I found the preview to be very entertaining and put it on my mental list of ‘films to look forward to. I was eager to see the end product.
Finally it arrived, and after I shut up the screaming woman I kidnapped in the woods the night before, I hit play on the DVD player.

The government in their eternal wisdom, following a pandemic of the zombie kind, have decided to sublet zombies to be used for the paintball-like experience Zomball. There are no paintball bullets involved and rather than shooting the zombies with a gun and basically blowing their brains out (they guys at Zomball are going to want to re-use them aren’t they?), the guns fire what appear to be streams a la Ghostbusters. As a participant it’s important that you recharge the guns as otherwise the power drains and you can end up as the zombie’s main course.

Dean is on his stag night, although you wouldn’t believe he was actually allowed out considering the constant ear bashing he gets from his bride-to-be Elaine. She insists he carries on with preparing with the big day when he should be having fun, getting him to pick up the button holes and chocolate fountain.
It already looks like he is under the thumb before bridezilla has got him down the aisle and stuck that ring on his finger (more like handcuffs, it would seem).

Dean is whisked away in a limo with his future father-in-law in tow, to a location neither has been made aware of. His school friends have taken him to a run down military base (with a stripper – obviously) for what they believe to be the ultimate stag party experience. They are going to play Zomball. Yes, that’s right – paintball with zombies as the targets!
The friends are told by one of the military personnel that they are to see Mr.Big, who is in fact a dwarf (or ‘little Person’, depending on what is politically correct at the time of reading this review). Hilarious. He bellows “Come with me!” to the guys and they follow him into an air hangar, where they meet their host Mr. Ree (Get it?) for the evening. Mr Ree explains the one golden rule of Zomball – Never humiliate a zombie. Eh? Puzzled by this statement, I continued to watch SNOTD…

What follows is 81 minutes of fun, with twists and turns aplenty.

Just your typical stag night in Scunthorpe...

I’ve never laughed so much watching a film. It’s hilarious. And the characters are quite loveable, even the roguish ones.
What’s good about the characters is that they stand out as your archetypal stags. If you’ve ever been on a stag night, I’m sure you will identify with all of them.
Although some of the acting at times is a bit over the top, it can be taken as intentional as the case are poking fun at their characters. They make quite obvious how much fun they are having making the film.
On a £150,000 budget the film looks far bigger than it actually is and the effects are pretty good. I’ve watched far too many low budget zombie movies where the effects are cheap and transparent – even down to the zombies devouring innards (which should always look real). But in Stag Night of the Dead subtle use of camerawork has ensured this is not the case here. Great work.

Don't cross the streams!

Stag Night Of The Dead is a great zomcom, which I would highly recommend. It would be ideal to watch with some mates after a trip to the pub on a Friday night. Just get some friends round with some cans and chill out.
I am so looking forward to Hen Night Of The Dead and will be happy if it’s even half as good as this film.

Movie Rating: ★★★★☆ 

Trailer:

In ParaNorman, a small town comes under siege by zombies. Who can it call? Only misunderstood local boy Norman (voiced by Kodi Smit-McPhee), who is able to speak with the dead. In addition to the zombies, he’ll have to take on ghosts, witches and, worst of all, moronic grown-ups, to save his town from a centuries-old curse. But this young ghoul whisperer may find his paranormal activities pushed to their otherworldly limits. Following LAIKA’s groundbreaking Academy Award-nominated animated feature Coraline, ParaNorman is only the second stop-motion animated feature to be made in 3D.

ParaNorman is being directed by Sam Fell and Chris Butler, from Mr. Butler’s original screenplay. Mr. Fell was director of The Tale of Despereaux and Flushed Away. Mr. Butler was storyboard supervisor on Coraline and storyboard artist on Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride.

The voice cast also includes Academy Award nominee Casey Affleck (The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford), Tucker Albrizzi (Good Luck Charlie), Tempestt Bledsoe (The Cosby Show), Alex Borstein (Family Guy), Jodelle Ferland (The Twilight Saga: Eclipse), Jeff Garlin (Toy Story 3), John Goodman (Monsters, Inc.), Bernard Hill (Titanic), Academy Award nominee Anna Kendrick (Up in the Air), Leslie Mann (Rio), Christopher Mintz-Plasse (How to Train Your Dragon), and Tony and Emmy Award winner Elaine Stritch (30 Rock).

