Posts Tagged ‘zombies’

BRAINS FOR DINNER, BRAINS FOR LUNCH, BRAINS FOR BREAKFAST, BRAINS FOR BRUNCH …

Nos: You can tell you really love something when it goes through a fit of popularity, vomits out a bunch of half assed movies, and you still, STILL want more. This is how I feel about zombie movies. I have no idea why horror trends to the point of ad nauseum…. but it does. Vampires are all the rage now but not all that long ago, zombies ruled both the big and small screen.  This was a mixed blessing that brought both trash and strokes of brilliance to the genre.  Whether you enjoy the new, rapid moving zombies or prefer the classic, slow moving kind … if you have mad love for the sleek Hollywood interpretations or stay loyal to the Italian screen, zombies have an undeniable appeal to them. I think it’s because they’re the most believable out of all the monsters. Something deep down inside of you always knows that you could wake up in the zombie apocalypse any day now. Well that’s how my mind drifts anyway…

Chad Cherry and I have decided to give our lists for the top picks for zombie movies. Romero has been left off our lists because most of his films are a given. We’ll talk more about him towards the end …

Chad: For the most, part Zombies are depicted as mindless, decaying corpses who love eating human flesh. For the record, they like brains in particular. But you should already know this fashion fiends. (To me this sounds like the normal everyday person I see on the streets, just replace the lust of cranium noodle for greed.)

The “Zombie” likeness has been shoved down our throats so much recently, I feel as if the undead are no longer scary. In ’09 Zombies and Vampires became king. But only the candy-coated Disney-esque almost-lovable ones which are safe enough for church and family time in front of the idiot box ( That’s t.v… I still like you idiot box ) …

Fuck that! I’m gonna show you the real deal ugly Zombie movies which will scar you and the kids, the shit Hollywood wants to flush down the toilet!

It’s time to realize these atrocities are neither cute nor funny, and they are not ‘for cryin’ in the night’ sexy. Unless they’re eating your flesh in Lip Service clothing, that is!

READY TO GET BLOODY ON THIS ONE BITCHES?

In the beginning…..

Author, and one of my favorite un-p.c.horror gurus, H.P. Lovecraft wrote of such monsters in novelettes which explored undead themes back in the 1920′s and into the 30′s. Some of his stories portrayed Frankenstein-inspired creeps which helped define the modern concept of the Zombie. (“In the Vault” might have the first recorded character bitten by one.)

W.B. Seabrook’s book “The Magic Island” exposed western culture to the concept of voodoo cults in Haiti resurrecting stiffs in 1929. It’s the book that introduced the word “Zombi” in to U.S. speech. Well alright!!! Enough of those silly things with words and such in ‘em … What are they called again … Reading hankies? Oh! Books! That’s right … You all want MOVIES!

(You will regret this.)

I’ve hit up some of my favorite obvious “Zombie” flicks in previous articles, so I’ll be touchin’ on some which need to be in the spotlight … But honestly … They should be left in the shadows.

Chad’s picks!

WHITE ZOMBIE

1932. Directed by Victor Halperin and starring Bela Lugosi (If you don’t know who Bela is chloroform yourself.), White Zombie is regarded as the first real zombie film ever. It has a voodoo theme three years prior to Seabrook’s book. This is where the blood ball get’s rollin’ and the walking dead start to become movie stars.

EROTIC NIGHTS OF THE LIVING DEAD

1980 by Joe D’Amato. Fucking Italian! Horror, exploitation, eroticism, rip off artist and voyeurism. Porno Zombie Rape! Euuuwww… Good luck finding this one. (While yer lookin’ check for “Porno Holocaust” and the ‘nunsploitation’ “Images in a Covent”) X trash. The music is ridiculously awesome.

ZOMBIE NIGHTMARE

1986 by Jack Braveman. A complete ‘Mystery Science Theater 3000″ flick. (All of these fuckers are.) But the soundtrack: Motorhead, Virgin Steele, Girl School, and one from the ‘glam- metal’ era by Pantera. Jon Miki Thor did the incidental music and plays the Zombie (reasons to not see this). To make up for that, it’s Tia Carrere’s feature film debut. Before she started “Crucial Tawnt” and met Wayne. Ugh.

