For those who seek out movies with brains — and by that, I mean literal gray matter, not intelligence — chew on Glenn Kay’s ZOMBIE MOVIES: THE ULTIMATE GUIDE. It’s what’s for dinner!
As someone who very much misses the genre-themed VIDEOHOUND guide books from a decade ago, Kay’s book goes a long way toward filling that void, providing the single most comprehensive book on undead flicks I’ve ever run across. It’s knowledgeable enough to get by with its ULTIMATE subtitle, yet not so fanboyish that it will put off more casual readers.
Starting with 1932′s Bela Lugosi vehicle WHITE ZOMBIE, the book features chronological discussions of more than 300 films, organized in decade-long chapters. The real classics of the genre — George Romero’s DAWN OF THE DEAD, for instance — get more pages than the usual, while heavily obscure efforts may merit a capsule review. Only the most hard-to-find are mentioned no more beyond having their title listed.
As the years pass and the zombie film matures (or immatures, depending on how you look at it), the book gets more and more fun. For me, it hit a high point with the chapter on the 1980s, which produced so many greats I still enjoy today: THE FOG, CREEPSHOW (at least two-fifths of it concern zombies), RE-ANIMATOR, THE RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD, PRINCE OF DARKNESS, PET SEMATARY and a handful of FRIDAY THE 13TH sequels.
The GUIDE takes up right up to Romero’s recent DIARY OF THE DEAD, fittingly, yet there’s more to the book than just reviews. It sporadically features in-depth interviews with zombie filmmakers, including effects artists Greg Nicotero and Tom Savini, and there’s a two-page feature on “Some of the Weirdest/Funniest/Most Disturbing Things I’ve Seen in Zombie Films” that’s so good, I wish similar sidebars existed. You’ll have to make do with a fairly generic “Know Your Monsters” guide, which differentiates your pod people from plain ol’ ghouls; an appendix of “Zombieless Zombie Movies” and Kay’s personal Top 25 list, which is tough to argue with … although I’ll admit I can’t get fully on board the SHAUN OF THE DEAD train. That movie completely falls apart for me in the final third after a charming start.
As much as I appreciate hundreds the photos scattered throughout the book, I loved loved loved the 16-page color insert of poster art. That helps makes up for a rather frustrating ratings systems that’s driven on icons so arbitrary, it’s tough to remember whether one represents a good film or a bad film.
Kay has already turned his critical eye to DISASTER MOVIES; after this, I’d like to see him tackle many more genres. —Rod Lott
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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Nice to hear from somebody else who isn’t head over heels in love with Shaun of the Dead. It’s got its good parts, granted, and I appreciate them, but overall it doesn’t come together well enough for me.
as a certified zombie nerd (having seen 180 zombie movies) i must have this. however, FAB press’ Book Of The Dead is pretty damn definitive, aside from leaving out the Guanajuato Mummy films from Mexico…could this one possibly do better?
Well, having never read FAB Press’ BOOK OF THE DEAD, I can’t tell you, but at least this one has three more years’ worth of titles covered.
well, being as z new zombie film is made every 27 seconds, 3 years worth adds up to a lot!