Zombie Music and a Dedication

Well, I didn't plan on updating today but a submission from Jeff K. changed my mind. Jeff was kind enough to send us a link to a unique and catchy zombie song. It's also the first song I've posted here on Zombies & Toys. I saw the timing of this email as a sign to post it with a dedication to a musically-talented friend of mine,
Mark Esterle.

You see, Mark has been one of my best friends for over fifteen years and has always been more like a brother than a friend. I arrived home from work today to the horrible news that he passed away last night. While Mark will not be reanimating, he will forever live in the hearts of those fortunate enough to know him.

Dead Rising 2 Update

Christmas may seem like a long way off but game developers are already hard at work preparing. Capcom's zombie slaying sequel, Dead Rising 2, should hit store shelves in time to be added to my Christmas list. News at this point is slow, but expect that to change over the following months. So what's the update?

Product manager of Mental Mill, Laura Schott, let slip some pretty exciting news. It looks like we'll be able to inflict zombie damage with a friend! That's right, Dead Rising 2 will be multiplayer. Since the news was basically a slip up, we are unsure if this means more than two players and if it involves online play.

Schott also stated that Dead Rising 2 will be capable of tracking at least 800 separate clothing textures in order to give the sense that zombies are unique. She also stated that with the technology being used, players could experience as many as 6,000 characters on screen during multiplayer games. 6,000? Yikes! I hope the weapons hold up a bit better in this version.

As previously reported, this game is set in the Vegas-like Fortune City and takes place two years after our encounter in the Willamette Mall. I'll have more news as I find it.

Just a reminder, our friends over at Zombie Head are sponsoring a zombie gathering in Toronto this Friday. Click here for info. Also, don't forget to enter our American Zombie movie contest. One randomly-selected entry will win a free iTunes download of the movie from New Video Digital.

Some Fun Zombie Pictures

Similiar to the zombie demotivational posters posted earlier, I thought I'd share some of my favorite zombie fun pics. If you have any entertaining zombie pictures or posters you'd like to share, please email them to me at zombiesandtoys@gmail.com. Include your address and if I post them I'll send you some sweet Z&T swag!


Enjoy, and have a relaxing weekend!

Original image can be found at http://www.billytackett.com/

Left 4 Dead: Cosplay, Downloads, and Sales, Oh My!

Left 4 Dead. No doubt you have head the name, seen the sreenshots, and played the game. It's a zombie fan's greatest dream come true. I couldn't get my hands on that game fast enough when it was released. Not only is the game play well-thought and fun, but I've met some great people playing online which is where the real fun is.

I've mentioned L4D in several previous posts, most recently to mention the upcoming downloadable content. Well, I try to avoid posting about the same topic but sometimes it warrants it. Case in point, today's post. First, I'd like to offer kudos to Valve for officially selling over 2.5 million copies of the game!

The second reason for today's post is to share some information I found over at Shack News. Featured is an interview with Valve designer, Michael Booth. We've all figured out by now that this game was designed for cooperative play. What I didn't know until now is how and why the Smoker and Boomer were designed. Again, I'm not taking credit for this information. Just doing your zombie homework for you.

The full article can be found here. From Michael Booth, Valve designer:

On the Smoker:

"We had a situation early on in playtesting where survivor teams that were really disciplined and moved through the world like a SWAT team tended to dampen their own drama, because they just handled everything. So we added the Smoker so that every now and then, their perfect little plan was going to get messed up."

On the Boomer:

"The original purpose of the Boomer was to break the rule of shoot everything that moves. Before we had threats like the Boomer, everything that moved became blam, blam blam. By adding threats like the Boomer, as soon as you hear him the area you have to change your thinking.

The original Boomer design had some flaws. Originally the Boomer was a bomb, so when you shot the Boomer, he just exploded and dealt huge amounts of damage. That totally solved the goal of making you think when you shoot... but had real problems with new players.
We also had another creature at that time which was the Screamer. He was a guy in straight jacket... if he saw you he'd freeze, and if you didn't take him out, he'd run off and scream. And if he screamed, all hell broke loose... That guy had all sorts of discovery issues."

Something else I stumbled upon recently are some pictures of a nicely done Left 4 Dead cosplay photo shoot. The pictures are from Nightzero and were originally posted on Pixelated Geek. To keep it brief, I posted a few of the pictures below. Be ready for future updates!

Just a reminder, there are still two weeks left to enter our American Zombie contest. Details can be found here. Winner will receive a free iTunes download of the movie from New Video Digital. We want to thank everyone who has entered so far and don't forget you can earn an additional entry by telling us in your email, "If you were a zombie what job would you want and why?"