Mutual Nos & Chad Favorites!

ZOMBI II (A.K.A. ZOMBIE)

1979 by Lucio Fulci.
Nos: This will always be my favorite zombie film and it’s the standard I set all other zombie films by. Unfair? Perhaps … but when it’s the King of all zombie movies, you have to show some respect. One of the more amazing things about this film is the flesh eaters look like they’ve been rotting. Have you seen the poster art? Fucking disgusting and I adore it. There’s even an epic zombie v.s. shark scene and whole lot of creepy Voodoo. Very much worth your time.

Chad: The flick that put Fulci on the map. Conservative British Parliament scorned this puppy. A Zombie actually fights a real tiger shark underwater. Top that shit. Banned in several countries. Another “Video Nasties”. Likey.

BRAINDEAD (A.K.A. DEAD ALIVE)

1992 by Peter Jackson.
Nos: Pre LORD OF THE RINGS crap-fest Peter Jackson is pretty damn cool. This movie is gross and fun to spring on unsuspecting people at a party. A Sumatran monkey/rat gets the party started by taking a bite out of an old woman, who turns into a zombie. Our hero must fight to protect his new found love and his home town.

Chad: All I have to say is that there’s like a 10 minute lawnmower Zombie splatter, and I mean splatter, scene that will never be topped. Fuckin’ knarly! This one will gross out the most liberal horror fan. A true “Splatstick” Hahaha!!!! SHUT UP!

THE BEYOND

1981 by Lucio Fulci.
Nos: Another classic Fulci that takes place in the great state of Louisiana. While this really is more of a ghost story, there are still some incredible zombies populating this film. GRINDHOUSE releasing put out a great DVD of this which I highly recommend you find.

Chad: I’m a sucker for Italians. What can I say? Praise this one for oneiric incoherence. Dreamy and deadly. Love this!

& 

Nos’ Picks!

THE SERPENT AND THE RAINBOW

By Wes Craven.
Not only is this an amazing zombie film, it’s also my favorite by Mr. Craven. This story takes a very realistic approach to zombies and explores the ties to Haiti where the legend comes from.  This is one of the few films which creeps me out every time I watch it.  Bill Pullman (CASPER) plays an anthropologist in search of a drug used in black magic, which he hope to bring back to the states for profit. What awaits him in Haiti is something truly terrifying.

DELLAMORTE DELLAMORE (A.K.A.CEMETERY MAN)

By Michele Soavi
Rupert Everett stars as Francesco Dellamorte, a cemetery keeper who is placed with the task of killing the zombies the rise from the burial ground. A truly beautiful film! I really wish Everett did more horror, he looks dreamy covered in gore…

28 DAYS LATER

By Danny Boyle
Some people make a negative fuss over this movie but honestly I really love it. 28 DAYS is a whole new look at a zombie apocalypse. I like the virus approach to newer zombie films anyway and feel this movie really nailed it. Not in the least bit traditional and alarmingly accurate to how humans would handle such a thing. And while I do prefer my zombies to move at a slower pace, I got to admit that if they moved like they do in this film, we all would be fucked.  If for some reason you missed this a few years ago, check it out!

Chad: There’s a lot of 80s stuff going on there, but I could go on and on and on and … on with Zombie movies that you all love more than Justin Beiber’s swoopy head, (Sorry J.B., I know you are an easy target, I can do better.) but I’m gonna stop this madness right now and give it all up to the master of disaster on this subject. He will be the first to deny this fact but the GodZombieFather of it all is …

George A. Romero

Nos: You could really write volumes on this man’s work alone. While I’m not personally a fan of all “DEAD” movies, most have a special place in my heart. NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD was one of the first ten horror films I saw and I think I still watch it at least three times a year.  For being made in 1968, this movie has a real 1950’s b-movie feel to it. Take that and combine it with brilliant writing and infuse social commentary and you’ve got yourself the perfect zombie movie, my friend! Romero’s formula for zombies evolves with every new entry. He stays true to the original root but is never afraid to expand and take risks with the world he has created. This man is truly fucking brilliant.

