The Lucky 13: Week Five: Horror Comedies

This week in The Lucky 13, we take a look at one of my personal favorite sub-categories, the horror comedy. There's just something about horror in general that will often provoke a perversely humorous response in us, sometimes even when not intended. Maybe that's why it's so much fun when a horror film overtly embraces the humor that seems paradoxically inherent in the genre.

There are countless great horror comedies worth remembering , and I'd just like to tip my hat to several that have not been represented either here or at Brutal as Hell--gems like Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein, An American Werewolf in London and Shaun of the Dead. So many great ones to choose from, but here's a look at our personal favorites...

B-Sol on The Return of the Living Dead

Believe it or not, the film that truly sparked my lifelong fascination with the horror genre was ROTLD. It was the first modern horror film I had ever watched from beginning to end, and as I watched it unfold, I was filled with a combination of revulsion and fascination.

Like most pre-teen boys, I suffered from an acute lack of irony, which naturally led me to take the film quite seriously as pure horror. Almost all the comedy was totally lost on me, which makes it all the more fun to watch it now and be able to laugh instead of shiver. It's amazing how much I didn't appreciate back then.

For me, The Return of the Living Dead was a gateway movie, opening the door to so much more. My next stop was the Evil Dead flicks; then came George Romero; and the rest, as they say, is history. Funny how I saw ROTLD before even having seen the Romero movies they were partially spoofing. It's also pretty amazing to think that a movie that easily could've been a throw-away '80s shlockfest merely aping great horror films has come to be considered a great horror film in its own right, even worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as Romero's series.



Marilyn Merlot on Zombieland

So I have to admit when I first saw the preview for Zombieland, I wasn’t much of a fan, and already had decided I wouldn’t see it. I was never into spoofs of horror or horror movies trying to be comedies. Then I started to hear good reviews, and people saying how they really liked it. Now my interest was piqued. And in the end, it really was a perfect mix. Firstly, it had a great cast of characters, which is really what made the movie. A tough/bad ass guy; the nerd just trying to survive; and a pretty girl with edge to her.

What makes you laugh right from the beginning are the zombie rules you need to go by to survive. Those of us who have watched endless zombie movies know these really are important rules. Soon Columbus, played by Jesse Eisenberg, meets up with Tallahassee, played by Woody Harrelson. These two embark on a road journey, meeting up with two sisters, Witchita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin). The group sets out together to try and survive the zombie holocaust. The ensuing hijinks include a notorious overnight stay at the Hollywood home of Bill Murray.

The whole thing winds up in an amusement park, which is the perfect setting to show off both the action and the humor that make the movie work so well. Columbus and Tallahassee's rescue attempt of Wichita and Little Rock is both very exciting and hysterically funny. By the end of the film, all these different characters come together as a dysfunctional family, Tallahassee finally gets his twinkie, and everyone hits the road together…



From Beyond Depraved's Joe Monster on Creepshow

It was within the darkened den of my uncle’s California house that I was first exposed to this film. The glow from the television set illuminated my terrified face. But no matter how great my fear was, I couldn’t keep my eyes from the screen. I jumped like a startled cat when the rotting hand of a corpse jutted from a grave. I shrunk back in terror as a pair of beastly eyes stared out from the darkness of a crate. I got goose bumps as I imagined an army of carnivorous cockroaches crawling up and down my arms. Despite all these feelings of anxiety and shivering fright, I couldn’t deny one thing… I was having an incredibly fun time.

The beauty of Creepshow lies in its ability to illicit both screams and laughs from the viewer’s mouth. In my belief it stands as a true definition of the term “horror comedy”; it contains terrifying scenes that genuinely scare you, but the entire time you sense that the film’s tongue is firmly planted in its rotting cheek. It’s gallows humor with the highest quality noose. You may squirm at the sight of a stinking cadaver trudging through a misty graveyard, but then you’re tickled pink the moment it opens its skeletal mouth and gurgles “I want my CAAAKE!” I’m giggling just reminiscing about it.

