Dread Central Giveaway: Dead Nation

Todd Jepperson

Dead Nation, PS3’s next big game, launched on the Playstation Network on Tuesday, the 30th of November. I haven’t played it yet, but from what I can tell the game is a serious aerial, third person shooter. Just how we like it, the survivors are buried under an avalanche of dead flesh and fighting for their lives.



In typical Zombie contest fashion, all you have to do is send an email and wait for your name to be drawn. I don’t want to do too much stealing of their thunder, so without further ado I give you Dread Central.

Mutants Movie Review

David Brown

Mutants is a 2009 French Movie Directed by David Morlet, and staring Helene de Fougerolles and Franic Renaud. It clocks in at 89 minutes, but honestly it feels so much shorter with a lot of the story never giving way to boredom at any time. From the title alone you wouldn’t realize that this is a movie where zombies are involved and people are the main enemy. This is a movie that grabs you by the jugular and refuses to let go until your throat is on the floor across the room.

Mutants is a story centering on Sonia and her husband Marco who are a pair of rescue workers. The movie begins with a scene which shows us that the movie is taking itself seriously and that not just a bit of blood will suffice. This is a zombie film that promises gore and delivers on every step of the way, at least to begin with.

Unlike many “Hollywood” movies, this is a movie that shows that the horror genre is one that is left to foreign directors. There is nothing overtly wrong with American directors so much as there is with the diluted slasher genre of films. Without going into a big comparison let me just say that Mutants succeeds in the most part at making you feel a strong connection to the characters you are watching on screen

There are a few moments when the cast act in a manner not suitable for the situation. Examples are when soldiers act unprofessional or enter an area loudly only to then act like they need everyone to be quiet. The actors in this film are for the most part unknown by any but the most seasoned movie vets. This adds to a film where you feel like you are watching real people, and not Hollywood stars play real people. As much praise as I give the cast and the way they portray real people, I have to say that the true stars are the zombies.

These are not the typical undead zombies that you are accustomed to seeing in many modern movies. The zombies in Mutants are victims of a deadly virus that infects without killing and reanimating. We see the humanity in these “creatures” through some similar features, but many things become alien in the transformation. They lose their hair, teeth, and eyes while various other features distort in other worldly ways. This truly makes you ask if these are still humans you are looking at or as the title would suggest, Mutants. They are fast and crave flesh, they are still humanoid and can be killed, but they do not go down easily.

If there is one thing that this film excels at, it would be the settings and the mood. You see a world that is thrown into chaos and a land ravaged by a disease that is 100% fatal. You see a pure and total change that takes place, causing some to lose everything and others to take control. This is a society where the strong and well-armed survive off of the blood and suffering of the weak. This is the perfect movie to show society as it would be in this type of situation.

While not perfect, Mutants is certainly a great movie to watch for any fan of the zombie genre. It may not have your typical zombies, but the things you see on the screen are certainly just as scary and just as deadly. It is movies like this that show the merits of foreign cinema and the way that showing little at times, along with great buildup, can help create a truly unnerving piece of film. This is a movie that deserves to be watched before it is too late and it becomes locked away in the cage of history. Do yourself a favor and watch it as soon as possible.

Win an Art Print from Billy Tackett

So, I'm only a month behind getting this contest started.  To help us celebrate our second year online, one of our favorite artists, Billy Tackett, is offering a signed print of his Zombies & Toys logo painting!  The lucky winner will also receive a set of our first artist series button packs featuring Billy's work.  These button sets are limited to 100 pieces and our third series will be out early 2011.

To win some zombie goodness courtesy of Billy Tackett, email your name and address to billytackett@zombiesandtoys.com.  We will announce the winner before Christmas.

Billy's art book/mini-biography, For the Love of Monsters, is also available for preorder through his website.  Ordery by Nov 30th and receive free shipping, a sketch inside, and it will arrive autographed!  The book is 120 pages of full color art.  It also contains concept sketches, photos, stories, and personal musings!

Interview With Andrew Lincoln from The Walking Dead

Entertainment Weekly has our new favorite television show gracing its cover this week.  Make sure to rush out and snag your copy.  Not stopping there, they have also posted an interview with Andrew Lincoln (Rick Grimes) on their website.  View the interview in its entirety here.

"[The television series] is more about what happens to somebody when everything is stripped away from them and how does one re-create society. The interesting stuff we’ve been finding as actors is the inter-character dynamic and how that changes and modifies. There’s scenes reminiscent of Lord of the Flies in there."

Free Sourpuss Goodies With Orders

Most of you are already aware of Sourpuss Clothing and the great products they offer.  We stock some of their items in the Zombie Toy Store but I encourage you to check their site for some great items to pick up for the holidays.

