When it comes to computer games, one of the biggest genres in recent years is the "Survival" genre.  One of the most prominent ones has been " 7 Days to Die ". The end of the world has occurred.  All that's left is you... and the hungry undead. Scavenge supplies.  Craft weapons.  Build your safe place.  Survive the Blood Moon. Survive... if you can... The Fun Pimps created a zombie survival game that is commonly described as, "Minecraft if it was a survival horror movie".  And it's a fairly apt description.  You have to find resources in order to craft and upgrade weapons, armour, and structures- all while surviving an unending stream of zombie stalkers. The concept is a great one, and is actually one that's really well suited to the horror genre.  This concept is aided in how it's executed. The mechanics are pretty simple to grasp, and fairly intuitive in that you don't have to waste time trying to figure out where every...

Zombies. Archie. You wouldn't expect the two of those things to fit together in a comic, right? Well, guess again.  They fit together, and do it well. What would you do if your pet was run over and killed?  If you're Jughead Jones, you'd perform a dark spell of resurrection to bring them back.  Too bad, it's the first step on the road to the end of Riverdale, and the life you knew ... Archie Comics shook things up in 2013 and 2014 with two big events that changed how people viewed the wholesome line of comics.  2014 July issue of " Life With Archie " saw Archie Andrews shot and killed, while October 2013 saw the first issue of " Afterlife With Archie " hitting the news stands. When I first heard of " Afterlife With Archie ", and that it was horror based, I figured that it would more or less be of a comedic nature, and keeping in line with the "family friendly" tone that the company had. Boy, was I pleasantly surpri...

As a fan of horror movies, I enjoy seeing how the genre has evolved over the years, and learning a bit about how some of the most influential movies came to be made, and the role they played in making horror what it is today. In the final years of the turbulent 1960's, when race riots, decreasing support of the Vietnam War, and growing social unrest were spreading like a virus across the United States, a small, low-budget horror film was made.  Despite uncertainty about it's reception and ultimate Fate, this little film made by some guys from Pittsburgh, went on to change the world of horror forever. This film was, " Night of the Living Dead "... and this is its story... If you've read my review of  " Night of the Living Dead " (1968), you'll know that it's one of my favorite horror movies of all time.  Well, let me tell this:  " Birth of the Living Dead " is a great little companion piece to that movie. One of the things I re...

Most of us see a horror movie, like " The Grudge ", or " The Ring ", then learn it's a North American remake of a Japanese film.  And we think that the Japanese are pretty badass and awesome.  Then we see the Japanese version of a movie, like " Zombie Ass: Toilet of the Dead "... and then we're not sure what to think of them... A group of friends are going camping in order to find Maki a tapeworm to help her stay skinny.  After swallowing a parasite found in a fish, the group are soon attacked by shambling people, and encounter Dr. Tanaka.  Soon, they discover the connection between Dr. Tanaka and the parasites ... Wow. Just wow. This is not a film to take seriously. At all. Poo covered zombies.  Butt loving parasites.  Farting.  Tentacle loving.  Farting.  Martial arts.  Farting.  Boobs. Did I mention farting? The premise is enough to make you scratch your head, and wonder how they pull it off.  The actual st...

Zombies are the big rage right now.  Movies, protests in the form of Zombie Walks, games, and books... " Zombies: The Complete Guide to the World of the Living Dead " by Zachary Graves explores they history and evolution of zombies- from their Voodoo origins as undead slaves through to the hungry undead rising up due to a virus or other causes.  It covers the myths and superstitions surrounding zombies, as well as real cases of purported voodoo creates zombies.  This book also discuss how movies and books have helped the zombie to evolve into one of our favorite monsters- including a look at Frankentein's monster. This book isn't very long, but is full of interesting information and is a great starting point for zombie afficionados, who wish to learn more about this genre of monster mythology.  It's logically broken down into sections that are laid out in an easy to read and digest fashion.  While far from being a truly "complete" guide to zombies...

