Jane Austen, Hollywood Stars, and Zombies Oh My!

Todd Jepperson

(KEVIN WINTER/GETTY)

The undead horde grew to record breaking numbers last weekend when they invaded Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, CA. Bringing with them the brightest stars from the upcoming film adaptation of Jane Austen/Seth Grahame-Smith’s Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, they packed the theatre to the walls and grabbed the Guinness World record for most zombies reading Jane Austen at the same time. 

The A-listers showed up in their trendy best, but the zombies were clad in the disastrous ruins of once magnificent Romanticist gowns and Dapper period suits. By all accounts, everyone had a shambling good time. The stars aligned to present attendees with photo opportunities and even prizes for best makeup and costume. 

Interestingly enough though, everyone’s got a copy of the 1813 Jane Austen book and not the 2009 Seth Grahame-Smith adaptation that the upcoming movie is actually based on. In case you have forgotten, or haven’t read the book, here’s the blurb from the back:

“So begins Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, an expanded edition of the beloved Jane Austen novel featuring all-new scenes of bone-crunching zombie mayhem. As our story opens, a mysterious plague has fallen upon the quiet English village of Meryton--and the dead are returning to life! Feisty heroine Elizabeth Bennet is determined to wipe out the zombie menace, but she’s soon distracted by the arrival of the haughty and arrogant Mr. Darcy. What ensues is a delightful comedy of manners with plenty of civilized sparring between the two young lovers--and even more violent sparring on the blood-soaked battlefield. Can Elizabeth vanquish the spawn of satan? And overcome the social prejudices of the class-conscious landed gentry? Complete with romance, heartbreak, swordfights, cannibalism, and thousands of rotting corpses, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies transforms a masterpiece of world literature into something you’d actually want to [see].”

To read more, hop on over to People.com. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies is slated to infect theaters nation-wide on February 4th.

World War Z: Full Trailer!

Jamie Kennedy

First it was postponed from December to summer of this year, then it needed an almost complete re-write; but if you've been excited about the World War Z film, here's a little something to keep you going.


World War Z looks bad ass! Its definitely a movie I would pay to see. The graphics are amazing and the action is unreal. It's the sort of flesh-eating, undead nightmare that keeps you up at night.

The zombie outbreak spreads world-wide, so the UN steps in and sends Brad Pitt to try and stop it. I'm really curious to see how it'll all ends, so you can count on me buyin' tickets!

Night of The Living Dead 2012

Matt Boiselle If the almighty one himself, Mr. George A. Romero, had struck a deal with the devil many moons ago to reap the rewards of EVERY zombie movie that had been put out after his 1968 classic, he would be a rich........well, he would be a LOT richer. While it appears right now that the release date on this remake will be October 1st, 2012, we here at Zombies & Toys will let you draw your own conclusions as what to expect after viewing the teaser trailer which can be accessed by clicking on the pic.

Distributed by V2 pictures and re-imagined by director Matt Cloude, this film claims to not only pay homage to the original spookshow, but expand on the storyline to further delve into what happened the night the dead returned to walk the earth. While boasting mainly an independent cast, the movie does have one rather huge name in the credits, Judith O' Dea, who played Barbara in the Romero-helmed classic. While NOT to be confused with Night Of The Living Dead 3D: Re-Animation, which is also releasing this year and stars Jeffrey Combs and Andrew Divoff, zombie fans should be appeased at another opportunity to witness some undead carnage on-screen.

Save the Chapel

Matt Boiselle If you are a hardcore zombie fan and generally a lover of the undead as a whole, then the 1968 classic film Night Of The Living Dead, is most likely a staple in your everyday flesh-eating thought process. Unfortunately, the sands of time can be cruel and unforgiving to the purists, and in the following instance, this has proven true once again. Evans City Cemetary in PA, which was one of the main focal points used in the film, has been stricken by the aforementioned sands of time, rendering the Chapel in a state of ruin. The building itself, which has been used as a storage shed for the past decades will require a $ 50,000 repair fee to restore itself to its former state. However, a group of die-hard and devoted NOTLD fans are forming together on FaceBook and at organized fundraisers to resurrect a cinematic landmark. Gary Streiner, the sound engineer on the original film, and grassroots leader of NOTLD festivals in both 2008 & 2009, is spearheading the beneficial efforts to rehab the hallmark. Amongst the donations that have already been recieved, FixtheChapel.com has been selling posters, engraved paved bricks, and scheduling walking tours and vow renewals to help with the costs. If you have the time and a few bucks to spare, head on over to the site and pick up a poster, or just paypal them a donation, and help to preserve a piece if cinematic history.