Sourpuss was kind enough to send some skeleton hand gloves to give away to ZT readers.  The black bones are a grip-type material and they are available in green and pink.  If you would like a pair or two, here's how we're going to give them away...

For every $5 you spend in the Zombie Toy Store, you will receive one pair of gloves in the color of your choice.  There is a limit of 4 pairs per person/order/household/etc.  This offer is valid only while supplies last.  If you place an order and the gloves are gone, I will email you to verify that you would still like me to process your order.  Please specify the color(s) you would like in the checkout notes or by emailing me.  I have also added the gloves to the Zombie Toy Store at a price of $3.99 which includes 2 ZT stickers, 2 random buttons, and a magnet.

Death Trooper Mini-Bust Review: Zombies + Storm Troopers = Epic Win

A few months back, a girlish squeal could be heard for miles. You may have even felt the Earth tremble. It's no coincidence that these events took place around the same time Gentle Giant announced that they would be releasing a mini-bust of the Death Trooper. Right now, you may be asking yourself what a Death Trooper is. In its simplest form, it is the culmination of all things that make me a geek. You take a Storm Trooper, turn him into a zombie, and make a high-end collectible created by one of the greatest manufacturers of licensed merchandise on the market. Before I go any further, let me start with a disclaimer...



I am obviously a huge fan of zombies. I am also obviously a huge fan of toys. Most of you already know that I'm also a Star Wars geek along with the rest of my family. Finally, when it comes to collectibles, Gentle Giant is in the small group at the top of my list. Not to say that this isn't warranted. Gentle Giant has been in the game for years and have earned their keep among my collectibles because of their quality and attention to detail. Like other companies, they release a lemon every now and then but the real question we must ask is the Death Trooper is one of these times.

The Death Troopers entered the Star Wars universe in a novel by Joe Schreiber:


When the Imperial prison barge Purge—temporary home to five hundred of the galaxy’s most ruthless killers, rebels, scoundrels, and thieves—breaks down in a distant part of space, its only hope appears to lie with a Star Destroyer found drifting and seemingly abandoned. But when a boarding party from the Purge is sent to scavenge for parts, only half of them come back—bringing with them a horrific disease so lethal that within hours nearly all aboard the Purge die in ways too hideous to imagine.

 And death is only the beginning.


The Purge’s half-dozen survivors will do whatever it takes to stay alive. But nothing can prepare them for what lies waiting aboard the Star Destroyer. For the dead are rising: soulless, unstoppable, and unspeakably hungry.

There are two versions of this collectible available. The regular edition which was just released and actually comes with a copy of the book. We currently have this bust available in the Zombie Toy Store. The version we are about to look at now, however, is the deluxe version that is available exclusively through the Gentle Giant web site. He costs more than the regular version and does not come with the book. These two points, however, are the only two negative things I can say about this piece.


Details are abundant. Of course, we have the obvious ones like cracks in the armor, appropriate shading, and movie accurate details. Where this bust really shines is with the more subtle details. Areas of torn flesh expose muscle fibers. The visible eyeball has a gloss making it appear wet. There are even areas in between the armor giving us a glimpse of the ghoul beneath. What makes the deluxe bust ...well, deluxe, is the modular aspect allowing numerous customizing options.

First, we are treated to three different right arms. These are held to the shoulder firmly with magnets. Taking it a step further is the inclusion of various armor pieces. You can actually determine the extent of damage you want exposed. There is a piece that can cover the gouged area of his torso if you have a weak stomach. Additionally, you can remove the Death Trooper's jaw and put his helmet pieces on. The one detail I like the most is the ball-jointed head. This is the first time, to my knowledge, that Gentle Giant has added this feature and there isn't a better piece to add it to. Zombies are generally known to have a somewhat angular position with their heads and this feature allows you position your Death Trooper in a truly undead fashion. The culmination of all of these details is a magnificent collectible that combines two of the greatest things known to geek kind: Star Wars and zombies.

Dead Air Movie Review

David Brown

Dead Air had a long development history, it was originally slated to be released in late 2007, but many things pushed it back to 2009. The film released October 27, 2009 is written by Kenneth Yakkei and directed by Corbin Bernsen, who many know from his various roles on many TV series including Psych. Bill Moseley leads the cast in this great movie.


The plot revolves around Moseley, who plays a disillusioned radio shock shock, Logan. He runs a radio show with his crew that reaches a million listeners each time it is on. The opening shows a group of men setting up some sort of device under a crowded stadium during a basketball game in one of the ventilation rooms for the stadium. This device contains a container filled with a weird gas. This gas, we find out, causes anybody exposed to it to go crazy with rage. I know when I say rage, many will think of 28 Days, and 28 Weeks Later, and you are right in doing so. This is a man-made creation, but this is where the similarities stop.