As on Coraline, Focus Features holds worldwide distribution rights to ParaNorman, and Universal Pictures International will release it overseas. Coraline earned Golden Globe, BAFTA, Critics’ Choice, and Academy Award nominations for Best Animated Feature Film; and was named one of the year’s 10 Best Films by the American Film Institute (AFI) with an AFI Award.

Check out the trailer below (after the annoying ad that is!)
Video: ParaNorman trailer (MSN Exclusive)

We caught up with Chris to talk zombies, zombies and more zombies along with other subjects that is.

You say in your book Speak of the Dead that you first watched Day of the Dead when you where 11 years old. Is this what started your love of horror and Romero films especially?
Oh yeah definitely! Before then I think the only horror I had watched was 80s things like Lost boys and a thing called Monster Squad which not many people will remember, but it was ace. It probably isn’t now, but I remember it being a classic horror comedy in the style of Lost Boys. But when I saw Day of the Dead it kind of sparked something.

What do you think is it about the Dead trilogy that captivated and enthralled you and so many others?
Romero has a very unique vision that kind of goes past the films themselves. They have a real anger in them, underneath the plot, but on the surface they work as proper horror gore films as well. I just think that Romero was firing on both cylinders and always made a proper well rounded scary film with something to say. The themes always relate to people too, and are relevant to the times.

Speak of the Dead is a brilliant book excellently put together as part criticism, part making of, part personal opinion all extremely informative and very readable. How did you come to write it and how hard was the research process?
Thanks for the compliment about the book because it really means a lot. I loved writing it and to hear positive things about it is so rewarding. The research wasn’t hard at all, it was a thrill. I got to re watch the films, read the old interviews, interview the people involved with the making of the movies and really dig deep. I decided to write it because I failed to find a real definitive guide and homage to the films out there. Whenever I do a non fiction project it’s usually out of pure love of the subject matter. It was so fun doing this project.

The book contains some great interviews with essential cast members including the star of the original Night of the Living Dead Judith O’Dea and special effects legend Tom Savini among others. What where they like in real life and how did they feel about the legacy of the movies they made?
The fact they were open to answering these questions, the kind of things they have talked about for years and years on end, really shows how much they respect George Romero and how they appreciate their involvement in such a great legacy. I think Tom Savini’s involvement in the book is particularly great for me and the whole project itself, as he has such an interesting story to tell. I won’t go into it too much as he gives us some great insight into the films, but I do think it was fantastic that people like Joe Pilato, Captain Rhodes himself, were open to this book.

The films met with a lot of negative criticism when they first came out why do you think that is and why have they since been re-evaluated?
I think Romero’s films, Dawn aside, have all been met with hostility or even indifference which is worse in some ways, upon release. He isn’t afraid to ruffle a few feathers and always says something about society and human nature that maybe the critics didn’t want to address. These aren’t feel good movies but they continue to have validity in today’s times. Plus they were So gory for the times…. They have been re evaluated and appreciated as the works of art they are. In my opinion, the Dead movies are perfection!

Dawn of the Dead

Every true horror fan knows Romero is the Grandfather of the zombie having created pretty much all the conventions we now associate with modern day zombies. How much of Romero’s zombie creation was design and how much was accidental?
I learned that quite a bit of it, mostly in Night of the Living Dead, was accidental. The whole flesh eating thing came about one night in a brainstorming session between George and the other investors in the movie, and this is the thing we now associate most with the Living Dead. But I think by the time Dawn of the Dead arrived, Romero had the ideas pre planned and didn’t want to make a zombie film for the sake of making one. He was much more prepared with his themes and his attack on consumerism by the time the second film came along. I see him as the key representative of the genre and I don’t think anyone else comes near him.