Night of the Living Dead: Resurrection

Todd Jepperson


In 2012,the deceased have risen from their graves with only one instinct-to feed on the living. As academics speculate on the scientific cause of the phenomena, theologians point to the Armageddon foretold in the Book of Revelation. As the cities are over run and civilization crumbles, a family take refuge from the undead army in an isolated farmhouse in West Wales. But the greatest threat is already among them.

This is the premise of the newest re-imagining of George Romero's classic, Night of the Living Dead. North Bank Entertainment, along with Independent Moving Pictures and Mad Science Films, have teamed up and gotten behind director James Plumb to release this british remake of the 1968 paradigm Zombie flick. Filming is set to begin on September 24th 2011 in Carmarthenshire, Swansea and Cardiff, South Wales, UK.

(click for bigger zombies)

Thanks to Bloody Disgusting for the heads up. Keep following the production of this film right here on Zombies and Toys. Remember, "They're coming to get you, Barbara."

WWZ Production Photos

Todd Jepperson


These have been buzzing around the WWW this week, so we thought we'd give you a sneek peek. Here are the set photos from the Hollywood adaptation of Max Brooks' World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War.

World War Z Cast Expands

David Brown

It has been a while since we have heard any major news concerning World War Z. Last we new Brad Pitt was attached, but things have changed now and more details are being revealed as far as casting is confirmed.  It seems the latest name to become attached to the movie is Matthew Fox, best known for his role on the TV show Lost.  Fox is apparently signed on to play a character currently known only as "Parajumper".  Besides Fox there are other big names attached to the movie including aforementioned Brad Pitt, James Badge Dale, Mireille Enos and Ed Harris.  Marc Foster of Quantum of Solace and Finding Neverland movie fame is set to direct, while J. Michael Stracynski a writer of many Twilight Zone episodes is set to write the script.

The plot, for those of you not familiar with the novel is such:  It’s 10 years after a zombie apocalypse has hit the world and left it in a bit of a shambles. Brad Pitt is a researcher for the U.N. Postwar Commission and James Badge Dale is a solder named Captain Speke, who tries to warn the military about the oncoming zombie threat and as a result is locked up in a detention centre when the war begins. The storyline is patched together from testimonials of different people all around the world, giving their perspective on the zombie outbreak.

Also a further bit of new to pass along.  The movie is scheduled to begin shooting next month and has been announced to be filmed in Malta, London, Glasgow and Elstree Studios.  We will definitely keep you updated as we receive more details, but one thing is for sure, this movie is looking like it will help slingshot zombies back to their rightful place at the top of the horror ladder.

Zombie Farm - Movie Review

David Brown

If you are any fan of zombie movies or the zombie subculture in general, you will know that there are multiple types of zombies. We have the traditional zombies, in the sense that they are born of a virus or some other bacteria spread through fluidic contact. You also have the voodoo zombie that is born of black magic and usually controlled by a master or mystical item. Zombie Farm goes with the latter type of zombies.

The story is that of a woman looking for a way to stop the abuse from her husband with the help of a voodoo priestess, producing some unforeseen results when she awakens to find her husband zombified. The main story arc is intersected with that of an independent filmmaker who sets out to expose a fraudulent faith healer after her piece on domestic violence is rejected by the studio. In the process she herself becomes involved in a struggle to survive the surrounding undead.