If you have any zombie related news or would like to announce an event in your area, email me at zombiesandtoys@gmail.com.

The Walking Dead - Statue and Bust Review

I'm not going to tell you that Robert Kirkman's comic series, The Walking Dead, is the greatest zombie comic available. Truth be told, I haven't read many other zombie comic books. But I have yet to hear someone admit to not enjoy reading The Walking Dead. It's an ongoing story about regular people and their attempts to survive while living during a zombie apocalypse. My purpose right now is not to tell you about the books, but rather the collectibles spawned by them.

Enter Moore Collectibles. Clayburn Moore has been providing us with quality collectibles for over a decade. Bringing us everything from Lady Death to Conan, zombies only seem like the next logical step. Right?

The first items I'd like to bring to your attention are the statues. The main piece features the comic's hero, Rick Grimes, with a crowbar in hand preparing to drive a hatchet through the skull of his assailant. Accompanying this statue is a second one of a legless corpse reaching out. One of the most appealing aspects of this line is that it's supposed to be expandable. More zombie statues are to be released allowing you to create your own scene. Now all we need are more zombie statues to be released.

Details are great on these pieces from the textured rocks to the blood-stained clothes. I particularly like how the areas of injury have a sheen to them. The areas covered in blood or where the flesh is torn off all have a gloss coat giving them a realistic look. Speaking of realistic, it's the little details that make the most impact. The fingers on the zombie's right hand are missing but if you look closely, you can see the small pieces of bone jutting out indicating the fingers were ripped off. His left foot is missing its shoe and again the bones can be seen through the shimmering blood.

At first, I didn't quite like the shape of the bodies. It's especially odd for a Moore sculpt as the majority of his work enhances the attributes of the human form. However, the pieces in this line more accurately represent the characters from the comics. The micro-busts showcase the same qualities. Exposed bones, detailed teeth, intestines hanging from under their ribs, every grimace-causing detail looks great.

There are four micro-busts released so far. All four micro-busts are zombies and they each have their name printed on the front of the base. Something I have never seen done before. The first two released were Vince and Nate followed by Ick, a Statuesforum.com exclusive. Ick is basically just a repaint of Nate. Andrew is the most recent addition and was released last year. The busts are tiny, standing at about 5 inches tall but are a very affordable $25. At first I was disappointed with their size, but now I appreciate that it means you can build your own zombie army. Now all we need is Moore to release more!

Terminator: Salvation "Repaired" Audio Clip

Sorry, folks, I'm taking a little detour to bring you some news about the new Terminator: Salvation viral marketing that is going on. Terminators aren't exactly zombies but they are pretty close. They're not alive. They kill humans. The brain/CPU needs to be destroyed to stop one.

For those who don't know, the Skynet Research website seems to have a bit of a technical difficutly with an audio loop. We are warned to not tamper with or attempt to decipher this clip. Well, lucky for you our friends at Bent Wookie have gone through the trouble for us!

Below is the transcribed message. To actually hear it, click here.

"This is recon team (five three) to base. Base, do you read? Requesting extraction… I say again - we’re overdue by three days. We’re… and we’re ready to debrief. Say (again) - we’ve completed reconnaissance. We’re prepared to (set) all tech comm units on (skynet attack). Current coordinates: (Romeo 2####8). Repeat. Immediate extraction for four man team. One (injured). We’ll attempt next contact at 0800 hours…"

Small Updates: World War Z and Left 4 Dead

Not huge news and definitely nothing you haven't heard elswhere, but Valve has released a date for the long-awaited Left 4 Dead downloadable content. The add-on will be made available on April 21st. Who want's to be outside to enjoy spring anyway?

The Survival Pack will contain new versus mode campaigns for Dead Air and Death Toll. There will also be a Survival Mode that sounds similiar to the ulockable content for Call of Duty. You basically fend off wave after wave of zombies as they become more and more difficult to kill. As you do so, your points increase. From what I understand, Valve developed a new level, Lighthouse, for the survival mode.

Kudos for making this new downloadable content free. I put my copy back on the shelf a little while ago. Looks like I'll have to dig it up and practice a bit before the new content is made available. For those on Live, give me a yell: xnoybis zombie.

Like most of you reading this, news of Marc Forster's take on Max Brook's zombie novel World War Z cannot come fast enough. I have nothing major to report, but at this stage minor news is exciting news. With that said, I did mange to scrape up a quote from Paramount regarding the film: "Production offices are set up, and Forster is in early pre-production".