Creepshow is a work of deep-rooted love for the genre, a valentine to horror fans and readers of the four-color terrors of yesteryear. The set design and lighting, with its garish reds and blues, gives this awesome anthology the authentic feel of an issue from E.C. Comics taken straight from the newsstands of the 1950s. It includes all the common stories that used to adorn those pages: ironic vengeance from six feet under, evil doers getting their just desserts in the form of their greatest fears, and Adrienne Barbeau getting her bitch face munched off by a furry crate critter! The film also has a dream team of horror luminaries working behind it. George Romero directs the ghastly proceedings, Stephen King provides the highly entertaining tales (and a lunkheaded performance as a mutated farmer), and Tom Savini showcases some of his best makeup work, with reanimated corpses and cuddly monsters.

As the years go by, my respect and love for this film increases with every viewing. I can sit down and watch it, no matter what the time or occasion. It’s as infectious as a zombie bite, its demented glee spreading to the dark cockles of one’s heart almost as quickly as Jordy Verill’s unfortunate gardening problem. From the unforgettable opening piano score to the last frame of revenge by voodoo’s pin, you’ll feel like you’ve finally come home to the ghoulish hilarity that’s escaped you for so long. After all, it’s the most fun you’ll have being scared!



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Head over to Brutal as Hell to see what Marc Patterson and his crew have come up with. And if you're interested in taking part in the future, just give Marc or myself a holler.

Week 1: Grindhouse & Exploitation
Week 2: Creature Features & Monster Movies
Week 3: Demons, Witches & The Devil
Week 4: Gore!

Join us next week as we turn our attention to perhaps the most pervasive movie monsters of them all: Vampires!

ZOMBIELAND--Through the Decades!

I happen to be a big fan of the Zombieland--and a huge reason why i think it works so well is the amazing chemistry between its two leads, Woody Harrelson and Jesse Eisenberg. Those two guys just absolutely click, and the rest of the movie's goodness flows out of their interaction.

So naturally (well, naturally if you're me), I started thinking: What would this movie look like if it were made in earlier decades of film history? Which two actors of previous eras could pull off the perfect chemistry to make Zombieland work in any time period, and what incarnations of movie zombies would they each face? A couple of possibilities immediately came to mind, and before I knew it, I had it plotted out going back through seven decades of cinema.

The ages may be slightly off in some of the cases, but I got a kick out of imagining what these pairings would yield, and I hope you do, too.

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1990s ZOMBIELAND

















BRUCE WILLIS & BEN STILLER

Taking on...

Dead Alive zombies!

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1980s ZOMBIELAND




















CHUCK NORRIS & JOHN CUSACK

Taking on...

Return of the Living Dead zombies!

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1970s ZOMBIELAND











JON VOIGHT & WOODY ALLEN

Taking on...

Lucio Fulci zombies!

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1960s ZOMBIELAND

STEVE McQUEEN & GENE WILDER

Taking on...

Night of the Living Dead zombies!

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1950s ZOMBIELAND

JOHN WAYNE & JERRY LEWIS

Taking on...

Mora Tau zombies!

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1940s ZOMBIELAND



















GARY COOPER & MICKEY ROONEY

Taking on...

Val Lewton zombies!

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1930s ZOMBIELAND

GEORGE RAFT & JIMMY STEWART

Taking on...

White Zombies!

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Fun, right? OK, glad I got that out of my system...

Zombieland: Instant Cult Classic

I am sure glad that the great zombie renaissance of the past decade didn't quite peter out before Ruben Fleischer's feature debut Zombieland had a chance to be made. To my mind, this movie is literally the culmination of the past seven years of undead-mania. That's not to say that it's the very best of the bunch--that honor still belongs to Shaun of the Dead. What I mean is, at no other point could a movie like this have been made--a totally mainstream, zombie action/comedy with big-time Hollywood stars. And the number-one movie in America, no less.

The moviegoing public has been thoroughly conditioned to accept zombies, and the result is this incredibly fun and clever flick. Right from the inspired title sequence, set to the strains of Metallica's "For Whom the Bell Tolls", I knew I was in for one hell of a ride.

