• 1932 The White Zombie: Bela Lugosi plays a vodou master enlisted to zombiefy a young bride.
• 1943 I Walked with a Zombie: Loosely adapted from Jane Eyre, the movie traces the dark discoveries of a nurse hired to care for a plantation owner’s catatonic wife.
• 1956 Plan 9 From Outer Space: Edward D. Wood Jr.’s cult classic has aliens resurrecting zombies in a plan to conquer Earth.
• 1962 Carnival of Souls: A young woman survives a car crash only to be pursued by zombies.
• 1968 Night of the Living Dead: George Romero’s cult classic about seven unfortunates surrounded by hungry, flesh-eating zombies.
• 1985 Return of the Living Dead: A spoof of Romero’s classic, this time the zombies are attacking teens.
• 1985 Re-Animator: Loosely based on H.P. Lovecraft’s serial novella, the dead are revitalized by a serum.
• 1988 The Serpent and the Rainbow: Based on the book by famed ethnobotanist Wade Davis, this movie takes the view to Haiti, home of true zombies.
• 1989 Pet Sematary: Based on Stephen King’s bestselling novel, the dead rise again in Maine.
• 1992 Dead Alive: Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson’s gore-drenched movie about a young man who plays caregiver for his zombie mom.
• 2002 Resident Evil: Based on the popular video game, commandos infiltrate an underground lab manned by ravenous zombies.
• 2003 28 Days Later: A virus infects humans with a murderous rage and turns them into zombies.
• 2004 Dawn of the Dead: This remake of a 1978 Romero film, made $60 million.
• 2004 Shaun of the Dead: Independent film and large moneymaker about zombies combining horror and comedy.
• 2005 Corpse Bride: Tim Burton directs this darkly humorous animated tale about a bride who comes back from the dead.
• 2006 Slither: A mysterious meteor infected with a deadly alien plague turns the inhabitants of a small hunting town into space zombies.
• 2009 Zombieland: Zombies get the short end of the stick when Woody Harrelson starts swinging.
• The Crazies: Remake of the 1973 George A. Romero cult classic of the same name, a government plane carrying a biochemical weapon crashes into a lake and, well, let’s just say: Don’t drink the water.
• 2010 Survival of the Dead: On an island off the coast of Delaware … the Irish are feuding, of course. This time it’s about zombies.

To name a few, but there are many, many more … they just keep coming ...

—Erin Orison, DEAD LOVE/the Daily Slice

Well, things move slowly there, which is precisely why it is the perfect place for zombies to congregate. So, we of the DEAD LOVE cast of characters are not surprised to hear that Cuba has finally embraced the undead.

Juan of the Dead or Juan de los Muertos is the second film by 34-year-old writer-director Alejandro Brugues, who like many Cubans is quite creative in the salvage and reuse of old stuff (that old ‘57 Chevy, for example). He has taken the zombie story, which we all know has a sociopolitical message buried deep in its creepy core, and given it a Cuban spin. When a contamination—thought to be U.S. engineered (so Cuban)—hits the shores of the island, Juan makes a killing on zombie killing

According to the AP report, Spain’s La Zanfona Producciones, two Spanish television channels, the government of Spain’s Andalucia region and the state-run Cuban Institute of Art and Cinematography are backing the film with a $2.1 million budget— small potatoes unless you are in Cuba where, according to one of the co-producers, most films are made for under $300,000. A huge hunk of that budget will go to special effects. Yeah!

So in one fell swoop, Cuba jumps from the early 20th Century to the zombie apocalypse. That’s progress!

—Erin Orison, DEAD LOVE/the Daily Slice

The books would go with me to Geneva, then to France, then to Ireland, from one school to the next, until they would be forgotten somewhere in the long succession of moves. By then I would know them, not by the content, which was dull, but by a few curious entries and my mother’s penciled notes in the margins. Of these the most provocative were a few passages on the Djinn, from the Arabic junna, meaning angry or possessed. Some of the text was complex, full of fragments from the Qur´an* and other mystical references. They spoke of the Djinn as creatures of smoke and fire that preceded humans in creation but who were without material form, though they could assume a shape or identity if desired. These were the first beings, creatures of great power, uninhibited by physical constraints and invested with vast energies, sentience and ferocity. Like humans, they possessed free will. Among the choices they were allowed to make was whether or not to serve mankind. Some agreed; others did not, and some, fascinated by humankind, found ways to dominate, succor or suppress  us.

