The Zombie Film: From White Zombie to World War Z - Softcover

Alain Silver; James Ursini

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0879108878 ISBN 13: 9780879108878

Publisher: Applause Theatre & Cinema, 2014

Synopsis

(Book). The Zombie Film is the most comprehensive examination of the zombie film genre to date. With a detailed filmography of over 400 movies stretching back to the genre's earliest days, it begins with such classics as White Zombie (1932), starring Bela Lugosi, but also examines lesser-known films, such as The Ghoul (1933), with Boris Karloff, and the exploitation film Ouanga (1936). The book then moves through the hybrid science fiction zombie films of the 1950s, including Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956), and then slashes through bloody Euro classics by filmmakers like Lucio Fulci and Amando de Ossorio. The book details the revisionist work of director-writer George Romero, who revamped the genre beginning with Night of the Living Dead (1968), and the zombie film's blossoming in the new millennium with mainstream works like Danny Boyle's 28 Days Later (2002), the comic Shaun of the Dead (2004), the popular TV series The Walking Dead (2010-), and the summer blockbuster World War Z (2013). Also given their due are thoughtful low-budget zombie movies, like Zombies Anonymous (2006) and The Dead Outside (2008). The Zombie Film features over 500 illustrations and entertaining sidebars on such subjects as zombie literature, zombie myth and history, zombie comics, and literary sources, such as H. P. Lovecraft and Richard Matheson.

About this title

About the Author

Alain Silver is the author of The Samurai Film and The Noir Style. With James Ursini, he co-edited Film Noir: The Encyclopedia and seven readers on film noir and the horror and gangster genres, all published by Limelight Editions, an imprint of Hal Leonard Corporation. His produced screenplays include the Showtime feature Time at the Top. He lives in Santa Monica, Calif. James Ursini is co-author, with Alain Silver, of The Vampire Film, published by Limelight Editions, and Film Noir Graphics. His other books include Femme Fatale, Cinema of Obsession, and Directors on the Edge. Together, Silver and Ursini have contributed audio-video commentaries for more than two dozen noir DVD releases.

Review

With THE ZOMBIE FILM, film historians Alain Silver and James Ursini have compiled an irresistible companion to their book-length study of THE VAMPIRE FILM, updated in 2011. While the author duo is known primarily for works on film noir, they know their subject well no matter what that subject is, and I devour every book they write. Especially here, their work occupies that space between academia and entertainment; they have it both ways, approaching the subject seriously while also having fun with it. Who else, for instance, would write about Bela Lugosi's distinctive eyes in WHITE ZOMBIE, then plop a tiny photo of those peepers right within the text? After a brief overview of the zombie's place in overall popular culture, that 1932 picture begins Silver and Ursini's survey of undead cinema, with the expected extended stop at George A. Romero's groundbreaking work, yet also many unexpected obscurities from around the globe. Speaking to my point in the previous paragraph, the text is laden with such phrases as amour fou and patina of gravitas, but also in the case of Japan's ATTACK GIRLS SWIM TEAM VS. THE UNDEAD laser hidden in her vagina. Sidebars which actually can and do run for several pages include looks at Boris Karloff s makeup, Val Lewton's visual style, Richard Matheson's ever-influential I AM LEGEND novel, the small-screen smash of THE WALKING DEAD and, most amusing, Silver's account of his own contribution to the genre, 1981's low-budget KISS DADDY GOODBYE. Never heard of it? You ll soon understand why. The breadth of coverage is as impressive as the illustrations on every page, presented in full color. The font chosen for the body copy is odd and curiously dated, but you can t win em all. As with Silver and Ursini's VAMPIRE book, THE ZOMBIE FILM ends with a filmography, this one more than 530 titles strong across 60 pages. For movie buffs who consider such things a checklist and/or a challenge, this is a volume to pore over for hours on end and then treasure for years after. -- Rod Lott --Bookgasm

''There are many reasons to recommend this book. First and foremost, it offers an interesting and very readable mix of well-written text and relevant pictures. In addition, though, I would praise its coverage of less well-known films alongside the genre classics. If you don t already have another book about zombies on film, this is definitely an excellent introductory text.'' --Sci-Fi Crowsnest

About this edition

• Publisher: Applause Theatre & Cinema
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 0879108878
• ISBN 13: 9780879108878
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 384