You talk in the book about the audiences increasing relationship with the zombies which leads to us sometimes sympathising more with them than the human characters. How did Romero achieve this and what was he trying to tell the audience about themselves?
Romero’s films are basically about a lack of human communication. By the time Day of the Dead comes along, the humans are so pre occupied with arguing and fighting that the creatures don’t seem quite as sinister. The zombies are US, by that I mean how much have we changed from our original form to the slobbering, drooling, flesh craved beasts we become in his films? Romero holds a mirror to us all, especially in Dawn when he really questions the so called “importance” of consumer goods. I think he was basically saying that the pre sixties generations submitted to the limited scope of the system. Only a true hippy gent like George could point that out in such a cool way…

Romero’s packs his films full of social and political ideas and satire more than many other directors either in or outside of horror. Why do you think the films work so well on these multiple levels as entertainment, social comment and intellectual stimulation?
Because he balances it all so well. Gore wise, the first three, especially Day, cannot be beaten. They provide the thrills and the spills, making you sick with the violence at times. But he always stimulates the mind, for me anyway and he just gets it right. i think the one film he balanced it all perfectly, although it isn’t my favourite, was Dawn of the Dead. he just got it right in the centre with that one and it works on so many levels. You really need to watch it and pay proper attention; notice the details, the direction, the whole thingt.. He just gets it right. It takes a lot longer to define the brilliance, but I think I did that in the book as best anyone could really.

Survival of the Dead

What do you personally think of the Dead movies that followed the original trilogy including the remakes of the first three and the sequels made by Romero himself – Land of the Dead, Diary of the Dead and Survival of the Dead?
Well I think Romero’s follow ups are interesting and are all good films really. Land was really saying something about the snobbery of the class system, something I can really relate to in England. I also thought that Diary of the Dead really highlighted the ludicracy of the internet and the fact we have all this technology and have little to say with it. He was so on the mark with that film. The remakes are all OK, but they miss the underlying satire and become kind of video game shoot em ups.. which is Ok but not very Romero-esque when you look at them alongside his work.

What is Romero’s legacy on modern horror not just the zombie genre and what’s your opinion on the state of horror movies today?
I do think horror is thriving more than ever, but I’m kind of old fashioned for a young guy and think that people aren’t saying enough in their films. I mean, the sick things like Saw and all that type of genre.. it’s not my cup of tea, to sound really English.. But Romero is really respected for his older films, and kind of looked down on due to the last three by many of his fans. I think people should realise he is doing something really interesting and that he is the Master!

Has Romero read the book and if so what did he think?
No he hasn’t. I did try to get in contact but there was no reply. Which is a shame. But the blessings of the cast and especially Tom Savini does count for something. It’s an honour to have Lori Cardille and the others involved with the book.

Day of the Dead

Apart from Romero’s movies what other horror directors do you really rate?
It’s weird because I like the odd thing where the director who made it isn’t really a horror film maker. I LOVE The Shining and Exorcist, but Romero is the one guy I love as horror director. Saying that, I do like Carpenter a lot as well.

What’s next for you and ware there any other horror projects on the horizon?
I have a lot of other things due out. I always do a wide variety of types of projects. I have a kind of horror/psychological audiobook I wrote due in the new year and I also have a few more of my fiction books to release. I class myself as a surreal fiction writer really but I have a real passion for films and music too, so I do bits of non fiction on the side. I’ve been working with the comedian Charlie Chuck who is well known in the UK, lately on audio stuff and I have work out read on audio by the comedian Rik Mayall. It’s all on the Wisdom Twins site if anyone is interested.

Speak of the Dead is a brilliant book and available Here to buy and for more of Chris’s work check out his website and his blog.

Drop The Boy

But reinvent himself he has, and he has done a rather good job of it, moving from bit parts to baddie roles while acquiring some mean and moody kung fu moves along the way. Excellent under heavy make-up in both aforementioned sequels to Blade and Hellboy, both directed by Guillermo del Toro, The Dead Undead sees him shed the latex and take a lead role in a movie that although low on budget is much more innovative and original than it first appears.

Luke Goss is Jack the leader of a team of no nonsense highly trained and heavily armed fighters who arrive just in time to save Summer (Cameron Goodman) who has watched her friends torn apart by ravenous zombie monsters hungry for flesh.

