Is TWD the death of the zombie movie?

[MagicMoonMonkey]

Hi everyone.
It is time for my annual post.
A lot of you will remember the conversations on the old HotD forums regarding a zombie TV series and the desire for a 4th Romero opus.
We have since those days over a decade ago been given some fairly decent efforts in the genre in the form of Shaun of the Dead, Dawn 04 (yes yes... I know) and even 3 films from Romero. I view the 3 Romero movies as a trilogy from Diary through Survival to Land. It kinda sits a little better with me in that lineage.

My point of this post really is will TWD and its success spell the end of the undead movie?
Although not without fault, TWD really is in my opinion as good as it will ever get. As it gets the green light for a 4th season we are guaranteed another 16 hours of great story telling and undead mayhem.
I read the comics, but the series is still offers us many surprises and great story telling
I imagine for budgets sake that there will be no rush to move on from the prison, but as long as the writers keep producing quality stories then there is no reason to think TWD will disappear from our screens. Perhaps it may even spawn some spin off series...
Although I do love my zombie movies, I just feel that nothing can be done for the genre at a movie level any more as we have been gifted everything we ever craved from this genre in this TV show.

What are your thought?
And... If we are going to be spoiled for a few more years to come, what would you like to see in The Walking Dead that hasn't quite been captured in the movies to your liking?
I personally would love to see Rick and Co stumble in to the original script for Day of the Dead for a season or two.

[krisvds]

My point of this post really is will TWD and its success spell the end of the undead movie?
Although not without fault, TWD really is in my opinion as good as it will ever get. As it gets the green light for a 4th season we are guaranteed another 16 hours of great story telling and undead mayhem.
I read the comics, but the series is still offers us many surprises and great story telling
I imagine for budgets sake that there will be no rush to move on from the prison, but as long as the writers keep producing quality stories then there is no reason to think TWD will disappear from our screens. Perhaps it may even spawn some spin off series...
Although I do love my zombie movies, I just feel that nothing can be done for the genre at a movie level any more as we have been gifted everything we ever craved from this genre in this TV show.


Don't get me wrong, I like TWD tv series. But it's not the greatest thing the genre ever had to offer. I've said it countless times before but to me 'The Dead' by the Ford Brothers proved that there still is life in the old undead genre. If there is one thing the TWD tv series does not offer it's an oppressive feeling of despair and dread.

If the genre is to return to the grave for a while (zombies never get old ;) ) it's probably because at the moment it's just overkill. Zombies have invaded popular culture like never before: from Brad Pitt budgeted popcorn movies to comedies like Zombieland and everything inbetween.
In fact the post apocalypse film is back with a vengeance. Even in the 'art house' segment: Melancholia, The Road, ... Soon everyone's favourite road warrior will return to the big screen and so on. Sign of the times.

[facestabber]

Good topic. I am in agreement with the OP regarding TWD. I think TWD has completely taken over as king. It has rewritten the game in zombies as far as I am concerned. I love Romero's original trilogy and will always recognize him as the creator and ground breaker. But the TWD world is like a dream come true for me.

Now is it the death of quality zombie movies? I dont think so. TWD has one major advantage and that is it has time to get into greater depth and even branch out its story line. Movies have time constraints in the zombie world 90 mins isnt enough. I think everyone here would have loved to see Day be 2.5 hours maybe more in length. Someone out there is paying attention to TWD and trying to figure out how to translate a fresh story to movie length. As mentioned above the market is over saturated and producing alot of crap. I finally just watched "The Dead". I enjoyed it. It was ok. Not crap at all which was refreshing. But I am pretty sure if someone does produce a movie approved by this forum it wont come from Romero. I have simply lost faith in him.

[shootemindehead]

In a word...no.

Crap films is/are the death of the zombie movie.

And we've been here before after the original 'Dawn of the Dead' spawned a whole linage of terrible ripoffs.

The 2004 version is responsible for the current fad, but the difference is that there's been a slightly better yield. But it'll eventually burn out. Even 'The Walking Dead' will die off sooner than most people think. General audiences will drop off and it's looking like AMC are dicking about a little too much behind the scenes.

TBH, I wouldn't be surprised if were actually in the decent now. I'd be surprised if we get to series 6.

[kidgloves]

There is plenty of mileage to be had out of the 'voodoo" zombie, as kisvds says.
Even though I'm here because of Uncle George, to this day, Fulci's Zombi is still the only zombie movie that really scares me.The atmosphere generated with the soundtrack/design still works and unsettles me.

[MoonSylver]

Nope. As long as there's stories to be told and a few filmmakers with the vision, talent, & passion to make them for more than a quick buck.

Exibit A? "The Dead". Haven't seen it? You bloody well should.

TWD is good. But it isn't the end all, be all of the genre... :|

[rongravy]

Not the death, but they could usher in a new age of bridging some serious TV action with an occasional big screen release.

[Staredge]

No. World War Z will be. :poke::annoyed:

[zombieparanoia]

I think TWD gives zombies a new venue to be treated seriously over longer story arcs. TV was not seen as suitable for a serious zombie focused show before TWD. I think zombie movies will continue to exist but they will be generally resident evil shoot em up equivalent and not try to storylines. this is what I think WWZ will do, basically start a "Die Hard: Zombocaplypse" trend.

[krisvds]

I think TWD gives zombies a new venue to be treated seriously over longer story arcs. TV was not seen as suitable for a serious zombie focused show before TWD. I think zombie movies will continue to exist but they will be generally resident evil shoot em up equivalent and not try to storylines. this is what I think WWZ will do, basically start a "Die Hard: Zombocaplypse" trend.

Again, you really need to see The Dead. It's not without flaws, but it is the exact opposite of evrything you just described. There will always be room for small, smart indie horror films. It's the wading through swamps of shite to get to them that is often discouraging. Especially in this subgenre. The undead are hard to get right aren't they?

[Mike70]

Again, you really need to see The Dead. It's not without flaws, but it is the exact opposite of evrything you just described. There will always be room for small, smart indie horror films. It's the wading through swamps of shite to get to them that is often discouraging. Especially in this subgenre. The undead are hard to get right aren't they?

I'll second this. "The Dead" is one of the best horror movies i've seen in years. it is a very quiet, understated movie with a very creepy undertone to it. that is because i think the proper use of silence in a movie is one of the most effective ways of building tension, suspense, and getting you to wonder what is going to happen next. if you are into track meet style movies where something is blowing up or being shot every 5 seconds, "the dead" isn't for you. the movie is serious in its tone and execution. there is nothing campy, funny, humorous, or "fast moving" about it. the acting in the movie is first rate, esp. the two principle characters. in my opinion, "the dead" is one of the best horror movies of the last 20 years and easily ranks up there with anything Romero has ever done.

[Wyldwraith]

No,
TWD isn't going to kill zombie movies, primarily for economic reasons. Box office revenues are simply too essential to large studio Hollywood, and when successful the resulting profit margin there + the after box-office market will always tempt the money men into pulling that slot machine investment handle.

Look at Avatar for example. Great in a lot of ways as a movie, but also very pro-environment/anti-overconsumption in its preaching at the viewer. ALL that the people who invested in it care about is the huge return they've seen on their investment. Enough that they're essentially gifting the director/scriptwriters with the green to do an obviously ill-fated Underwater Avatar sequel. Why, when all their advisers are providing good reasons the sequel will be a debacle, are such astute investors heaping money on a project they know will, when judged on its own merits, be to the Romero movies what Survival is when compared to Dawn/Day?

Those investors know that a significant cross-section of the populace adored Avatar, and will, against all common sense, shell out (for the most part) to see it in theaters for the Ooohs and Ahhs of the amazing visuals. By the time word spreads the movie blows, they'll STILL have seen about +80-85% of the box office returns on the original off simple sequel momentum. Those investors wont care the sequels after-box-office proceeds will be dismal, because knowing that up front they can grab their profits and bail on the effort to squeeze any kind of profit out of a sub-par DVD situation.

Now what does this movie from a completely different genre have to do with zombie movies and their continuing existence? Simply this, sequel momentum created by an extremely successful original production is larceny by another name. It is a concerted effort, based on the understanding that fans of the first movie will almost invariably give the second a try, to reduce production quality by reducing investment, thereby guaranteeing those same money men will see nearly equal returns to their original investment once you take into account they've spent much less on the sequel yet can reasonably expect that 80-85% of the original's revenues all the same.

They know how to rip us off using our enjoyment of honestly successful movies, coupled with our desire to recapture that enjoyment by continuing (or so we always hope) the immersion in a setting, with characters and story we very much enjoyed. The discerning moviegoer is aware of all this and is cautious enough not to get consistently sucked in by the Hollywood Sequel-suckerama, but the discerning moviegoer only represents about 10% of the total populace interested in said movie(s)...much like 90% of the world allows themselves to be ripped off in countless other ways yet never learn.

There's no way to replicate this kind of con game in an episode by episode format, where you need long-term viewership to power the commercial advertising of TV Land. So, for as long as it remains true that an investor can invest X in a successful original movie, but only invest X minus 20-25% on the sequel and receive equal profits in both cases, the movie format (by that I mean the Theater Box Office model) will continue to dominate, and thus you can continue to expect that, regardless of what happens in TV Land, the bulk of the talented actors/actresses, writers and directors will stick with movies over TV. Especially the actors, who now have generations of cautionary tales in the form of the many typecast actors that proceeded them and generally ruined their overall careers by hitching their wagon to a TV show.

I could have made the better creative argument to oppose the notion of TV versions of any genre ever supplanting their Movie Theater counterparts, but this very cynical yet eminently correct (albeit the poor structure of my post) accomplishes the purpose. Onscreen activities are about separating you from your money in the same way a casino separates its guests from their money first and foremost for those who control the money. So even if 100% of the best actors, writers and directors suddenly woke up with a burning desire to do TV work, their love of money, fame (for those onscreen) and privilege would soon drag them back to making movies as surely as light failing to escape the gravity of a black hole.

In that regard, TWD will ultimately have little enduring effect on the manner in which stories are told onscreen. Which isn't to say it lacks the potential of creating more enjoyable zombie-themed material on TV. Just that any creative "offspring" its success breeds on TV will like TWD remain the exception, while the zombie movie remains the rule.

[Trin]

I don't think that TWD will kill zombie movies. TWD is slow paced, lacks intensity, and has too many moments of badly contrived, positively stupid plot. I doubt either the fans or Hollywood are looking at TWD and thinking it cannot be improved upon.

I like this observation:

If there is one thing the TWD tv series does not offer it's an oppressive feeling of despair and dread.

To that point TWD isn't really competing for the same audiences as typical zombie movies. Zombie movies still hold exclusivity over the horrific, atmospheric intensity whereas TWD is going for character driven drama.

I would like to believe that TWD will fuel interest in making a better zombie movie. TWD does a lot of things right that zombie movies could learn from. And TWD proved that the market is there. With any luck people in the business are watching and taking notes.

To Wyld's (long but valid) point... Hollywood will cash in on the success of TWD in any way it can. If we don't see "TWD: The Movie" we'll probably see at least a few zombie projects take shape in the wake of TWD.

[rambof07]

Yes you have right said about this movie. I have seen it. Its really too much entertaining movie. And i am agree with all twd is not the real competitive. Zoombie movie are really different from other movies. I like it too much and want to see more zoombie movies or good movies. So anyone know can share with me some of good zoombie movies......

[bd2999]

I am a little confused to say the least. Walking Dead is a good show, I think the comics are better, but at times it is lttle more than a soap sort of drama. At least long parts of season 2 were. Season 3 seems better. I like it but I do not think it diminishes any of the good or great zombie films that came before.

I honestly think a case could be made that with a few exceptions good zombie movies coming out within the last few years are as rare as hens teeth anyway.

[Ragnarr]

To me, whether it's a single film or an entire television series, it's all about the writing. One would think that after the complete crap George Lucas did when he thought HE could write the dialogue for SW Episodes I, II & III (the second three movies) that he killed all SciFi space-laced movies and series forever! Thankfully that was not the case.

Same holds for the Dead movies and TWD. Give us good storylines, give us good writing and compelling dialogue, and we'll be there with popcorn & pop in hand!
;)

[Ragnarr]

Sunday. Watching the TWD marathon on the tube. Gf asleep. First Season, Episode 2. Wait... hold on a second thar Baba Louie!

Noticed that when our heroes excecute their escape from being trapped in that Atlanta department store that they leave in that truck and noisey red Mustang. Very cool, but... how exactly did T-Dog, Andrea, Glenn and company get to Atlanta initially before they met up with Rick? Surely they didn't walk, and there was no reference to any vehicle they used. It should have still been parked where they left it so in episode 4 (the Merl rescue from the rooftop mission) when Rick, Daryl, Glenn and T-Dog are shocked to see that their truck is missing when ready to return to the camp, the original car should have still been there with a few Walker police parking tickets on it, no?

Just say'n...

[Marinesnip]

I don't think so. I love the TWD show, but also love zombie movies. The best thing can come out of it, is that it will make more people zombies fans and this will expand into more TV and Movies produced. The only thing that is killing zombies movies are low budget, bad acting and poorly written movies that are being produced today.

[aceofspades]

I thought I might chime in if I may. First of all, I enjoy TWD very much. I'm watching last weeks episode right now and excited for the new episode.

To answer the OP...No. I think the whole zombie craze is bigger than it's ever been. TWD will not kill Zombie films and I also agree that the over saturation of El Crappo El Cheapo "zombie" movies hurt viewers the most. There are too many people out there with a case of beer and a handycam wanting to "make a movie" with all of their care free buddies.

On a final note...I wish they didn't have so many damn commercials! Seems you only get about 30 actual minutes of show and 30 minutes of sales pitches for things I don't need.

[Legion2213]

I thought I might chime in if I may. First of all, I enjoy TWD very much. I'm watching last weeks episode right now and excited for the new episode.

To answer the OP...No. I think the whole zombie craze is bigger than it's ever been. TWD will not kill Zombie films and I also agree that the over saturation of El Crappo El Cheapo "zombie" movies hurt viewers the most. There are too many people out there with a case of beer and a handycam wanting to "make a movie" with all of their care free buddies.

On a final note...I wish they didn't have so many damn commercials! Seems you only get about 30 actual minutes of show and 30 minutes of sales pitches for things I don't need.

This is why Jesus invented DVD's/Blu-Rays and internet downlooting. :D

[aceofspades]

This is why Jesus invented DVD's/Blu-Rays and internet downlooting. :D

Jesus did that??? lol