Can the Zombie Movie Be Saved?

There's been a few around these parts that have stated, in the wake of disappointing entries in the zombie sub genre of late, like (many have said) George Romero's "Diary of the Dead" (I haven't seen this yet, so I personally withhold judgment), and the mercilessly and apparently deservedly panned remake of "Day of the Dead", not to mention the last couple installments in the "Return of the Living Dead" franchise, and the last remake of "Night of the Living Dead", that they won't be watching any more zombie flicks.

I've always loved zombie flicks. While I agree with the sentiment that a lot of what we've seen lately have been pretty bad examples of this sub-genre, I still think the fact that so many feel like giving up on them is a damn shame. This got me to wondering: can the zombie movie become watchable again? And if so, what will be required to fix it to make that watchability come about?

I think the answer is yes, and have my own idea for how it can be done. As I've mentioned numerous times, my brother loves zombie novels, and reads damned near every one that comes down the pike. He then passes many of them off to me. A lot of them are pretty standard fare, such as "Down the Road" by Bowie Ibarra, and "Dead City" (sorry, the author's name escapes me). And some, while definitely different, such as "Deadlands", just aren't that good, IMO. But this literary sub genre has exploded in popularity in the last decade or so, and there are so many books being written on this theme by so many talented authors, there can't help but be a few gems in there. The popularity of some of these books is undeniable, and they are lauded by fans and fellow authors alike. Their popularity is almost assured, at least among genre fans, and I can't believe it's taking Hollywood as long as it is to get some of them filmed. My idea for revitalizing the zombie film is quite simple, really: stop remaking classic films in crappy DTV formats, or making crappy DTV "original" films, and adapt some of the better novels.

I think it's pretty safe to say the love for books like "The Rising" and "City of the Dead", and David Wellington's "Monster Island/Nation/Planet" series is pretty universal hereabouts. I also think it's a pretty safe statement to make that we Corner Creatures are fairly representative of the horror fanbase's elite (which means if we really like something, it's probably well made enough that it at least has a shot at more widespread, general audience appeal, (to say nothing of how much it'll impress ESFB* genre drones). Other books, like Philip Nutman's "Wet Work" are cult classics that, unfortunately, had very limited print runs, so their popularity isn't as widespread, but were great nonetheless, and would translate into good films as well. And, love it or hate it, as a few 'round these parts do, "World War Z" was a massive (for a horror book) NY Times bestseller. An adaptation would almost certainly do great (again, for a horror entry) box office as well. Personally, I loved this book, and a pseudo-documentary type film based on it, with liberal doses of flashback action scenes, would probably be damned fun to watch.

It's not much of a stretch to say these would make great films. They're innovative enough, yet not entirely blasphemous of the mileposts we've all come to expect - and in many cases hope for - in a zombie tale. Which is what makes them so great and widely appealing, IMO. And there's enough of them that if a single studio or talented director (or a small, talented group of them) got to work on this, it could revitalize this particular segment of the horror genre for years to come. And the limitation on its scope (that is, "saving" the zombie film as opposed to the entire horror genre) that hey. . . this could happen.

What do you think? Am I on to something here, or have I merely stated the obvious? Were this to happen, would all you who have sworn off zombie movies be tempted to take another peek? Or am I out of what's left of my mind (the zombies having eaten the rest)?

Edited to add: Almost forgot: * Emotionally Stunted Fan Boy. carry on.

But. . . they're zombies! They won't stay dead!

"The Romero Rules" have become a sort of viewer comfort zone. I guess it's not surprising that many want to keep them in (viewers and filmmakers alike). What sets the books I cite above apart id that whie they still "play by" those rules to some extent (they are cannibals & head shots do kill them, they decay even after undeath - albeit slowly, etc.), they tweak those rules a bit. We've (modt of us, anyway, come around to the notion of fast moving zombies, as in the 04 remake of DotD and 28 Days; Keene and Nutman go 'em one better by having the zombies able to think and talk, and use machinery and weapons. There are some pretty intense chase scenes wherein zombies chase the cast in cars, shooting rifles out the windows at them, before catching up and using more "traditional means" of dispatching their foes. They even had a leader, and a biblical as opposed to a pathogrnic origin. The supernatural origin, which we're still kind of guesing about after the 2d book, in Wellington's books, and their "leader" imparting magical powers over th living and the dead alike to his followers (living & dead) add interesting new wrinkles. Perhaps this is further from the formula than many want to stray; I'm sure not every vampire fan was overjoyed at the reimagining of the vampire Anne Rice & her imitators have brought about, that now pervades that sub-genre. Some might view a new take on the zombie film as a sacrilige of sorts. Or maybe a new base of fans will develop for Ob the same way one did for Lestat. As for the inevitable glut to follow, no doubt most of it will be utter crap. But there may be a few diamonds in the rough that are worth watching once or twice to come out of that. That fallout is a good thig, even if the effort to find it is an undertaking. But that's what Alex and his film staff are for. They'll lead us on the right path. Letting the subgenredie out will probably work, but it wil deprive us fans of our beloved zombie fix for awhile - perhaps years. And there's no guarante that what they come up with after that will be much better than what it replaces. My sincerest hope is that if my idea, or one like it were implemented, we'd start to see above average - if not grewat- films arise from faithful adaptations, almost from the beginning (allowing for something of a learning curve and the inevitable initial budget quandries).

Why do you say that? If they're essentially literary retreads of cinematic concepts, I'd think they'd be EASIER to convert to film.

Abbondanza!

I question that. The elements of thinking and talking, tool and weapon using zombies, would translate wel to film, I think.

SPOILER ALERT! PROCEED WITH CAUTION!

In Keene's "Rising" books, the dead didn't just replace society, they wiped it out. And the zombie leader made it clear that after he & his supernatural ilk exterminated the animal kingdom, a dirfferent variety would come along and wipe out the plant kingdom after taking them over, and that yet another would come along and destroy the earth itself, as per biblical prophecy. The very end of "City of the Dead" has the beginning stirrings of the plant kingdom takeover as the last image in the book. Most zombie films to date, I think, hopeless as they may seem, always hold out SOME hope (perhaps just to make rom for the inevitable sequel) that somewhere, somehow, someone survives. These books, and the film adaptations thereof, would (assuming of course they're adapted faithfully) do just the opposite. "Wet Work" also has a pretty bleak ending. More so than most zombie films. It did a pretty good job of giving you an idea how the new "society" would look (the President was in the last, world ending scene as a zombie convert). I think this is a somewhat different take on that aspect of the zombie flick, anyway. One I'd like to se somebody have the balls to get down on film.