Now the whole slow zombie/fast zombie thing has been debated to death for years now, but let me just say this: I'm old-school, and I will be a slow-zombie guy until the day I become one. To me, they will always be more terrifying. That said, this movie isn't about being terrifying. This is an action comedy with zombies, and as such, works much better with fast zombies. Slow zombies would've completely thrown off the pacing, so in this case, I give it a pass.

As I said, this is one very fun flick--and the main reason for that is the man who is the selling point for the entire thing, Woody Harrelson in the role of Tallahassee. Who would've thought that Sam's dim-witted assistant on Cheers would eventually become the most bad-ass zombie killer in cinematic history? And yes, in the opinion of this horror blogger, he is exactly that.

Teamed up with Harrelson is Jesse Eisenberg as Columbus, whom I could not shake the suspicion was put in because they couldn't get Michael Cera. Eisenberg definitely gives off a Cera vibe, but regardless of that, the chemistry between him and Woody is terrific, and winds up anchoring the entire movie.

There are so many clever touches here. Columbus' zombie survival rules, clearly inspired by Max Brooks' Zombie Survival Guide. Zombie Kill of the Week. And Tallahassee and his twinkie fixation, as far as I'm concerned, is instantly the stuff of horror movie legend.

And then there's Bill Murray. I don't think I'm really giving anything away here, since unless Sony execs have been sleeping for the past year, we can all agree that has long been common knowledge. And if you didn't know--tough, walk it off. Because I need to talk about it. For the simple virtue of the fact that his brilliant cameo takes this movie from clever zombie action flick to the instant cult classic I described it as in the title.

It's the kind of stuff that a movie geek would have fantasized about or dreamed up, but would never expect to actually see happen in a movie. And yet, there it is on the big screen, and man, is it ever classic. From now on, in my world, the man's name is no longer Bill Murray, but Bill F***ing Murray (see the flick and you'll get it).

Amazingly, this movie is a mere 80 minutes long, yet is packed with so much great stuff that the runtime feels just right. This is the kind of movie that's clearly a distillation of everything that's come before, as far as the zombie subgenre goes. It's like Fleischer and screenwriters Rhett Reese & Paul Wernick sat down and figured out all the cool stuff they'd love to see in a kick-ass zombie movie, and made it happen.

I walked away from it thinking that it would make one hell of a TV series. Screw The Walking Dead--this is something that would keep me glued to the couch week in and week out for sure. Give me the weekly adventures of Tallahassee and Columbus on the road in post-apocalyptic America, and I'd be set. And from what I understand, Reese & Wernick, who were primarily TV writers before, did originally create it to be a series, but somewhere along the way it morphed into a feature film. Still, I say proceed with the original plan.

Sure, there's no way Harrelson would do it, but I say sign up Stone Cold Steve Austin to replace him, and make it happen. Well, a horror blogger can dream, anyway.

Black Sheep @ The Box Office: Zombieland Livens Up the Box Office

I don't pretend to know what I'm talking about all the time but it was pretty clear to me that ZOMBIELAND was going to do good business this weekend. Industry money was on the third frame of CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS and, while the latter is holding up quite strongly, ZOMBIELAND surpassed expectations to claim the weekend. Zombie movie of the week! Having already made more than its reported budget, ZOMBIELAND is showing great signs of life for the weeks ahead.


The double-bill, two-week rerelease of TOY STORY and TOY STORY 2 in 3D played solidly considering the raining meatballs in the next room. $12.5 million is hardly a Pixar-size opening but this is more of a treat than anything else. The rest of the Top 10 news is pretty disappointing. Ricky Gervais keeps trying hard to crack the American audiences but his latest, THE INVENTION OF LYING fizzled in fourth place. Still, that was nothing compared to Drew Barrymore's wipeout it 6th place with her directorial debut, WHIP IT. It's a shame really because it has got great bite. WHIP IT essentially ties Michael Moore's latest "documentary", CAPITALISM: A LOVE STORY. One will have to settle for 7th place when the final numbers come in. Moore's movie may have increased almost 2000% over last week but the per screen average dropped for $60K to $5K with this expansion suggesting it won't play much wider than this.