Next to one of the passages, Lizette had penciled what read like a poem. Her handwriting was shaky, the spidery letters so hard to read: Human or Djinn? One is love, the other life. I choose love. I am forsaken. The passage next to which my mother had written these lines explained the six major tribes of Djinn: the Jinn (this is where the term, genie, comes from; they chose to serve); the Jann; the Marid; the Shaitan (non-servers, enemies, in fact, and the tribe that gives us the serpent, Satan); the Ifrit; and finally, that stalker of the necropolis, ghost of the graveyard, irreverent and decidedly unsubservient low-life lover of the dead, the Ghul .

—DEAD LOVE/Chapter 8.3/Ghul-ish Thoughts

BUY THE BOOK!

*Allah Almighty says: “And I (Allah) created not the jinns and humans, except they should worship Me (Alone).” (Adh-Dhariyat: 56)

Delightfully disgusting, Dead Love is the new horror genre at its best. Fans of Twilight, World War Z, and Neil Gaiman will devour this fine novel whole.

—Claire Rudy Foster, ForeWord

Read the entire review here.

And BUY THE BOOK!

—Erin Orison, DEAD LOVE/the Daily Slice

Imagine the fungus Ophiocordyceps unilateralis as the bokor and the poor little carpenter ant as the zombie. Yes, it’s a horror that has been going on for 48 million years according to The Guardian science correspondent Ian Sample.

Apparently this clever parasitic fungus not only infects and feeds on the ant, but manages to control its brain and behavior, driving the bedeviled creature to leave its colony, wander about, and eventually bite violently into the center vein of certain leaves where it locks into position in its final death grip as the fungus sprouts from its head and releases a pod of more poisonous spores into the forest environment!

Horrors!

And … this can infect huge groups of ants at once, so that the carnage is vast. Sound familiar?

Just thought I’d bring you all this zombie science moment. Lovely little picture of an unfortunate ant sprouting a spore pod in the referenced article. Just follow the link.

—Erin Orison, DEAD LOVE/the Daily Slice

To kick-off listen in as author Linda Watanabe McFerrin and Lilycat discuss the zombie invasion right down to its dark roots. Yeah!  Also on the show is the Director of Paranormal Research and “The Witch” and Matt Delight, author of the graphic novel series “Zombies and Broken Hearts.”

You’ll be treated, of course, to a bit of DEAD LOVE on the air: sex, death or dismemberment anyone? This is FCC-free radio at its best. So join the fray on September 5th at 107.3 FM at 12-2pm, PST, for Lilycat on Stuff and see what all the noise is about.

To catch Lilycat and Linda’s a Fourth of July gab about zombies and vampires and cookouts, you can listen in at your leisure. Conversation starts after the crazy musical intro; feel free to skip ahead. A couple of callers asked great questions like, “What to do about a kid obsessed with zombies?” The solution is revealed. Great nighttime listening.

Oh, and don’t forget to call in an share your DEAD LOVE mania!

Call in during the show: STUDIO LINE – 415-513-5239 – to chat or creep us out with your news and views.

Podcasts on crazy subjects with fascinating humans up on www.lilycat.com/radioshows.html

Lilycat on Stuff – Sundays 12-2PM (PST)
-http://FCCFREERADIO.com – 107.3 FM

Podcast of previous show with Linda and Lilycat: Listen.

—Erin Orison, DEAD LOVE/the Daily Slice

Zombie art courtesy of Bart Frescura, copyright Bart Frescura

Vaccination or contamination? The zombie patrol project has identified problems with various vaccinations. If you are compulsive about “shooting up” every year or forcing it upon your loved ones, you might want to think about what’s in the syringe. Here’s a zombie contamination alert that has recently gone viral. Sent to me by one of my health-conscious pals who swears you should think carefully before you donate your body to science or you could become a vaccine zombieeeeeee … warrrrrrgh!