All is not what it seems though and as the mindless hordes retreat and the gun toting gang plan their next move Summer discovers that her saviours are in fact vampires responsible for the creation of these creatures and now the only hope in destroying them.

Yes that’s right readers, Luke Goss (the guy from Bros) is a human loving vampire fighting blood hungry super fast and strong zombie vampires with a bunch of his military trained mates.

The Dead Undead may be a movie based around zombie vampires (not to be confused with vampire zombies of course), however it whole-heartedly embraces the ridiculousness of its on ideas, a fact demonstrated by the cheesy teens on holiday opening which gives us girls in bikinis in the first 5 minutes, a girl showering after 6 minutes and a zombie vampire child trying to eat said sexy senoritas 7 minutes in. It then descends into chaos with all of the annoying teen characters (bar one) being killed off before we hit the 15 minute mark.

From here on it is Luke Goss and his muscle bound mate’s movie and between slow mo shooting and squib exploding extras we discover how these humanitarian vampires not only live a semi-normal life but came to be with each characters story told in flashback from medieval battlefields to the wild west.

Cat Among The Pigeons

With these interesting and original twists on the usual vampire mythos there is a strong analogy made between the vampires treatment by the humans and racism, as well as the age old dilemma of denying your instincts being played up by the fact that the vampires diet of cows blood rather than human’s has lead to the mutation of these monsters, like a vampire mad cows disease.

All these positives however are sadly outweighed by some negatives predominantly due to the very low budget of the film which leads to cheap sets especially in the flashbacks, crap lighting, low quality film, so-so special effects and makeshift make up giving the whole film an overall bargain bin straight to DVD quality.

Duel directors Matthew R. Anderson and Edward Conna, who also wrote the film, both star in the movie and have a background in stunts along with the rest of the actors playing the action hungry vampires. The direction is basic and the editing unhinged at times however as a first film it is a reasonable attempt.

The casting of stunt guys and gals as the main characters, although obviously biased and not based on acting talent, does not backfire as much as it could have and the cast is competent if not excellent all looking the part of world weary warriors if not acting like them. The exception is Luke Goss who caries most of the movie giving a solid and likable performance and proving that he can deliver without the prosthetics.

I Owe You Nothing

With an unexpected opening and a promising middle the biggest disappointment of The Dead Undead is its ending, which is unsatisfactory sacrificing closure and climax for a deliberate set up for a sequel which may or may never appear.

While back in Bros, Luke Goss’s bro sang “when will I be famous?” and judging from his current progression and performance in the low budget – but above average – The Dead Undead, the answer could be ‘very soon’.

Movie Rating: ★★½☆☆ 

Trailer:

Mortimer and Brother Wolf end up joining forces to defeat the zombie outbreak. I say ‘outbreak’, but there’s probably about 10 or so zombies throughout the whole thing and when CGI blood isn’t being splatted from their heads we’re subjected to long and seemingly awkward shots of the characters chatting away to each other about their lives. Mortimer is yearning to rectify his past relationship or something and Brother Wolf is caught in a Romeo and Juliet thing with the sheriffs’ daughter… Or
something.

Edits needed to have been tighter and faster because at one point we’re left to watch Mortimer stroking a horse in silence. Maybe the guy just really loves his horse…
The script and the story of these characters are just not developed well so you’ll probably feel like you’ll want to skip through these bits just so you can watch some zombies being shot in the face – which, on reflection is pretty much the only way the zombies are killed, they just get shot and then fall down.

Despite its tongue in cheek approach, one scene did keep my attention. Our femme fatale, Rhiannon, played by Camille Montgomery is trapped in an old saloon with a slow and shuffling blind zombie. A decent amount of atmosphere is created in this scene and creates a genuinely spooky moment in the film away from all the cheese. Alas, it’s not enough to save the whole film from the inevitable bargain bins.

This town ain't big enough for all 9 of us...

Cowboys and Zombies is exactly what you would expect to see from a straight-to-DVD horror film, although enjoyable in places it just doesn’t really deliver at all what it might promise.

One last thing also, can anyone who has also seen this shed some more light on why a German guy rocks up at the end to save the day…?

Movie Rating: ★★☆☆☆ 

Trailer: