A long 'Dan O'Bannon' interview...

[Neil]

http://www.denofgeek.com/movies/7576...n_obannon.html

[AcesandEights]

That's an awesome interview. I liked this snippet about running zombies: DO: I noticed recently, I was watching TV and there’s some young director who has done a zombie movie very recently… DoG: Zack Snyder? DO: I don’t know, but I know that he was congratulating himself on inventing the idea of swiftly-moving zombies. And I thought, hmmm, I guess he’s never seen Return Of The Living Dead. Apparently we both invented it.

[Griff]

Cheers for the tip-off!

[Yojimbo]

The conceit of Zach Snyder! Next he will be claiming that he invented the entire genre. Thanks for the link the the article. Very cool!

[Legion2213]

According to one of the comments bellow the article... Zombies were running and/or cognitive in at least two Italian movies that pre-date RotLD, "Nightmare City" and "Burial Ground" ... Dan O'Bannon didn't invent them! I enjoy Zack Snyder's work myself.

[MissJacksonCA]

I love DOB's take on zombies. Even if it was a little cheesy. I thought he had a group of great characters, zombies that can't be defeated and even though his approach didn't feel as sincere as GARs it still conveyed that feeling of being trapped with little to no hope in sight. Though neither may have invented running zombies I thought Zac's were scarier!

[Griff]

In NIGHTMARE CITY, the 'zombies' were actually guys driven crazy (and ugly) by radiation or some such baloney. I don't remember too much about BURIAL GROUND other than it was totally absurd - to the extent that it had a midget playing a child. If it featured a running zombie or 10, it was more likely through indifference and bafoonery than by design. And, y'know, it is possible that Dan O'Bannon was referring to Danny Boyle...

[ILoVeZoMbiE]

In NIGHTMARE CITY, the 'zombies' were actually guys And, y'know, it is possible that Dan O'Bannon was referring to Danny Boyle... I think NO. 28 Days later "zombies" are guys driven crazy by a virus, like the "infected" of NIGHTMARE CITY...

[Griff]

I think NO. 28 Days later "zombies" are guys driven crazy by a virus, like the "infected" of NIGHTMARE CITY... The 28 DAYS LATER infected are almost completely incognizant whereas the ones in NIGHTMARE CITY demonstrate significant "powers of deliberation" - they were homicidal but certainly far from mindless - they all used weapons, worked together, employed strategy... The zombies in the DAWN remake were clearly inspired by the former. The matter of them being dead, as opposed to just 'infected', is of secondary importance to their actual behaviour - especially the specifics of the immediate threat they pose to others (ie. agility, maiming, infecting and a lack of reason) - which is virtually identical to the antagonists that Danny Boyle created for his movie. It then stands to reason that Boyle is one degree closer to the source than Zach Snyder, even if his assailants weren't what we've come to call zombies per se. People can squabble over precise definitions all they like, but proper analysis studies and identifies patterns - and I say the current trend of 'running zombies' is more attributable to 28 DAYS LATER than to DAWN'04.

[bd2999]

It then stands to reason that Boyle is one degree closer to the source than Zach Snyder, even if his assailants weren't what we've come to call zombies per se. People can squabble over precise definitions all they like, but proper analysis studies and identifies patterns - and I say the current trend of 'running zombies' is more attributable to 28 DAYS LATER than to DAWN'04 I agree, I mean the parallels between 28 Days Later and the Dawn remake are many. The remake of Dawn had people infected with a virus or something like it, not diretly stated in the movie but its an infectious agent. And the zombies run. The only difference I see between the two is that the 28 Day Later zombies are still alive and can die of starvation and enough trama anywhere, and the onset of infection is faster.