A trio of limited pics pulled in averages in the teens below the Top 10. Increasing over 587% by adding 21 screens, horror flick, PARANORMAL ACTIVITY, pulled in an average $16.2K. Basketball documentary, MORE THAN A GAME, debuted to a solid $14K average. And COCO BEFORE CHANEL managed a strong hold in its second week, with a $13K average after adding 11 screens. It was the Coen Brothers' latest, A SERIOUS MAN, though, that scored the best per screen of any film playing, with an average of $42K on just six screens. With serious Oscar buzz for A SERIOUS MAN brewing, its expansion should go a lot better than life does for the protagonist of the film. See it; you'll understand.


NEXT WEEK: COUPLES RETREAT hits 3000 hot spots. TIFF favorites, THE DAMNED UNITED and AN EDUCATION platform. Chris Rock's documentary, GOOD HAIR, hits 200 screens. And the Clive Owen Oscar hopeful, THE BOYS ARE BACK, expands.

SOURCE: Box Office Mojo

Patrick Swayze Was Originally to Cameo in Zombieland...

While it seems a bit fishy and somewhat cynical right after his death to release this "news", Shock Till You Drop is reporting that the late '80s icon Patrick Swayze was originally supposed to have a prominent cameo in Zombieland, set to debut in theaters next month.

In an interview at STYD, co-writer Rhett Reese states:

"That was many years ago, before he got sick. It was [going to be] a Patrick Swayze zombie. They got attacked by him zombified and we had these wonderful moments where they found a potter's wheel and there's Columbus on the wheel and these other hands come up behind him and it's Patrick Swayze the zombie. Ultimately, they fight and Patrick bull rushes Tallahassee who grabs him and lifts him into the air, a la Jennifer Grey, and smashes him into a pillar."

Apparently, this all was slated back when Zombieland was planned to be a TV series pilot some years ago. Swayze had to decline the offer due to his condition, and along the way the project morphed into a feature film.

Meanwhile, the idea of the celeb cameo zombie survived, with the filmmakers reportedly going after a number of actors such as Sylvester Stallone, Mark Hammill, Joe Pesci, Kevin Bacon, The Rock, Matthew McConaughey and Jean-Claude Van Damme. In the end, they managed to nab Bill Murray for the role, and already there are reports that his appearance is the comedic highlight of the film.

While I do concede that a Swayze zombie would've been cool, I'd just like to give a great big "BOOOO, HISSSSS!!!" to the Zombieland marketing team for choosing to capitalize on the actor's passing as a way to promote their film. Thanks.

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I'd like to thank the one and only Wes "Fierce" Cavins, a Vault Dweller from way back, who was kind enough to pimp the VoH blog banner. Thanks Wes, you rock sir.

Stuff I'm Excited to See in What's Left of 2009

I've said it before: This hasn't been the best year for horror. Just not that much out there, period, and out of what there is that's out there, even less worth our money. However, the second half of 2009 seems to be looking a bit better than the first half, and not just because I just had the pleasure of seeing Orphan (review to come). Tonight I'd like to shine the spotlight on four horror films I'm very excited to check out before the end of the year...

District 9
August 14
This one's much more science fiction than horror, but it definitely looks like it will deliver up a scare or two. The buzz is extremely positive, and the concept is intriguing. Sort of strikes me as "Alien Nation meets Predator", if you'll allow me to sound like a jerk-off studio windbag for just a second. On the heels of Moon, another very original sci-fi/horror, this flick gives me home that cinematic sci-fi has a bright future.

Grace
August 14
Vault contributor Wes Cavins recently submitted a review after attending a sneak preview, which was very positive. I've heard audiences have been pretty shocked by this one, which is always a good thing, as far as I'm concerned. And although the plot--about a mother who must feed her baby human blood--bears a passing resemblance to Little Shop of Horrors as BJ-C has pointed out half-jokingly, I still have a feeling this is going to be something worth checking out.

Zombieland
October 9
Just when you thought the zombie movie wave was finally over, along comes this one. And I don't know about you, but after checking out the trailer, I'm MORE than willing to give it a chance. This is definitely the most mainstream zombie film we've seen in years, and a nice prelude to the upcoming World War Z. Large-scale zombie comedy about a post-apocalypse, in which Woody Harrelson is a bad-ass ghoul-hunter? Count me the eff in.