Without going into many details I will just say, that the movie follows Logan as he and his team progress from hosting a show centered around the topic of paranoia, to a crew struggling to find the truth within many frenzied calls from listeners, and the news. The thing that makes this movie to me is Moseley and his great performance. He portrays a Los Angeles shock jock in true fashion. He oozes cynicism and disdain for the “idiots” and the “paranoid” who call his show to talk. He is quick to shoot down everything as lies or pure speculation and paranoia.

When the inevitable happens we see a true character change as he tries to reach his wife and daughter. A good question that is asked of movies in this genre is how the zombies hold up. The thing with this movie is that we do not get the traditional Romero zombies here, we get the fast moving, ravenous zombies from movies like 28 Days Later. The zombies are not dead, but infected with a deadly virus, causing them to attack others and ooze blood from their eyes. It does look a bit underutilized, but the tense lighting and close shots do wonders to hide the downfalls.

I cannot say too much more without spoiling major parts of the film, but this film does a good job of showing the zombie/disease apocalypse from the point of view of the common man. This certainly is not an original idea, as the shock jock view has been shown before, but this movie does show how underutilized Bill Moseley can be as an actor, and how much he truly shines when given the chance and proper platform. If you are expecting decaying zombies and buckets of gore, then you are in the mood for a good “zombie” movie with some decent social commentary then look no further than Dead Air. Listen to this broadcast message and follow the instructions and you will not be disappointed.

SNL, Anne Hathaway, and BRAINS!

Todd Jepperson

Anne Hathaway took another turn at hosting Saturday Night Live this weekend, with musical guest Florence and the Machine. The reason we’re telling you about it lies in this clip:

Now there’s a girl who wants you for your body and brain.  If you missed it, you can check it out on Hulu.

Scarlett Johansson vs. the Undead

Todd Jepperson


Update: We first reported the news Natalie Portman had stepped up to not only star in, but also to produce the film Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (2011 Lionsgate) on December 19th of 2009 (link.) Well, now we’re hearing Natalie is out, and Scarlett Johansson’s name is being brought up as a possible star, Elizabeth Bennett. Read about it here.

For all of you who are like me, and haven’t gotten the P&P bug; Pride and Prejudice is the Jane Austin classic which was adapted by Seth Grahame – Smith and infected with Zombies. Goodreads.com gives the book a decent 3.28 stars. The film adaptation will have Elizabeth Bennett and her sisters introducing their restless co-stars to Kung-Fu, which they learned on a trip to china.


Victorian eloquence meets Rotting indifference with a little Karate kid twist? It sounds like it might be one to bring home to the family.

The Apocalypse Has Never Looked Jazzier

Travis D. Roderi

If you've ever had trouble deciding between zombies and 50's-era jazz record styling (and let's face it, who hasn't?), well, fret no more! Etsy.com seller hen-n-chicks is offering this beatiful rendering of all your favorite Ghouls from the original Dawn of the Dead as an print, signed by artist Dave Perillo. Originally done for the 2008 Pittsburgh Comicon, the design features Hare Krishna Zombie, Hockey Player Zombie, Nurse Zombie and more, depicted in the classic style of acclaimed commercial and children's book artist James Flora. At only $10 plus $3 shipping (within the U.S.), it's both a unique yet still affordable holiday gift for your favorite zombie lover!

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies… and 15% off!

Todd Jepperson


It’s that time. Time to sit back and take stock of the things in your life you’re thankful for; food, friends, and family... food, food and more food. We here at Zombies & Toys are thankful for friends of our site, friends such as Quirk Classics.  We received an email from the publishers of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies this week letting us know of some great savings they want to pass along to ZT readers.


From Quirk Classics:

“As a thank you for your ongoing support for Pride & Prejudice & Zombies, Quirk Classics, and our quirky publishing house in general, we'd like to offer you and your blog's readers 15% off all products purchased through our Quirk Classics Zazzle store (www.zazzle.com/quirkclassics) between now and Christmas. From tote bags to coffee mugs, t-shirts to posters... there's a little something for everyone in the Zazzle shop. Even skateboards.”


Head on over and snag something like an Elizabeth Bennett Kicks Ass sticker, or maybe a Zombie Mouse Pad. You might even wanna check out those skateboards they mentioned up there. There really is something for everyone.


To hack your price down, use the code "QLAUNCHPROMO” at check out.

