.
I would think that while this book seems geared towards teens, really anyone can enjoy it… the only spoiler I will give: It’s REALLY gory
I was going to give you one of those great comparisons of ‘If you like X then you’ll like this book- but I can’t really compare it to anyone else- it’s wholly original in a genre that sometimes lacks for new ideas… but not this time!
It is a ‘light read’ (255 pages- I read it in 2 days in between ‘real life’) and I think it would make a great book to take to a Zombie Beach Blanket Bingo… or just read in the backyard with a pitcher of your favorite cold drink… perhaps a ‘Zombie‘?
I would give this 4 Bloody Eyeball Martinis out of 5…
I am the Zombie Queen and this topic is DEAD …and buried!
“In ZMD, a conservative island community is under attack! Port Gamble, Washington is being overrun with braineaters, and the people seem powerless to stave them off. A rag tag band of rebels led by Frida (Janette Armand), an Iranian college student suspected of being an Iraqi terrorist, and Tom (Doug Fahl), a gay business man who has returned to town with his partner to “come out” to his mother, tries to turn the tide and push the invading hoards of undead back.” (box description)
Wow, what to make of this… ZMD (Zombies of Mass Destruction) is a hodge podge of bad writing, bad acting, and bad effects. It’s the first film by director Kevin Hamedani, and although ambitious, inexperience really shows. Instead of delivering a traditional zombie tale, he tackles sensitive issues like racial profiling, gay relationships, religion, and politics in a slapstick kinda way that doesn’t come off half as funny as he thinks. Hamedani stumbles over his own jokes half the time, not being overly clever, or even creative. The effects are mediocre at its best, but look pretty damn cheap for the most part. What was really impressive about the film was the locations and sheer number of actors (if we can call them that). Also the pacing was pretty good throughout. Hamedani had all the basic ingredients to make a cool zombie flic, but unfortunately he tried to take it in a different direction… a political zomedy? I’m all for comedy… when it works, unfortunately Hamedani gives too much credit to his performers and the film suffers. Comedy is heavily dependent on timing and delivery… this lacked both.
ZMD is like ordering a steak with all the fixins and getting a peanut butter sandwich instead… it’s edible and it fills the void, but is it satisfying… I guess that depends on how much you like peanut butter.
Keep in mind ZMD is classified as a low budget production ($1,000,000), so if you’re into that, you’ll probably dig it. It stands high above a lot of the other straight to DVD stuff out there, but seriously… the next Shaun of the Dead ain’t gonna come on a straight to DVD title.
In the end, I really wanted to like this film, but found it more of a bearable distraction. Zombies Of Mass Destruction is part of the “8 Films To Die For” Horrorfest 2010 and it gets 3 rotting fingers out of 10.
