That's right; the zombie movie marathon. I won't pretend that I'm geeky enough to truly appreciate this microcosm of horror filmmaking, but I'm not incapable of enjoying it... in the right situation, that is. I personally find that zombie movies are best enjoyed with lots of people, lots of alcohol, and of course, lots of movies! Is it wrong for my love of the genre to be so circumstantial? Perhaps. But there's also a fitting irony in being part of a horde of people who have collectively agreed to turn off their braaaaiiiinnnns and just enjoy the films. The zombie movie marathon is a marvellous thing; a day in which you can check your pretensions at the door, relax with friends, and relish the gory glory of the undead ballet. If you intend to throw your own zombie movie marathon, here are ten gold standards (not all of them feature films) that you'd be braindead not to include, plus some tips on how to incorporate them into your viewing schedule.
10. I Walked with a Zombie (1943)
This is a spooky little classic – one that predates the advent of the modern movie zombie by more than 25 years – that can inject some atypical eeriness into your program. With its attention to hypnotic voodoo witchcraft, this film is actually more closely aligned to the true cultural heritage of the term “zombie” than zombie flicks we recognize today. It's interesting and creepy stuff, but it probably isn't quite what your fellow zombie enthusiasts came to see. But at some point during your marathon you need a pause in the action so folks can eat, stretch, nap, etc. This is a perfect alternative zombie movie to play during such a break.
9. Shaun of the Dead (2004)
Many a zombie film these days has tapped the potential of self-parody. It's an appealing approach in that it fondly riffs on the absurdity of the genre while still providing a vehicle for plenty of traditional bloodletting. My choice of zom com would be this collaboration between director Edgar Wright and star Simon Pegg, who co-wrote the witty screenplay together. For all intents and purposes, you could substitute this film with Ruben Fleischer's droll Zombieland, but if you feel you must include both pictures on your agenda, keep them as far apart on your playlist as possible. Two self-referential zomedies in a row is not good pacing.
8. Dead Snow (2009)
Are there actually enough Nazi zombie movies out there for it to be considered its own sub-subgenre? If there are, then this Norwegian import is likely the most renowned example. Much of the story basically resembles a typical teen slasher flick wherein the antagonists are a troop of undead Nazis, and it eventually mutates into a half-assed comedy that doesn't quite work, but there's still plenty to enjoy. Some of the scares are legitimately scary (how rare is that!), and some of the death scenes are deliciously satisfying – not literally, of course. If you have any gamers in your crowd, you can pregame this movie by blasting some Nazi zombies on Call of Duty.
7. Dial 'Z' for Zombies (1992)
I feel it's important to include some short-form presentations on your itinerary. They serve as quick, amusing palette cleansers between lengthy features, and can be flexibly integrated at any point in the marathon. One that I can safely recommend is this brief segment from The Simpsons' third Treehouse of Horror episode. The series was really starting to hit its creative stride when this came out at the beginning of the fourth season, and it shows with hilarious one-liners like, “is this the end of zombie Shakespeare?” and, “he was a zombie?”. It may not show up in any zombie geek's personal collection, but it'll put a smile on everyone's face.
6. Night of the Living Dead (1968)
The one that started it all. George Romero's vision of what would become the modern movie zombie was realized in his audacious debut, thus spawning the whole genre as we know it. That vision itself may have lost some impact over the years due to dilution by countless imitations and improvements, but it's important to watch it with a bit of context: in 1968, the image of a moaning, festering, inexplicably reanimated corpse shuffling its way towards you with nothing on its mind but an appetite for human flesh was unheard of, and would have been quite terrifying. It was, and still is, a game-changing invention of horror cinema.
5. Pinkeye (1997)
Here's another one-reel wonder that can be employed for some brief levity between movies. The denizens of Trey Parker and Matt Stone's titular mountain town face the worst "pinkeye" epidemic they've ever encountered after the body of perennially ill-fated Kenny is embalmed in Worcester sauce, which may be one of the more unique zombie origins ever cooked up. I find that South Park's reliably raunchy comedic stylings are a good match for the sort of humour most zombie comedies apply, but that means you're probably best to try squeezing this episode in after a more traditional zombie flick; something like say...
4. Dawn of the Dead (1978)
George Romero's followup to his genre-defining Night of the Living Dead continued introducing themes and concepts that we now associate synonymously with zombie movies; namely, the idea of the “zombie apocalypse” and how it initiates a complete and accelerating breakdown of society, and the device of pitting a small band of survivors in some closed quarters (in this case, a shopping mall) to fend off implacable waves of zombies by themselves. The marriage of his own zombie movie tropes with these conventions of group-peril/disaster movies (which themselves were quite popular in the 70s) proved a successful and influential one.
3. Thriller (1983)
Michael Jackson's landmark music video is a must for any zombie festival. Having been so impressed with John Landis' An American Werewolf in London, Jackson insisted on having him direct the project. Landis, in turn, brought along much of his Werewolf crew, including Rick Baker to do the makeup. That unprecedented $500,000 budget was clearly well spent. I would wait to play this until most of your viewers are at least slightly liquored up, just so that everybody feels less inhibited about getting up and dancing along. Every time I watch this iconic short film it begs the question: When will someone finally get around to making a proper zombie musical?
2. 28 Days Later (2003)
Some purists resent this film for popularizing the fast-moving zombie, and for the fact that the zombies aren't technically zombies (just people infected with the rage virus), but these nitpickers are missing out on a damn good movie. Danny Boyle's exhilarating auteur style turned out to be a progressive step forward for the genre, revitalizing its fan base and legitimizing it artistically. If there's alcohol involved in your marathon day of zombie watching, then it behoves you to play this film first. It's meant to be taken a bit more seriously than most zombie movies, and deserves a sharp-minded audience to appreciate it.
1. Dead Alive (1992)
Topping my list as the absolutely essential zombie movie marathon staple is Peter Jackson's Dead Alive (or Braindead as it's known in its native New Zealand), a grotesque slapstick romp which is bound to surprise any viewer who only knows Jackson for his endeavors in Middle Earth. The MPAA rated it R for "an abundance of outrageous gore". "Outrageous" really is the best word to describe it. Jackson's special effects and makeup go-to guy, Richard Taylor, truly outdid himself on this film, which evolves from its relatively innocent tongue-in-cheek beginnings to an over-the-top succession of increasingly grisly gross-out gags. It's a disgustingly hilarious and unforgettable side-splitter, and it gives a whole new meaning to the phrase "mowing down zombies". You can make a drinking game out of it... so long as the ludicrous volume of gore doesn't make you too nauseous!