—Erin Orison, DEAD LOVE/the Daily Slice

—Erin Orison, DEAD LOVE/the Daily Slice

Q. What’s going on with zombies?

A. Zombies are huge right now! Forget about those silly little “Vampires” that shimmer and sparkle! In the last year or so it seems like Zombies have had a sort of rebirth, between lots of new books, a bunch of mainstream movies coming out as well as a ton of low budget pics and the announcement that AMC will be turning Robert Kirkman’s “The Walking Dead” into a TV series, Zombies are alive, or is that undead, and well!

Q. What is your relationship with zombies and how did it begin?

A. I was born the same year George A Romero’s “Dawn of the Dead” made its way onto the big screen (1978) and 7 or so years later I was foolish enough to watch the movie on TV, and even with all the TV editing it still scared the living crap outta me! That was my introduction to what would end up being a life long (thus far) love affair with the Undead.

Q. What part do zombies play in your day-to-day life?

A. Well, as my fiance would say, “No, we are NOT having a Zombie themed wedding!” I run a site dedicated to Zombie News and Entertainment, which I try to update daily, I have Zombie Action Figures in my bedroom, own several dozen Zombie books and I’m constantly picking up new ones, not to mention the countless DVD’s, T-shirts, posters, and anything else Zombie related. So yea, they don’t take up too much of my time…..

Q. What is a Michigan zombie? Do you consider yourself one?

A. A Michigan Zombie is someone who supports their local community, whether it be authors, film makers, artists, actors, movies, shows, products, shops, or anything else Zombie related. Its real easy for someone to promote a George Romero or a Max Brooks, their names don’t need much explanation in the Zombie community, but not everyone is willing to give the little guys a chance. Folks like Wolfman Mac here in MI who created, produces, and hosts a nationally syndicated TV show in South East Michigan, called “Wolfman Mac’s Chiller Drive-In.” Or guys like Ron DiPrimio who just finished principal photography on the low budget “For Love of Zombies”. And all the authors out there who cant catch a break from the big publishing houses, folks like these need the love and support from their communities and Zombies abroad, remember, without them the Zombie genre would become extinct, so become a community Zombie and support the little guys! I do what I can to help, I know how hard it can be to get buried behind the big dogs!

Q. What’s up with the ZombieHoard website and all? Your involvement?

A. Zombie Hoard is very much a labor of love for me, I’ve always been fascinated by all the news and entertainment available on the web and I figured why not combine my love for Zombies and messing around with web design and created ZombieHoard.com. Its pretty much a one man operation, with the occasional guest review, which I’m always looking for btw! It gets to be a bit much at times, but its always worth the time when I see folks enjoying it!

Q. How do you keep zombies from doing a time suck, or is it OK for zombies to be a time suck?

A. Well, with two step-daughters and a pregnant fiance running around the house I’m lucky to have a few hours to myself sometimes! In all honesty I’m real lucky to be able to dedicate a few hours a day to all things Zombie, but my family definitely comes first, especially in the summer! If I have to choose a weekend of camping over Zombies the latter doesn’t stand a chance!

Q. What other dark matter attracts you?

A. I’ve been a huge horror buff since I was in my moms belly, lol, I blame her, she got me addicted to horror at a young age and I haven’t turned back! Everything from books to movies to action figures! Zombies will always be first on my list, but my all time favorite slasher is Mike Myers! The original “Halloween” is one of my favorite movies to this day, and I’ve put a curse on Rob Zombie for screwing him up! If its horror and gore related I’m willing to have a look, no matter how bad!###

See what I mean? Rad is bad. And he brings up a very important issue about having to abandon the zombies for camping. I say, “Take the zombie fever along.” I’ll have to give him a few tips on zombie camping.

—Erin Orison, DEAD LOVE/the Daily Slice

“And you, poor child,” said the friend turning to me, “put on some warm clothes. Lizette would be horrified by the chill in this place.”

Later I heard her talking to the men in suits. “So Christian is the executor? Oh, even in death she keeps trying to please him. And Erin becomes the new victim of his neglect.”

The new victim of his neglect—I have played those words over again and again in my head: those words and the cold, the wet garden smell, the aroma of coffee, the voices murmuring in the parlor, and what I did after that.

—DEAD LOVE/Chapter 8.2/Ghul-ish Thoughts

BUY THE BOOK!