The film itself is one that turns into a hit or miss depending on your preference for your zombie movies. In this instance, the zombie film is used as a platform for the profound social issues of abuse and the loss of Mexican-American culture through Americanization. There is also the fact that this is not a movie for those who enjoy gore alone. The gore here is lite at best with very few blood soaked sets. There is also the problem that this movie totally ignores the time honored tradition of the headshot. This can be excused due to the presence of mysticism, but is still a change that some will have to get used to.

A big problem for me in the whole movie is that it is very slow to start and hard to get into due to some sound issues on the DVD that I watched. There are many scenes that feel very stale at the get go, utilizing characters that don’t feel very real themselves. There are also some plot points, however minor they may be, that are underutilized (think an old lady who is bitten, but never reappears as a zombie later on).

Despite the sometimes stale acting, mild scares and low blood supply, there is still a decent movie experience to be had if you can get past the slow start. My experience showed that setting through this movie will yield a profound discussion on Latino culture and the subject of abuse. At the end of the day however you will need to realize one thing; if you are a fan of the gory zombie movies in the vein of Zombieland or Dawn of the Dead then this is not a movie for you. Fans of movies like Zombie Honeymoon or Attack of the Vegan Zombies though should find something to enjoy.

Zombie Farm runs around 90 minutes and is released by Maya Studios. It stars Khotan, Adriana Catano, Roberto Montesinos and Monica Munoz.

Summit to Produce Warm Bodies

David Brown

While some may say that the Twilight series is too commercialized, few will argue that Summit Entertainment has hit gold with their screen adaptations of the popular vampire series. They are now hoping to do it again. This time, they are bringing us zombies with the adaptation of the book, Warm Bodies. The story centers around a zombie named R that falls for one of his victims’ girlfriends and then starts a relationship with her. So far we know that Nicholas Hoult, who plays Beast in the upcoming X-Men: First Class, is set to star. The book was released in the U.K. in the fall and will be released in the U.S. on April 26.

You can read our review of Warm Bodies here and see what author, Isaac Marion, had to say to us here.

Justin Beiber in Zombieland 2?

David Brown


Anyone who has seen the original Zombieland will remember the surprise cameo. It has been revealed that there will be a cameo in the sequel as well.  Recently, Abigail Breslin from the original Zombieland has hinted that Justin Beiber would be perfect for a cameo in Zombieland 2. While this has yet to be confirmed, it would be an interesting cameo to say the least for the movie.

What do you guys all think? Would Justin Beiber make a great zombie? Who would you like to see as a zombie in the next Zombieland? Let us know what you think in the comments below and stay tuned for any updates on Zombieland 2 as they become available.

image provided by Billy Tackett

Help A Fellow Reader Become A Zombie

I have mentioned before that Zombies & Toys is a site for  you, the reader.  Through the years, I have been able to make quite a few new friends and I hope many of you have also.  Well, one of our own has the opportunity to win a walk-on role as a zombie in the upcoming movie, Outpost 2.

Steven Uden has been an active member of our community since the beginning and he needs our assistance.  Being one of our readers from across the pond, he has entered a contest to be a zombie in a movie filming in the UK.  He is probably one of the only people I know whose own makeup application could rival a professional's.  You have a look at the pictures below and tell me if you disagree.  But I digress...

Help Steven fulfill his dream which is probably one that we all share.  I mean, who reading this wouldn't want to be a zombie in a motion picture?  I am asking everyone reading this to leave a comment under Steven's photo on this Facebook page.  That's it.  It'll take less than two minutes of your time to help one of our own fulfill a dream and make a memory that will last a lifetime.

Good luck, Steven!

Pet Cemetary Remake in the Works

David Brown

If you have watched a movie in the past year, you have probably noticed that Hollywood is going full force with remakes and reboots. There is now news coming from the LA Times that the Stephen King chiller, Pet Cemetery, is in the pipes to be remade. The 1989 movie was a phenomenon that left many unnerved with some very graphic images and themes. It told the tale of a zombie-raising cemetery that afflicts a family moving into small-town Maine.