Antichrist
October 23
Loopy director Lars von Trier caused quite a stir at Cannes when he ridiculed members of the press for condemning his film on account of supposedly objectionable content. If that sentence doesn't make you want to see it, then we are two very different people. In all seriousness though, this tale of a troubled couple confronting the powers of Satan on a retreat in the woods has "WIN" written all over it. Plus, it stars Willem Defoe, who I once bumped into checking out the nudey mags in Tower Books in NYC. Not that that's relevant, just puttin' it out there...

See the Zombieland Trailer NOW!!

I'm not given to hyperbole, but this has now superseded any and all other films as the one movie I am most looking forward to. I need to see this thing, and I need to see it now. Sweet merciful crap. Watch the trailer below, and if you're pants are still dry by the end, then you, my friend, need to check your damn pulse. Just when I thought the zombie subgenre had been plumbed dry--hell, just when I thought the zombie comedy sub-subgenre had been plumbed dry--along comes this. October 9 cannot come soon enough.

And I'm sorry, but step aside Ken Foree, Bruce Campbell and Simon Pegg--because Woody friggin' Harrelson may have just claimed the crown as the new king of bad-ass zombie killers...



For more high-res versions of the trailer, go here.

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Speaking of zombies, congrats are due to my fellow flesh-eater enthusiast BJ-C of Day of the Woman for attaining the number three spot on HorrorBlips' ranking of horror blogs, right behind Shock Till You Drop and Dread Central (which I didn't even know were considered blogs.) The rankings are determined by inbound links from other blogs, and what seems to have put DotW over the top is a recent vlog rant on Twilight which has drawn the attention of such blogosphere luminaries as HorrorSquad and Horror's Not Dead. But as much as I adore DotW, savor the moment BJ, 'cause if you actually surpass either STYD or Dread Central, I'll eat my head.

Exclusive Zombieland Pix!!

Earlier tonight, Ain't It Cool News nabbed quite a juicy bit of exclusive material on their often hit-and-miss site. I'm talking about some of the first official stills from the year's most eagerly anticipated horror comedy, Zombieland starring Woody Harrelson, set to hit theaters October 9.

Check out these shots, hot off the internet press, featuring Harrelson and co-stars Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone and Little Miss Sunshine herself, Abigail Breslin. There are also a few zombies in there, too, although unfortunately no sign of the rumored undead Bill Murray:





First Shaun of the Dead, then Fido, then Dance of the Dead, and now this. I tell ya, it's a good time to be a fan of zombie comedies...

Woody Harrelson Mistakes Photographer for Zombie...

Woody from Cheers has never been accused of being the most down-to-earth, rational celebrity out there, so maybe this should come as little surprise. Still, it's great for a laugh.

Apparently. Mr. Harrelson, fresh from wrapping filming on Zombieland, an all-out zombie survival flick, was accosted by a paparazzo at New York's LaGuardia Airport last Wednesday, and had a most interesting reaction.

"With my daughter at the airport I was startled by a paparazzo who I quite understandably mistook for a zombie," read Harrelson's official statement on the matter, according to Now Magazine. Yep, seems perfectly logical to me.

Harrelson claims to have still been partially in character when he smashed the photog's video camera to the floor. The Port Authority of New York is currently looking into the alleged victim's complaint against Harrelson.

Woody, this isn't going to help your activisim for legalizing hemp and marijuana, my friend...

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While I have your ear, I just wanted to announce that the new Vault of Horror T-shirts will be available by the end of the month--so please pre-order now! The price is $24.99 w/ FREE shipping in the U.S. You can Paypal your purchase now to mysteriouswufang@yahoo.com. Or if you don't have Paypal, drop me a line at b-sol@thevaultofhorror.net for the mailing address (check or money order only). Be sure to include your shirt size and mailing info with your order! Non-US buyers please add $6.00 for shipping. I'm quite proud of the design, and if the T-shirt proves a success, there just may be more Vault of Horror items on the horizon...