Chad:
NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD -1968

THE CRAZIES (still a zombie movie) -1971

DAWN OF THE DEAD -1978

DAY OF THE DEAD -1985

LAND OF THE DEAD -2005

DIARY OF THE DEAD-2008

SURVIVAL OF THE DEAD – 2010

Cheers to you Mr. Romero.

Now, I don’t even wanna think about getting C.C. brain juice on my Lip Service jeans. Cerebral cortex is so messy and can leave such awful stains. I realize the cingulate gyrus and the temporal lobe are some of the tastiest parts, and you really gotta dig deep to get at em’, but come on! … Very hard to get out of the material. So you “Zombies” out there… (I see some of you right now) Back off. Cuz I WILL make ya watch some of these movies that are made about you. And you don’t want that now do you.. Ya rotten bastards….

Well that’s that. I bid you all a good evening and remember one thing about Zombies kiddies …“SHOOT ‘EM MAN!!! … SHOOT ‘EM IN THE HEAD”!!!!

(All views in this article do not reflect on Lip Service … Lip Service does not promote the eradication of the living dead unless they have terrible sense in fashion )

From out of the coffin and into your heart.
-Rock-n-Roll Astro Vampire Zombie TLV Motherf**ker from Hell… (Huh?)
-Chad Cherry XXX
Come see the sexy scary sounds of The Last Vegas… If you dare…You can not hide.. I am everywhere. Mwwuahahaha!!!!
thelastvegas.com

Nos: Well I’ve been on the road most of this summer! My website (Goddessofgorenos.com) has been met with great enthusiasm and I am truly grateful for all the support I’ve been given.  Film project wise, RATLINE is looking better and better each day … I can’t wait to show it off to the world! Till then you can a clip of it up on FEARNET.com

Xo

Nos

Okay, I will have to plead guilty to being an unabashed fan of the darkly tinged art our resident gore whore, Nos, and her photographic collaborator, Wicked Illusions create with staggering frequence. So much so that, when given the chance to play in their sandbox, both I and the WebMaster jumped in with both feet. Our friend, writer R.H. Stavis, checked out the gory goodness on My Zombie Pin-Up and wanted to submit some photos for their calendar contest.

side note: Make sure to vote for Rachel’s submissions at My Zombie Pin-up and help get a fellow Lippy Addict into their next calendar!

Of course, that meant we only had a week to prepare. And we’ve never shot anything even close to this complicated. And we don’t exactly have a mess of cash burning a hole in our pockets.

Yet, we said, “Fuck it! Let’s do this thing!”

Arts n Crafts! See full size in gallery below

Undaunted and filled with giddy anticipation, we forged ahead with the killer cool concept Rachel brought to the table. She wanted to bring to life a character from a short story who awakens from plastic surgery to find she now has a killer rack in the wrong sort of way. This is the story of how to pull off a zombie pin-up photo shoot with no time and virtually no budget.

The first step, after deciding on a concept, was to determine how in the hell we were going to pull it off without resorting to heroic levels of photoshopping. Now, it seemed, all those lame grade-school art projects would not have been in vain. Rather than try to build out something the day of the shoot with liquid latex, I dragged out an old LA Weekly and a flour/water mixture to go with paper mache. This was not only great for saving prep time, but would give us a prop which could be used again if needed for a reshoot.

So, step one: Get some flexible wire and build out frames to use as the base of the paper mache piece.

clever drying rig - See full size in gallery below

Of course, all those old craft projects being WAY in my past, I kind of forgot how fucking insanely long paper mache takes to dry. Even after an initial blast with the blow dryer and sitting in an airy space all night, our critical FX pieces were downright gunky and awful. SHIT!