Not much but I'll take it!

And finally, thanks to everyone reading for their support and don't forget to subscribe to my Tweets for current updates. If you like what's going on around here, feel free to email me your address and I'll send you some Zombies & Toys swag to make your friends jealous. If there are any readers with their own zombie efforts (websites, events, etc) and I can help, please let me know. Feel free to drop a line if you can help me too!

Zombie Gathering In Canada

Our friends North of the border are having all the luck lately. Not only are they able to go out and see Pontypool which I can't wait to see, but there is a zombie gathering in April.

The Bodyssey Face and Body Painting Convention will be on Friday, April 3rd in Toronto. The official page and more info can be found here. Our friends at Zombie Head are sponsoring the zombie walk and will be giving away some cool swag and prizes including one of Krystal's uique pieces of zombie jewelry. Here's some quick info about the zombie gathering:

Friday night, crawl out of your grave and join your favorite face and body painting ghouls. Paint yourself as a zombie, paint other zombies, and party 'till dawn at the Zombie Gathering. During the zombification process, nibble on brains and "finger" foods. Get your photo taken by our on-site photographer, or get your zombie caricature drawn while they are available. Ladies, dress as a sexy zombie for the Crowning of the Voodoo Queen competition. Guys, compete in the Best Zombie contest! Then we will be having our Thriller Dance Off. So practice your scary moves! Featuring a special presentation of Nick & Brian Wofle's Zombie music video! A free ticket to the Zombie Crawl is included with your registration. Additional tickets can be purchased for only $20 CAD each.

A Different Type Of Zombie Game

Don't get too excited and run off to warm up your 360. But this is a good time...

So imagine you are scavanging for supplies in a world ruled by the undead. You are in a particularly quiet part of town. You wander into a convenience store where all is quiet. Suddenly, you hear the sound of a chair sliding along the floor. The sound is muffled as it is coming from behind a door labeled "Employees Only". No sound is heard after.

Is it a survivor? Is it a zombie? If you decide to open the door, click here. If you want to play it safe, scroll down and read some more news.

Pontypool Movie Review

I apologize if it seems that all the updates recently have been movie related. But, you know... I don't make the news. I will, however, let you know that I am working on another contest and should have another zombie toy review posted next week. Just to get your mouth watering a little bit, I'll tell you that the review centers around the best zombie comic I have ever read. Speaking of movies, don't forget to enter our contest for a free iTunes download of the recently available American Zombie brought to us by New Video Digital. There will also be random drawings for Zombies & Toys swag.

The first of many zombie movies to be released is Pontypool. Currently being shown in Canada, Pontypool is the story of a radio host broadcasting out of a city with the same name. It is already well-known that we're not dealing with the typical zombie we're all used to (a-la Romero). If you don't want to know more, stop reading now. I am also about to post some excerpts from a review released in the Winnipeg Sun. The information to follow isn't enough to ruin the movie, but rather offers some details and insight. But I wanted to post the warning in case you are one to not want to know anything before seeing a movie.

Caution: Possible Spoilers Ahead

The following is borrowed from a review posted over at the Winnipeg Sun.

It's winter outside when smalltown talk-radio host Grant Mazzy (Watchmen's
Stephen McHattie) arrives for his morning gig at the station in a Pontypool,
Ontario church basement -- this after a weird, short encounter with a
babbling woman. Through some sharp exchanges with his exasperated producer
Sydney (Lisa Houle), we get a sense of how low Mazzy's career has taken him -- to a dead end corner of Ontario, where the "news copter" reports are from a guy in a car and the celebrity guests are epitomized by a weird local faux-Middle-Eastern family
singing act. The only other company in the studio is an intern named Laurel Ann
(Georgina Reilly), whose chipperness seems to actually exacerbate the workplace
tension.

Suddenly, the previously routine outside reports begin to turn strange. The "chopper" reporter relates a gory riot at a doctor's office. Wire services start to hum with crisis announcements and bizarre speculation (the BBC
reports that Ontario is under attack by "separatist terrorists"). Eventually, as
a quarantine is declared across the region, enough facts filter through that the
symptomology becomes clear. Sufferers begin repeating certain phrases over and
over before descending into gibberish and turning violent (seeking to devour the mouths of the uninfected in an apparent attempt to "eat their words"). Eventually, it's deduced that the words themselves are the means of infection, and reports start being disseminated in fractured French as a precaution.

All this, and all we see is still three people in a studio. (We don't actually see the zombies until a frenetic last-act break-in). The underappreciated McHattie is in brilliant form as Mazzy, suddenly enervated by the slaughter outside, riffing philosophically and sardonically.