Unless you're a gamer, you may be looking at the title of this review, and wondering what this particular game has got to do with horror.  Well, it has a horror related feature called, Zombies... " Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 " has three main modes to it- Campaign, Multiplayer, and Zombies.  While I thought Campaign mode was fun, and really enjoy playing the Multiplayer mode with my nephew and niece, it's the Zombie mode that I'm going to discuss. Within Zombie mode, you have three types of games you can play- Tranzit, Grief, and Survival.  This variety helps to give the game some measure of replay value.  All three game types are well done. In Tranzit (available on the bus stop map only), you work your way through the maps by riding an automated bus.  At each stop you can build equipment to help open doors, act as a shield, etc while buying new weapons and killing zombies.  I haven't been able to "finish" this game type yet, so I'm not su...

Over the years, it has been shown that with very little money, a skillful director can put together a high quality horror movie (John Carpenter's " Halloween ", " The Blair Witch Project ", and " Paranormal Activity " being a few of them).  So, when it comes to determining a movie's quality, budget is no longer a negative... Ken and his mother have moved from Hell, Michigan to Grosse Pointe near Detroit.  Upon his arrival, he meets the lovely Courtney, and her jealous suitor Chad.  While Ken and Chad square off, an evil is growing within Detroit and slowly spreading towards Grosse Point... where Ken will meet his destiny ... This week's " What Movie Wednesday " winner was " Zombie Bikers From Detroit "- a low budget horror movie that feels like it was put together as a school project.  High School, or College... I can't really tell. The premise- as stated in my little synopsis is interesting- as was the title.  ...

In my travels through the realm of horror movies old and new, foreign and domestic, I come across one that really engages my interest, and manages to entertain me from the first shot to the last.  Such was the case during this week's " What Movie Wednesday " feature... Albert Kovac has been sent by his boss to the Hauff villa to discuss the owner's will with him.  Upon his arrival, the owner's beautiful wife reveals that he's been dead for a year.  Soon, Kovac and the owner's daughter, Corinne, are trapped in a net of horror as forces from the grave seek their vengence ... " Terror Creatures From the Grave " is a really interesting Italian horror film- originally titled, " 5 Tombe Per Un Medium ", and was inspired by the writings of Edgar Allan Poe.  Once production was completed, Director Massimo Pupillo was dissatisfied, and decided that Producer Ralph Zucker should take credit... even though Zucker did no directing whatsoever i...

There are some horror short films out there that show that age is NOT a factor when it comes to skill and creativity... Nicole is your average High School girl.  She goes to class, hangs out with her best friend, and misses her Dad when he's gone on business.  Today, she's going to find that her life is no longer... average ... Darien Davis produced this ten minute short zombie film with Sam Toller in a span of two days.  They covered a total of 220 shots, with Toller coordinating and directing the movement of 27 extras, five make-up artists, spread over six different locations. And Toller did it all at the age of 16 years of age.  And he did it well. When I was approached by Davis to watch and review this short film, I was VERY interested to see what someone of Toller's age would- and could, do with the project.  I have to say I was impressed. Visually, " We Are What We Eat " displays some very impressive skill at using the medium to visually tell ...

Over the past decade, Vampires and Werewolves have been given a "humanized" treatment in movies and TV.  Rather than being the cold, sinister blood thirsty creatures of the night they used to be, they are now more human.  They have feelings, and a culture now- so much so that they're almost soap operatic in nature... and not as scary as they used to be when Mom would warn us about the vampire in the attic... One creature of the night that has pretty much stayed the same has been the zombie... except for one film that I found that looks at the zombie in a whole different light... John and Jennifer are a young couple hoping to enjoy a weekend away at their cabin.  After getting lost in the woods, they are attacked by a stranger who bites John.  Managing to escape, they reach their cabin and safety.  Unfortunately, they soon realize that some changes are taking place in their lives ... This movie presents us with an intellegent, and even thought provoking l...

