FanCam: Night of the Living Dead: Reanimated (2010)

This is a little different. A fan 're-imagining' of sorts. These are prevalent online, but I think that this the first shot per shot that actually had a decent release. Night of the Living Dead: Reanimated from Wild Eye Releasing takes us, finally, on a unique journey through a story that most film fans, horror and secular, are familiar with. The story itself is a remake of the original Night of the Living Dead, complete with same characters, plot devices and pacing and even uses the original audio and soundtrack. What NOTLD:R gives us, though, is over 150 artists working in various mediums in order to tell the story. It is a unique mish-mash of animated styles and interpretations that only works because of the story’s familiarity, but serves better as a cohesive inter-modal art show with a thematic backbone. The original NOTLD is a classic and has been seen, and re-seen, by millions. In its wake, though, the zombie apocalypse story has become contrived and, evidenced by even Romero’s most recent work, a unique take on the sub-genre is not forthcoming. So, what Michael Schneider and his NeoFlux Productions has done is remade the original zombie apocalypse in multiple formats. Each contribution to the film will not be the particular ‘cup of tea’ to every viewer. That’s fine and, in creating NOTLD:R in such a manner, Schneider has made the zombie apocalypse relevant again.

Buy Night of the Living Dead: Reanimated on DVD!

Movie Review: Santa Claws (1996)

It’s Day 4 in the David Hayes 12 Days of Christmas Crap Review-a-Palooza and I think I’ve really hurt myself this time. Oh the humanity!

On the fourth day of Christmas, the Head Cheese gave to me… four migraine headaches (on top of one another).

What in the hell happened to John Russo? I mean, this guy was a legend. Screenwriter for Night of the Living Dead, novelist and screenwriter for Return of the Living Dead, The Booby Hatch… even shlock like The Majorettes is fun, but something happened. I think it was the 1990 remake of NOTLD (directed by Tom Savini). I think that broke John Russo like a twig. In all fairness, it broke most everyone that watched it like a twig.

It must get tough for John around the holidays, you know? People are happy and sharing good will. John tries to keep up, a smile plastered across his face, until he gets home. He probably sits in the dark, alone, trying not to think about the huge budgets and fanbase that George Romero has… for co-writing the same movie that launched an international, high-paying career as a director. John tries not to dwell on the holiday feast that George is sharing with the large and loving Romero family while he is bending back the top of a cat food can. But then inspiration can hit! After all, it’s 1996 and he knows someone with a video camera (that someone being long-time collaborator Bill Hinzman who most people know as the first zombie in NOTLD… from 1968). John knows the holidays are upon them and everyone loves a Christmas-themed horror movie. Turning to an ancient typewriter, John feels the burn of creation once more as he single-finger taps out the title of his newest epic, the one to launch him so far beyond George Romero that Georgie’s going to have to get double Coke-bottle lenses to see John now. Click, click, click and the world is changed forever. Well, at least my world.  John Russo just typed Santa Claws.