Matthew Greenberg, the writer for the great adaptation of “1408” is set to turn in his script for a new version. Details, aside from this, are very limited as the plans are just starting to develop.  However, there is news that executives at Paramount have put out word that at least two representatives in the agent community are seeking a high-level director for the material. Let’s keep our fingers crossed that this becomes a remake along the lines of greats before such as Dawn of the Dead and doesn’t fall into obscurity like the Nightmare on Elm Street remake.

After Dark Films Brings us Re-Kill

David Brown

If you follow the horror community you will recognize After Dark Films, the geniuses behind the Horrorfest series of movies. For the past few years they have released 4 sets of 8 movies each showcasing much of the upcoming talent in the horror world. This year they are starting a whole new set calling them the After Dark Films Originals. One of the movies being released under this series is the aptly named Re-Kill. The film was originally slated to be released alongside the other films in the series, but has now been pulled back in order to give it a mainstream theatrical release. Details aren’t available at this point as to what the exact date will be but the trailer and international poster below really shows us how great this movie will be. The plot synopsis as provided by After Dark Films is as follows:

Set five years after an outbreak, a zombie menace is supposed to be waning. But the brave men and women of R-Division, who find and destroy the undead, are seeing signs of a second Outbreak which humanity may not survive. The footage about the men and women of R-Division and their grim, dangerous but essential job of exterminating re-animated humans, was shot the week previous by an embedded journalist during a long, deadly day.
Only the film survived.

Zombies Ate My Neighbors film in Development

David Brown

image: Drew Falchetta (drewfalchetta.com)

If you were a child of the 90s or know someone who owned a Super Nintendo, you will no doubt have heard of the game, Zombies Ate My Neighbors. The tagline for the game reads, “It happened one typical night in suburbia; Two best friends amongst a sea of teenage angst battle for safety against the mysterious uprising of neighborhood zombies.” This was a game that you could play thousands of times and not get bored with. We have learned that a screenplay, written by John Darko, exists. The film is looking for financiers, although reports are suggesting that all is going well. The movie is a coming of age story that will borrow from the game. Everything points to this being an independent production.  So far, Darko will be producing with April Wade and Ahmed al Baker. Look for more details soon.

No Tomorrow Continues Filming in Chicago

David Brown



If you live in Chicago, then prepare to see your city in a zombie movie called No Tomorrow. No Tomorrow is the story of a traveling man who loses his family in the early global outbreak. Several months later, he’s become a battle hardened warrior surviving on his own, and as he journeys to safer lands, he rediscovers his humanity along the way. Director Frank Ziede along with Chris Pluchar and a ton of local talent and crew are working together to complete this film. At this point, they still need some more people to help them make the movie a reality. There is a teaser trailer, shot on a red one camera, up on the official website along with photo galleries, media, and a survival kit. If you are interested in helping, you can do so by contacting Chris Pluchar at notomorrowthemovie@gmail.com.

The Zombie Farm Releases March 8th on DVD

David Brown

What could be better or scarier than voodoo awakened zombies? I thought so.  Maya Entertainment will terrify us with these ghouls on March 8th when The Zombie Farm is released on DVD. Directed by Ricardo Islas, the movie follows a young woman who seeks asylum from her domestically abusive husband by visiting with a local voodoo priestess. The woman is warned that her husband may change if given a special potion. The wife is relieved, but wakes up in bed next to a zombie. Her husband, now a zombie, becomes the leader of a zombie uprising. The Zombie Farm was filmed in both English and Spanish. It has a running time of 90 minutes and is not rated.

"Colin" Director in Process of Making New Film

David Brown

The BBC website is reporting that Marc Price, the director best known his debut movie “Colin”, is filming a new movie.  Price's "Colin" is mostly known for being filmed on a budget of less than $100 before selling over 20,000 copies of the DVD. His second film is in the process of shooting and is reported to be a road movie, following him through his home city and employing some big name actors as well as locals taking on the parts of extras. There is a nice video that can be seen by clicking here, that gives us a good update on Price, and what he is doing. I highly recommend watching it.

If you would like a chance to win a free copy of Colin on DVD, don't forget to enter this month's contest.