Helpful Tip: If you have FX pieces with extended drying times, try to make them as far ahead of the shooting day as possible (unlike big dumb-ass me).

Fortunately, the WebMaster is as clever as he is yummy. Using a couple of spare fans, he created a drying rig that had our paper mache completely set up and ready for painting in just a few hours.

Step two: Apply paint/latex/etc to FX props.

The paper mache concept appeared really late in the game, much later than the WebMaster’s trip to the lovely Hollywood Blvd costume/make-up store. So, we improvised. I had a mess of light and white colors of nail polish for French manicure, so used that to cover the newsprint and provide a deathly pallor for our killer rack.

WebMaster makes lighting SEXY - See full size in gallery below

Fabulously gothy black polish gave us a nice gaping mouth, and several reds provided the blood-covered lips.

Now it was actually time to start the real shooting prep.

Step three: Get your lighting set up.

Once again, the WebMaster was there with some MacGyver quality resourcefulness. Using a large job site light rig we got years ago from that home center place, we had the overall brightness we needed in the room, but not the effect we wanted. So, my clever husband pulled the stand out from under his keyboard, set it on its side, and used it as a base for clip-on spot lights.

Step four: Prep your model

Gaping Zombie Mouth Boob - See full size in gallery below

We had it pretty easy, really, to get Rachel ready for her zombie pin-up photos. Outside of makeup and hair, which called for nothing too extensive (just pin-up with a touch of gothy goodness), we just needed to get the killer zombie boobs in place. With some strategic tearing of her shift and a bit of spirit gum adhesive, we were in business. All that remained was adding some blood … lots and lots of blood (and, added bonus, zesty mint blood … Mmmmm!).

Helpful Tip: If you are using a spatula, spoon or (in our case) chopstick to fling blood in a spatter pattern, do it on a covered or non-porous surface and away from anything you don’t want to permanently look like it came from a crime scene.

Fake/stage blood is awsome shit but it does have its funky drawbacks. It is sticky as hell and will quite possibly stain porous things. It will also tend to get everywhere if you’re not careful. We didn’t put down cover on the floor and are still finding little bitty bits of sticky on the wood floor quite apart from where I was flinging it.

Zesty Mint Blood! See full size in gallery below

Step five: Shoot some kick-ass photos!

One thing we’ve learned in our dabblings into photo and video shoots, the best time to think about the shot you want is NOT when the model is ready and waiting.

Helpful tip: Know what you want and make a plan on executing your shoot ahead of time.

The model will most likely also have some great ideas, but always know the shots/poses you want before you start shooting. If you’ve not done a particular style before (as we hadn’t done a pin-up of any style), look around and see what body positions, facial expressions, and angles you think will work for your model and shoot. If need be, be ready to show that to them, too.

Okay, that’s the extent of the shooting. But if you’re like us, you’re certainly not done yet!

Step six: The post!

There will generally always be some little tweaks and retouching to a photo, whether it be tinkering with lighting effects, adjusting the levels, blowing out or blowing up the color, you name it. But, with a zombie pin-up, that’s just the beginning of all the wonderful things you can do to enhance your shot.

In this case, I really wanted to keep Rachel’s natural beauty intact, so didn’t play with filtering and the like. Instead, I used my photoshop time to add some nasty teeth and a darting togue to make the killer zombie boobs look truly lethal. Then I added a soft lighting effect to create the look of a floodlight spotting our zombie heroine.

Well, that’s it, really. Our very first zombie pin-up shoot. With a little creative MacGyver-ing, it’s really not as daunting as it seems to get something pretty solidly cool. We won’t be meeting the level of Nos and Wicked Illusions, but we had so much fun it really didn’t matter in the end. We have a cool set of photos and Rachel will have some deadly submissions for the My Zombie Pin-up contest.

To put an end to the FULL story, we were so jazzed after our zombie pin-up shoot, we set up a gore shoot (starring ME) immediately afterward. Perhaps I’ll share those with you another time.

Until the next time …

R. H. Stavis: Zombie Pin-up - click for full size

the photo after effects - click for full size

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