The Zombie Times: December 2012 (newsletter review).
The December issue of ‘The Zombie Times’ is a Christmas special. Mind you, given that the people at Terror4fun are rather odd, their idea of a festive edition may be somewhat different from the usual. Nonetheless, I found a lot of interesting items in this one and I’ve picked a few highlights below.
This issue starts with an interesting item on the third instalment of the ‘Outpost’ film franchise. The first film came out in 2008 and its low-budget Nazi zombie action horror theme garnered it lots of fans. The sequel, ‘Outpost II: Black Sun’, came out earlier this year and seems to have been just as popular as its predecessor. As a result, the British filmmakers have begun principal photography on ‘Outpost III: Rise Of The Spetnaz’, a prequel to the two earlier films which comes from the same scriptwriter, with the directorial duties being taken over by Kieran Parker, producer on both the earlier titles. No release date is given but this looks like a British horror film to watch out for.
There’s a fascinating article on zombie comedy literature by John E. Normal, later in the newsletter. It talks about films like ‘Shaun Of The Dead’ and the books of Max Brooks and has some interesting things to say about the comic and serious potential of zombies in fiction. Well worth a read.
Unsurprisingly, given that Terror4fun organised it, the newsletter includes a review of the Sixth UK Festival of Zombie Culture which took place in Leicester’s Phoenix Square on 17 November. The event included lots of film premieres, author signings, charity zombie ‘face painting’, games and a fancy dress competition which was won by a man with a long metal pole sticking out of his chest. From the photos that accompany the review, it would appear that many of the attendees were very dedicated to the cause of zombiedom and a good time was had by all.
The next thing that caught my eye was a piece on Lucio Fulci’s infamous cult hit, ‘Zombie Flesh Eaters’, which has recently been restored by Arrow Films and released in various editions, including a limited edition steelbook with lots of added extras. If Fulci’s gorefest is your idea of a good time, this could well be an ideal early birthday present for yourself.
If you’re bored of watching other people’s zombie films, perhaps it’s time to make your own? Paladone have released three ‘Make Your Own Movie’ kits allowing you to put together your own Science Fiction, Monster or Zombie movie. Each kit comes with a 56cm by 38cm backdrop, cardboard characters and props. You set up your film, video it with whatever equipment you’ve got, edit it together and you can then share it with others via the Make Your Own Movies Facebook page. This sounds like a great idea to me and I’ve already dropped some subtle hints to my better half about what I want for Christmas.
Talking of Christmas, there are a few other items featured in the newsletter that might make good presents for the zombie fan in your life, including a 69p iPhone game, packets of miniature zombie figures and several zombie-themed board games.
In conclusion, it turns out that the people at Terror4fun really do know how to put together a great Christmas special! So if you don’t want to miss out on zombie fun during the festive break, head on over to their website and download a copy. You won’t regret it.
Patrick Mahon
December 2012
(pub: Terror4fun, 28 page newsletter. Price: free!)
check out: www.Terror4fun.com