Now the legal stuff:

“15% of the net sale price for http://www.zazzle.com/quirkclassics products will be deducted when the coupon code QLAUNCHPROMO is applied at checkout. The net sale price is the price of the product (excluding shipping and taxes). For Zazzle Custom Stamps, the net sale price is the difference between the price of the Zazzle Custom Stamps (excluding shipping and taxes) and the face value of the postage. Offer is valid through December 31, 2010 at 11:59pm PT. This offer does not apply to past purchases and may not be combined with any other Zazzle promotional or volume discount offers. If a volume discount applies to your order, you will receive either the discount set forth in this offer or the standard volume discount, whichever is greater. Offer valid on Zazzle.com only.”

Zombie Porn and Australian Sex Parties

Todd Jepperson


Again, kids, sorry for the late post. It seems that Australia has some interesting happenings going on. Apparently, there’s a Sex party running in their Victorian election. Sound a bit ambiguous? It did to me too.


First, a little background info. There’s a state called Victoria in Australia. They’re having an election on the 27th of this month. There’s a party campaigning in the election called the Australian Sex Party. Now we’re all on the same page. They have a whole page of policies and mission statements on their site, sexparty.org (Completely SFW.)

Now, here’s where the story gets interesting. It’s illegal, apparently, to have homosexual zombie porn at your film festival in Australia. So, when a guy named Richard Wolstencroft decided he’d stage a little civil disobedience, the law man brought the hammer down. He’s facing criminal charges for screening the film LA Zombie at his film festival on the 29th of August.

From Wikipedia: “The film was due to have its second and third screening as part of the Melbourne International Film Festival in Australia on the 7th and 8th of August 2010. However, the Australian Film Classification Board advised festival organizers that the film could not be screened as it was likely to be refused classification. Under Australian law, films that are refused classification may not be imported, sold, or distributed, which precludes screening at public events. In defiance of this censorship, the Melbourne Underground Film Festival, which occurs concurrently with MIFF but screens films regarded as too controversial for the mainstream event, held an illegal screening of L.A. Zombie on the 29th of August. While police did not attend or stop the screening on the night they did raid the home of director Richard Wolstencroft on the morning of November 11, 2010. Wolstencroft admitted to police that an August 29 screening had occurred but claimed to have destroyed the only copy of the film afterwards. Victorian police have stated that he will face court at a later date.

Not surprisingly, Wolstencroft is now publicly supporting the Australian Sex party and their tolerance of sexual free speech and sexual expression. Too little too late? Respectable demonstration for free speech? Read all about it by following this link, and decide for yourself.

The Undead Take Over The Big Top!

Dan Barkasi



On October 23, there was an event at the famed Monroeville Mall (location of the infamous Romero masterwork, “Dawn of the Dead”) that was not to be missed by zombie fans near and afar. It was time for the “Zom-B-Rama” zombie carnival. What exactly is this? Well, it involves a ton of midway-style games with a zombified twist, along with various sideshows and other events.


To participate, visitors purchased coupons to in order to play the games, in which you win tickets to be redeemed for various zombie-related prizes. The setup was absolutely fantastic, with each game booth designed to morbidly fit the theme of a carnival gone undead. All sorts of fun games were there to be experienced. There was a zombie dart game, all with one of the hosts being dressed up as a Mexican zombie, complete with sombrero and a horn, serenading visitors with various mariachi songs.

A graveyard-themed ring toss was an enjoyable attraction, of which yours truly had the most success at out of all of the games. A beanbag toss was another bit of great fun, with the player throwing rubber brains instead of beanbags. There was a hammer game, where the host was most amusing, as well as a plinko game where your ball would fall into one of three skulls.

There was also a duck pond game where you pulled a duck floating in a barrel of water, and you received a prize. I got an awesome fuzzy spider! And the host to the duck pond was absolutely fantastic, as she was playing the part of a very schizophrenic and excitable zombie. Whenever you gave her a coupon to play, gave her the duck once you’ve chosen it, she clapped, jumped and groaned with glee. Her fun approach to hosting her game was clearly one of the highlights of the carnival.

Another game was a limb toss, where the player threw severed rubber hands through various holes in a neat zombie portrait. The host was also dressed as Snow White – a zombie Snow White, of course!

Near the dart throwing and hammer games was a captured zombie, placed in a cage. That didn’t stop him from trying to munch on passers by, however, as a frequent call for “brains” was uttered. Hilariously, he also screamed “tortilla” at the previously mentioned Mexican zombie. Great stuff, for sure!


There was also a sideshow act that was quite entertaining – a zombie magic show! This consisted of two zombie magicians pulling a rabbit out of a hat. And, well, the rabbit was in high demand, if you get my drift. The act ended in both hosts fighting each other for a bite of the rabbit. Learn to share, methinks!

