The Zombie Genre is Flawed

[shootemindehead]

Not too mention, he is probably getting to old for that shit.

[DjfunkmasterG]

Isn't it great being a message board about a group of genre films with members who are fluent in just about all genre of film? The never ending twist and play on movie quotes can provide hours upon hours of sheer entertainment if used in the right moment or context.

[Wyldwraith]

Hmm, Fortunately the majority seems able to resist allowing the shittiest examples of a genre to become the "guiding lights" of that genre. Example: Pre-Teen/Adolescent females may currently define Vampire = Sparkly Edward Cullen OMG ISN'T HE CUTE?!?! The rest of us just roll our eyes and think back to other better films. Besides, angsty love-ridden self-hating vamp protagonists have been around for decades without completely taking the genre over. Barnabas Collins: Dark Shadows 60s-70s Nicholas Knight: Forever Knight 80s Buffy/Angel: Series of Same Names: 90s-early 2000s. Mick St. John: Moonlight Mid 2000s Bill Compton: True Blood Late 2000s Every 5-10yr period has a series depicting a self-hating vampire mourning for his lost humanity, who nearly always finds some means of surviving without tripping over any moral stumbling blocks. (Feeding on animals, connections at the blood bank(s), consensual donors etc). This vampire will in turn fall in love with some hapless human who either a) Reminds them of a long-dead long-lost love from their days as a human, or b) Someone they view as representative of all the goodness inherent in the human condition ::rolls eyes::. Despite such shows constantly running, there's been no lack of violent, ruthless, dangerously amoral vampire antagonist and anti-hero literature and movies. The "Human Wannabe Vampire Shows" simply get more societal exposure because the nearly always male vampire protagonist is a specimen of masculinity who generally dampens the nether regions of the female & homosexual viewing audience. Which isn't to say these shows are bad. Quite the opposite in fact. In a network lineup consisting of endless sitcoms and reality tv shows, I look on them as a welcome Oasis amid the desolate, creativity-free wasteland that after-dark TV has become. My general point though was this. You can have successful, widely recognized TV shows that make an absolute travesty of a beloved genre, and inevitably find said travesty has in NO WAY affected the number or quality of more serious works in the genre. Besides, I worry a LOT more about Zomedies rising popularity than I do angsty vampires. As someone already astutely pointed out, we're saddled with so many sequels, remakes and Book-to-Movie adaptations because of gutless producers/studios, unwilling to take a real risk on anything innovative (Which I believe ultimately will go a long way towards destroying the movie industry)

[DjfunkmasterG]

Besides, I worry a LOT more about Zomedies rising popularity than I do angsty vampires. As someone already astutely pointed out, we're saddled with so many sequels, remakes and Book-to-Movie adaptations because of gutless producers/studios, unwilling to take a real risk on anything innovative (Which I believe ultimately will go a long way towards destroying the movie industry) Well I agree about the producers/studio comment, but if a zombedy has Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Woody Harrelson, Thom Mathews or James Karen it will pretty much be guaranteed a spot on my Blu-Ray shelf.

[AcesandEights]

Well I agree about the producers/studio comment, but if a zombedy has Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Woody Harrelson, Thom Mathews or James Karen it will pretty much be guaranteed a spot on my Blu-Ray shelf. That's all well and good, but there is a shit-ton of crap zombie films that have come out the last few years that seem to try and pardon their writing/production etc. by tagging the film as a 'zomedy'. Get too much of that and zombies in film will start to lean ever more towards being known as just a comedic trope.

[DjfunkmasterG]

That's all well and good, but there is a shit-ton of crap zombie films that have come out the last few years that seem to try and pardon their writing/production etc. by tagging the film as a 'zomedy'. Get too much of that and zombies in film will start to lean ever more towards being known as just a comedic trope. I see the same trend you are hence why with my flicks i am trying to keep it at a very serious tone through every movie. I want zombies to be scary, they are supposed to be scarier... so you will never have to worry about me ever making a zombedy... But at some point if my career doesn't take off I can't keep making these uber low budget cheapies... I like it and I am fine with it, but the production time is killer on my sanity and health... but if I keep making zombie films I will keep it true to the scary side... even if I use running zombies However, the trend is leaning towards gag films like Zombieland, which i like, but if they keep going that way it could be downhill from there and it may not be revive-able

[bassman]

I don't see this genre ever being in any kind of danger. Someone will eventually come along and give us another great entry. There's a few promising ideas coming up now. The Walking Dead and World War Z. There are hundreds of poor zombie films, but there have been and will be a few more that do it justice.

[Trin]

Words evolve and change. This is pretty natural from what I'm aware of. Only if you let em, Charlie. Only if you let em. lol Is it arrogant to so preciously hold onto what you consider the 'proper' definition of a term? A term whose very definition was co-opted by fandom in the first place? You mean, the actual definition? If a word evolves, fine. But if a group of people willfully misuse a word out of laziness, convenience, ignorance, or sheer audacity... then that gets me irritated. It's my generation that screwed up the term "zombie" by calling GAR's ghouls by that term. Now it appears the next generation is going to take that success and run with it.

[DjfunkmasterG]

It's my generation that screwed up the term "zombie" by calling GAR's ghouls by that term. How fucking old are you?

[Wyldwraith]

I don't see this genre ever being in any kind of danger. Someone will eventually come along and give us another great entry. There's a few promising ideas coming up now. The Walking Dead and World War Z. The danger I foresee is that Zomedies will continue to rise in trendiness until new directors begin to view the idea of doing a serious zombie movie as being hopelessly old-school. It's funny really. Every director wants to be new and edgy, but we just keep getting more of the same in variations on the preexisting themes because the guys writing the checks/green-lighting new projects abhor the idea of "risking" money on anything they can't do a reliable market-share/profit projections on ahead of time. Of course that's an issue affecting all genres, that shows no sign of abating, and will not until the majority of viewers send the studios a message in the only language they understand: Bottom Line-ese. Could go on all day about how sick I am of remakes, re-adaptations and book-to-movie conversions, but wouldn't be saying anything everyone here doesn't already know. Only seen 2 movies at the theater in something like the last 3 years. Avatar and Clash of the Titans (with Clash being a remake itself).

[BillyRay]

However, the trend is leaning towards gag films like Zombieland, which i like, but if they keep going that way it could be downhill from there and it may not be revive-able Coming in 2011...Zombie Movie! (with Anna Faris, Carmen Electra and Tracy Morgan)

[darth los]

Coming in 2011...Zombie Movie! (with Anna Faris, Carmen Electra and Tracy Morgan) Jesus Fucking H. Christ. That is all.

[BillyRay]

You do realise I'm kidding, right? Breathe, buddy, breathe...

[AcesandEights]

You do realise I'm kidding, right? You kid, sure, but it can't be unsaid or un-thought now! It's just a matter of time I'm afraid