Personally, I'm pretty excited. Some might complain about the actual lack of zombie scenes but I think that well-acted tension can be better. Part of the appeal to the original Dawn of the Dead was the knowledge that just beyond the walls lies pure and utter chaos.

Surprise! Another Zombie Movie In The Works!

Wow! Yet another zombie movie. Can't say I'm upset about the surge of popularity of zombies. With this many movies coming out, at least a few of them have to be good. And if they do well that means we'll have more and possibly better zombie movies to look forward to. So what is the new movie? It's a remake of the 1943 classic, I Walked With A Zombie.

The movie focuses on a tutor who discovers a terrifying family secret as he is working at the ancient estate of a New Orleans businessman. The original focuses on more of the voodoo type of zombie. However, it has yet to be determined what type of zombie we will see. Of course, I'm more a fan of the flesh eating variety but a fresh take on the genre may be nice. A release date has not been mentioned but I'll make sure to post updates as I find them.

Speaking of updates... Capcom US Communications Director Chris Kramer had some interesting news to report regarding the highly anticipated follow-up to the 360 classic Dead Rising:

Capcom’s kind of on a 30 year high right now, it’s a pretty amazing place to be. Between everything we’ve got going right now, between the launch of Street Fighter IV and Resident Evil 5, and our big titles for next year, Lost Planet 2 and Dead Rising 2.

Yup. We're going to have to wait until next year for Dead Rising 2. But if the buzz is this big now, news, pics, and videos shouldn't be that hard to come by.

Finally, I want to remind everyone of the current contest we are running. New Video Digital will be offering a lucky reader a free iTunes download of the recently available American Zombie. Details can be found here. I also wanted to once again thank Krystal and Jim over at Zombie Head. Please go check out some of the cool undead adornments and then read the interview Krystal was kind enough to spare the time for.

Win A Free Download Of American Zombie!

As mentioned last week, Zombies and Toys is launching its first contest today! Jessica from New Video Digital was kind enough to email us with news that the mockumentary, American Zombie, is now available as a download on iTunes. Even better, she is offering a free download of American Zombie to one of our readers!

Entering to win is easy. All you need to do is email your name and address to zombiesandtoys@gmail.com with "American Zombie" in the subject line. One lucky reader will receive an email from Jessica with a link to your download! I will also be donating some pins, stickers, and key chains to some lucky runners-up! Entries are limited to one per person. However, you can earn an additional entry by telling us in your email: If you were a zombie, what job would you want and why.

American Zombie follows the ...er, lives of four zombies and their day-to-day activities. How do they cope with being dead? What do they do? What are their ambitions and problems now that they are zombies? What do the living think?

If you can't wait and need to watch it now, download the movie now by clicking the iTunes button!

So, thanks to Jessica and New Video Digital for bringing us this opportunity. The contest will run until Friday, April 10th and the winner will be announced on Monday, April 13th. So tell your friends to visit and enter!

Now for the CYA: Zombies and Toys is not liable for any headaches, stress, damages, loss of sleep, frustrations, complaints, annoyances, drama, weight gain, gas prices, or anything else you may want to try and hold us liable for as a result of entering, winning, or attempting to win this contest.

Publish Your Zombie Story

It's finally the weekend, spring is around the corner, and it's starting to get warmer. So what are you going to do? Sit around inside and write, of course!

Just wanted to inform everyone that Living Dead Press is accepting submissions for an upcoming zombie book. They are looking for original zombie stories in the Romero-style and ask that word count be between 3,000 and 6,000 words.

Go to the main page and click on "submissions" for more information. Or just click here. Good luck and let Zombies & Toys know if your submission is chosen!

Take Your Favorite Zombies With You!

I apologize for the delay since my last post. But you'll be glad to know that I've been doing some homework to bring you something special. Our friends over at Bent Wookie sent us some news about ZombieHead. What is ZombieHead?

ZombieHead is the combined efforts of a creative artist and a computer wiz. For a little over 3 years, they have been providing the masses with custom-made zombie jewelry. Head over to the ZombieHead site to see for yourself. But before you do, take advantage of the fact that Krystal was kind enough to tell us a little about her work.

Zombies & Toys: Where do you find the inspiration for some of your characters and designs?
Krystal O: Sometimes movies, but normally I just sit down and try to make something gross or something that I think looks neat. I have a whole bag of heads that never made the cut. Ones that I felt I got lazy on or just didn't paint well.