A zombie-kissing booth lingered nearby as well, if anybody wanted to get an infectious smooch. A ping-pong ball toss was also included, with the player attempting to toss a ping-pong ball into a cup. Said cup was in a rubber brain, floating in a pool. Not too easy, as I certainly failed on this a few times!

Whenever you were done playing the games, you went to the prize redemption booth to turn in the tickets you’ve won for prizes. There were a lot of cool prizes to be had, including rubber brains, zombie stickers, action figures, etc. I got myself a cool “Machete” figure from “Land of the Dead.” Not too shabby!


The grand prize available was a gigantic stuffed teddy bear – aptly named Zom-Bear – who was completely zombified in the best way. To get this gem, it would require winning 200 tickets. Not impossible, but not easy either! We only got about a quarter of the way to that mark, but a lucky person (or a recently risen zombie with a penchant for carnival games) certainly must have gotten that many tickets and walked away with this unique piece of memorabilia.

Of course, there were a few celebrity guests wandering around the event. Most prominently, star of the original “Dawn of the Dead” Ken Foree was there, mingling with fans and zombies alike, and taking plenty of pictures and signing a lot of items. Mr. Foree is always a pleasure, and it was great to see him here having a good time. Also in attendance was Leonard Lies, aka “The Machete Zombie” from “Dawn of the Dead.” His role here was his making of a documentary film titled “Zombie Culture,” based on just that. Mr. Lies was also a judge for the costume contest (hosted by Ken Foree), along with David Crawford – who played Dr. James Foster in “Dawn of the Dead” – and Joe Shelby and Nick Tallo, also featured in “Dawn of the Dead.”


“Zom-B-Rama” was a phenomenally run event where everybody was having a great time, with plenty of fun things to do and great people to meet. The games were well-executed and fun to play, and all of the zombie volunteers made sure that everybody had fun and were in the zombie spirit. The zombie carnival was an inspired idea, and it was great to have an event that was in the Monroeville Mall, with this years’ annual zombie walk curiously being moved to another location in Pittsburgh. With any hope, this event becomes a tradition.

Zombert & Zernie Shirt

604 Republic has a great shirt available to all of us who love zombies AND enjoyed Sesame Street as a child.  Witness Zombert & Zernie! 

Aaah! Zombies! Movie Review

David Brown

We all like zombie movies and/or zombie literature, that is why we are a part of this site. In all the years I have been a fan, I have asked myself, the same question that I am sure many others have asked themselves. We all know how to spot a zombie, and how to kill a zombie, but there is one question that we always ask ourselves. What is it like to live life as a zombie, how does the world appear, and how do you go through some semblance of rational day to day life? Just when I thought that I would never get a true insight into this answer, along comes Aaah! Zombies! a great black and white / color movie that aims to answer that question and more.


Unlike movies like Shaun of the Dead, or Woke Up Dead, or even Fido, we are given a comedic view of the zombie's life from the creature we care about, the zombies themselves. To set the story, Aaah! Zombies! starts by showing old government footage of doctors administering a test super soldier serum to a soldier as the head doctor explains everything. Long story short, the serum is a failure and a few orderlies get killed. We are then given a great cartoon to correspond with the classic evolution of man, except at the end of this evolution cycle is a zombie.


With the great title sequence we are given a great comedic moment as we see the doctor cover up the barrels of serum with bulk infant formula stickers. They are then put on a transport truck which crashes and gets into a bowling aley's milk supply.  The milk, which appears neon green, and is the only color in a black and white film.  At this point, the milk is used to make some ice cream which two guys and their girlfriends eat and thus become zombies.  From here, the world shifts from black and white to technicolor and they see that the world is different.

Everything sounds odd and people seem to move very differently; Almost twice the speed that they do. They are unsure of what is going on until a military Private shows up to help them as he sees that they are having the same experience that he is. Without going into anymore details, I can say that the movie continues to what would be considered a happy ending and has lots of comedy along the way. There are limbs that come off, taking heads, and even dancing zombies celebrating after a bowling win.


The movie does a great job of showing the two worlds. The perspective of the zombies perfectly mingles with that of the humans.  The only humans who can understand the zombies and not freak out are the drunk ones. The acting is top notch in this movie and the story moves along very quickly. The only downfall of this film is that it ends. There are some great moments shown in this movie and I can honestly say that I have no complaints. If you love zombie movies and a good laugh, then look no further than Ahhh! Zombies!. This is a great movie that you will just want to eat up and watch multiple times to get all the leftovers.