Zombies are less cool than Santa

I like writing movie and show reviews. I'm sorry, I know that I should be writing reviews about traditional Christmas movies at this time, but for some weird reason, I feel like talking about zombies. Maybe it's because the other day I had a very weird conversation with a zombie and I just can't shake the thought of them out of my head, even though I'd much rather be sitting on Santa's lap and telling him about my wish list.

I've never been a big fan of zombies. I always told Zombie fans that I preferred Vampires and Frankensteins, although some Zombie fans will argue that Frankenstein is a Zombie. I disagree (that's like saying Mummies are Zombies) which is why the movie "Mary Shelley's Frankenstein" is not included on this Top 7 list. See a true Zombie fan could provide a Top 10 or Top 20 list, but since I'm not that into Zombies, I can only give you a Top 7. If I included Frankenstien and The Mummy, then I'd have a Top 9, but I really don't see those as Zombie shows.

I know everybody thinks that Monsters are supposed to be discussed around Halloween. I'm sorry if my mentioning Zombies is not Holiday-appropriate. Hey, there were some Monsters in the Muppets and they had Christmas specials. There were also some Holiday themed episodes in the show "The Munsters". So I guess I'm just going to roll with this review about the Top 7 showings of Zombie-themed entertainment in my opinion.

1. The One That Started It All.... "Night of the Living Dead"

Directed by George A. Romero (independently) and released in 1968, "Night of the Living Dead" is a classic black and white Zombie film classified as Horror. I watched it several times. The first time it was nail-biting scary. I recommend it to Film Students (especially Zombie fans and horror genre writers and directors) because it encapsulates the art of the Zombie movie.

2. The Show That Made Zombies Famous..... "The Walking Dead"

Originally a comic book written by Robert Kirkman, the AMC show developed by Frank Darabont held top ratings for 11 seasons (177 episodes). It was released in 2010 and spanned until it's finale in 2022, spawning some other shows like "Fear of the Walking Dead" which was not as popular. I don't think any other film or show has glorified Zombies as much as "The Walking Dead" series.

3. The Cult Classic that Nobody Knows About....."The Children"

Released in 1980, I saw this movie in the theater when I was 9 years old. It's definitely my all-time favorite Zombie movie. Written and produced by Carlton Albright and directed by Max Kalmanowicz, this movie is genius film-making and deserves "cult classic" status. The photography direction is pure art and the musical references to "Psycho" are beautifully done. They don't make Horror movies this well anymore. This was done with the artistic precision of a director in the same league as "Jaws" (the first one). Incredible film-making.

4. When Tarantino Takes on Horror..... "From Dusk to Dawn"

Starring Harvey Keitel, George Clooney, Juliette Lewis, and Selma Hayek, this movie is great for more than an all-star cast. Director Quentin Tarantino usually sticks to Action Films, but in this exception he brought us a horror flick with some zombie stuff going on. I like it very much even though I'm not big into Zombies. My favorite parts in this movie are with Selma Hayek.

5. When Horror and Comedy are Combined...... "Warm Bodies"

Directed by Jonathan Levine (2013), this is also a great Zombie movie that removes the scary aspect and brings Zombie fans into the Romantic Comedy zone. Starring Nicholas Hoult, Teresa Palmer, and John Malkovich, "Warm Bodies" is a light hearted Zombie flick that's great for a first date between Zombie fans.

6. When You Can't tell if it's Scary or Funny..... "Shaun of the Dead"

Horror and Comedy are subjective because Fear and Humor are individualized personality traits. I'm really not sure if this movie is scary or funny, though I think I did laugh more than felt fear. It's just that I think I felt guilty for laughing. Still, I recommend it to Zombie fans because it's like watching Michael Jackson's "Thriller" video without the singing and dancing and Vincent Price laughter. "Shaun of the Dead" was released in 2004 and directed by Edward Wright.

7. The Zombie Movie To end them all...... "World War Z"

Don't really know how Marc Forster got so lucky in 2013, but he got to direct a Zombie movie starring Brad Pitt. I have to admit I was surprised that Mr. Pitt took this role. His career before this performance was mostly as the Leading Man or in a more serious depiction. Not that "World War Z" doesn't show the Zombie Apocalypse as "serious" because it does. It was just hard for me to think of it as a great film when the CGA and special effects were super goofy. The Zombies are supposed to be insanely monstrous (making The Walking Dead zombies look like weaklings), but I think the special effects cheapened the Zombie genre and killed the "seriousness" of this film. The same review was given to the movie "Cats" a few years ago when the audience didn't like the way that the giant cats were shown.

Well, that's about it folks. Again, I'm sorry that I'm interrupting December's holiday traditions with a Zombie review. I would have written a Top 10 Christmas movies review, except that my picks would be too traditional and therefore that review would have been less interesting or useful. I hope that the Zombie fans got something out of this and that everyone (Zombie fan or not) has a wonderful holiday season and a very Happy New Year!