Z&T: What types of materials do you use?
KO: I usually use super sculptey, gardening wire (cause it doesn't rust) and whatever paint I can get my hands on. As well as a lacquer gloss for that wet look, plus it really makes colors pop.

Z&T: What is the process to making one of your pieces?
KO: Well I get an idea and I just sit down with my blob of clay and go to town. I use a lot of dental tools for my fine line work. I blend a lot with old paint brushes, and always have a serial killer documentary on or some type of gory flick.

Z&T: How long does a particular project take?
KO: Oh god... I normally have a few projects going on at once. But if I was to just do one batch of heads (I usually bake 8 pieces at a time) and if I worked on them all in one day I'd say a good 8 to 9 hours, and they might not be all the way done. It just really depends on the project and my mood. If I'm pissed they get done really fast.

Z&T: Any other talents or outlets besides sculpting (painting, drawing, writing)?
KO: I used to do a lot of FX make up. Wether it be on me or models at a show or for a local film. I also paint, sketch, and make bone wind chimes. I don't write much I'm kind of a klutz with words.

Z&T: What other types of general creations do you make?
KO: I make creepy doll jewelry boxes, (But who the fuck doesn't these days) I also make bone wind chimes. My neighbors think I'm nuts when I varnish them outside. I paint on silk and I've drawn a few album covers and tattoo's for people as well.

Z&T: Where can we find you next?
KO: The FX convention is the only thing we have going on for a while, and that's in April.

Many thanks to Krystal and Jim for sharing their time. ZombieHead can be contacted on MySpace and through Etsy. So go make friends and buy some very cool zombies to carry around and keep you company!

I Love The Smell Of Commerce In The Morning

Especially on a Monday morning. Maybe I'm just giddy from losing an hour of sleep. Regardless, not a whole lot of zombie news to start the week off with. I stumbled across an ad from Think Geek for an Umbrella umbrella this morning and figured with the release of Resident Evil 5 this Friday would let you guys know. I also found a small mention about the World War Z movie we are all waiting for. So read on:

So here is the Umbrella umbrella from ThinkGeek. If you're a Resident Evil fan (and who isn't), this makes a practical way of showing your support. I always like things like this because only those who know, know. You know? Available for $14.99 by clicking here.



While you're over at ThinkGeek, check out some of their other zombie goods. As posted earlier, they have a dismembering zombie plush and even a remote-controlled zombie. While you're ordering, ask them to give me some royalties for the free plug!



This may just be a commerce-themed week. I will be posting shortly an interview and link with a very creative and talented artist who creates and sells her own zombie jewelry. Zombies and Toys will also be starting our first contest to kick off the availability of a zombie movie that has recently become available for purchase on iTunes. Winner of said contest will receive a free download of said movie! Finally, for those who want something but have no money, you can show your support and love of zombies by requesting a pair of Zombies & Toys pins; details in March 2nd post.

Now to leave you with a breath of fresh air: an interview with Quantom of Solace director, Marc Forester, reveals a little news about the highly-anticipated World War Z movie.

"At this point, its still in development. I'm still working on the script, so I don't know if it will be my next movie. It's a book I really like and I think it's a subject matter that would be really interesting to turn into a movie. It won't be a straight-forward genre piece; it's like a hybrid type of film so it will be very unusual."

Diablo Cody To Produce Zombie Film

Not only did I think I was going to take a break from posting, but I also thought I was through posting about zombie movies. At least, new ones. But alas, here I am trying to keep you abreast of new information as I encounter it.

Breather: A Zombie's Lament is a new novel that saw its release on March 3rd. Written by S.G. Browne, the story tells the tail of a recently deceased and newly risen young man. Having trouble adjusting to his new ...er ...life, events begin to change for him after attending Undead Anonymous meetings. The book as-well-as reviews can be seen and purchased at Amazon.

What's stranger than the release of a novel following the love tale of a zombie? How about the fact that Oscar winner Diablo Cody (Juno, United States of Tara) is going to be producing the movie. Rumored for release in 2011, we now have our first zombie date movie to look forward to.

Some Zombie Demotivational Posters

With all of the recent updates about movies and news, I thought I'd post something a little "less cerebral" (to quote Kit Ramsey). I have a small stockpile of decent zombie demotivational posters and an email from Brian W. with a new one promted me to share them today.

I have some fun things in the works for the coming weeks including a contest complete with zombie prizes, some pics and reviews of Bowen's The Walking Dead statues and busts, and even our first interview with someone who hand makes some very cool zombie jewelry and accesories!

So kick back, enjoy, and email me anything funny that I'm missing.