Followed Trailer Now Available

A few weeks back, we brought you some info about a mysterious new zombie film.  Followed, is based on the critically acclaimed short story from Hugo Award winning author Will McIntosh.  It's the story of a socially-responsible professor and how his perfect world is threatened by the appearance of a tag-along zombie child."

Well, we now have a trailer to show!  We'll have more news as it's available.

Ghost Lake - movie review

David Brown



While browsing the local video store, I found the two for one dollar section. Naturally I did the first thing that came to mind and started searching for some fun movies to watch. I looked in the z section first and sadly found no zombie movies. I then searched the u section and found no undead movies. Feeling like I was defeated I went in search of the d section during which time I passed along the g section. It was there that Ghost Lake jumped out at me. It showed a nice image of a ghastly figure coming forward out of a lake. I picked it up and read the back during which I found a summary detailing zombies coming from a cursed lake to hunt their victims every 13 years.

With DVD clutched in my hand, I completed the rental transaction and was on my way home. A few days of work made it impossible to watch more than a brief glimpse of it. It was only tonight that I was able to sit down and give it my full attention. First and foremost I want to say that the menu layout is very muddled with every option except for play being at the bottom of the screen, causing you to miss the play option if you didn’t search carefully. This was the first warning that the movie was not as good as it billed itself.


From here the movie only went down hill at a brisk pace. We are given as the box described a story of a cursed lake. Our main character runs to the lake in the small town following the death of her parents due to a gas leak. This gas leak by all common sense should have been clear and odorless as it was leaking from the stove, but the film ruins this by making it appear the color of fog. It is one thing to have the viewer suspend their disbelief for zombies and ghosts but to make them think a gas leak appears like a fog is a bit too far for me.


Bad effects aside there are kills that happen on screen at times where no actual fake blood is used. I kid you not there was a scene where a person was bludgeoned and fake digitized/cartoon blood was splashed on the screen. There is also a laughable puppet that is supposed to be a drowned girl that is one thing to see on a table, but totally becomes worse once it start to move and talk. Truly we have a laughable movie that feels so disjointed that you have to force yourself to keep watching. In watching the behind the scenes, we have our director saying eh didn’t want to have blood in the film, which I think is a laughable concept considering the amount of needless tna that is shown.


We have a film with a very think plot that easily become predictable. You find after about 50 minutes of watching that the rest of the movie is one that you the viewer could have created better. The director praises the film for being so good on a small budget, but I have seen movies with far less do so much more. (If you want to know what I mean go read the review of the Italian Zombie Movie). One other big complaint is that it is never really clear whether you are watching a zombie movie or a ghost movie, with even the director never being honest. In what has been said I feel that I am still giving this film too much credit.


In being fair, it tries to give us a decent story of a cursed lake and a woman trying desperately to stop it. If you have someone who wants to give you a good laugh then watch this movie... with caution. It is a sad attempt at a ghost movie and an even sadder attempt at a zombie movie. It is a film where zombies eat no flesh nor hunger for brains. It is a sad train wreck of a movie and a cheap attempt to cash in on the word itself. Like any good hunter, if you see this movie, treat it like a zombie and stop it before it reaches the rest of civilization.

Blood Lodge Movie Announced

David Brown

According to reports from about a week ago, a star of The Sopranos, Vincent Pastore and former porn star Jasmin St. Claire are set to star in a newly announced movie named Blood Lodge. The film is set to be co-produced by Joel Reed, known for directing the 1976 film Bloodsucking Freaks, and is being described as “Zombieland meets Dazed and Confused.” It is also set to be written and directed by Kevin Orosz.


The only plot revealed thus far is that “A zombie attack happens in the fictional town of Ten Acres while a group of friends travel for a ski weekend.” Orosz goes on to say “The group unites with other guests staying at the Ten Acres Lodge and tries to stay alive by fighting the zombies.” We will keep you updated on any news we receive on this movie, as it is set to hopefully debut next year on the indie scene via Graffiti Playhouse Productions.