In 1968, George A. Romero gave the world a whole new look at an old and underestimated fear:  zombies. After her brother and her are attacked in a cemetery by a strange man, Barbara flees to an isolated farmhouse.  There she is joined by six others as they try to survive a night long siege from crazed flesh eating people who turn out to be more than mere humans... they're zombies... George A. Romero was inspired by the novel, " I Am Legend " by Richard Matheson to write " Night of the Living Dead ."  He wanted to explore how such an apocolyptic "revolution" might start, and how humans might react in a situation where something that's supposed to be "forever" stopped being... well, permanent.  That "forever" was Death, and thus the Romero zombies were born.  Matheson, himself described Romero's interpretation as, "kinda of cornball".  Little did he know the sort of grip it would have on the world. The charact...

This is one of those films that I reviewed on Facebook a couple of years ago- and gave it a harsher review than it deserved on first viewing.  For it's flaws, this early zombie film isn't all THAT bad. While searching for a missing Admiral during World War II, Bill Summers, his pilot, and his valet are caught in a storm and are low on fuel.  Their only chance of survival is to follow a weak radio signal and crash land on a s small island in the Caribbean.  What they will discover there is beyond their belief as they confront, the King of the Zombies ...  Originally, Monogram Pictures tried to get Bela Lugosi to  star in this movie as Dr. Miklos Sangre (sangre is Spanish for "blood" just so you know), but he was unable.  Since they weren't able to get Peter Lorre as their second choice, the role went to Henry Victor- who signed just before filming began.  " King of the Zombies " was released just before the US entered World War II on the side of th...

Bela Lugosi followed up his classic 1931 portrayal of Count Dracula with the first feature length zombie movie in 1932.  This film was actually inspired by Kenneth Webb's Broadway play, " Zombie ", and was filmed in a span of eleven days. Madeleine and Neil have been invited to be married at Charles Beaumont's plantation in Haiti, despite only having just recently met him.  Neil soon discovers that things aren't what they seem when Madeleine dies shortly after the wedding... only to be raised again as a zombie ... Many of the cast members were silent film stars whose fame started to die out with the advent of talking films.  Joseph Cawthorn, who played Dr. Brunner was mostly known at the time for his comic relief roles prior to " White Zombie ".  Madge Bellamy, the lovely actress that portrays Madeleine used to recall that working with Bela Lugosi was pleasant, and that he  would often kiss her hand in the mornings on set, while others- such as the ...

Demons, skeletons, gun slingers and zombies abound as an old west outlaw rises from the grave in the modern west seeking revenge. Of the genres that tends to attract the most deplorable movies, I would have to say that horror and comedy are about equal.  At least with horror, you can count on- if not an A-List movie, at least coming across a decent B-Grade movie... unlike comedy where it's either a good comedy, or a trainwreck. Of course, that's not to say that the horror genre doesn't have its share of trainwrecks... or in the case of "Dead Noon," stagecoach wrecks. The premise sounds cool in a Sam Raimi, "Evil Dead: Army of Darkness" sort of way.  The potential for humour and scares is ripe for that premise.  Too bad this movie doesn't come close to fulfilling that potential. I have a very basic movie watching rule: You don't stop until it's over.  I wound up breaking that rule while watching this movie... within the first ten to f...

Well all know it's coming.  We've seen the movies.  We've seen the Facebook tests.  We've seen it in the blank expressions of people shuffling off to their morning Starbucks... The zombie apocalypse.  Hoardes of the dead rising from their graves to feast upon the flesh and brains of the living.  We've seen the progression- from "Night of the Living Dead", through it's dawn, and day until the world is the "Land of the Dead". So, yeah- we all know it's coming.  The question is: "What do we do when it comes?"  Well, here's the answer: "Max Brooks' 'The Zombie Survival Guide', that's what." This book, though obviously tongue-in-cheek, could very well be an honest to goodness survival guide.  It is well thought out, clear, precise, and logical in its approach to how one could survive a mass uprising of the feasting dead. "The Zombie Survival Guide" covers the "known facts" abo...