The Greatest Zombie Move Ever
Jeff Strand
March 1, 2016; Trade paper, ISBN 9781492628149
Title: The Greatest Zombie Movie EverAuthor: Jeff Strand
Release Date: March 1, 2016
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
After producing three horror movies that went mostly ignored on YouTube, Justin and his filmmaking buddies decide it’s time they create something noteworthy, something epic. They’re going to film the Greatest Zombie Movie Ever. They may not have money or a script, but they have passion. And, after a rash text message, they also have the beautiful Alicia Howtz—Justin’s crush—as the lead.
With only one month to complete their movie, a script that can’t possibly get worse, and the hopes and dreams of Alicia on the line, Justin is feeling the pressure. Add to that a cast of uncooperative extras and incompetent production assistants, and Justin must face the sad, sad truth. He may actually be producing The Worst Zombie Movie Ever…
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Praise for The Greatest Zombie Movie Ever
“Strand's penchant for tongue-in-cheek humor and witty repartee is on full display here. Justin, Bobby, and Gabe have numerous exchanges that will have readers chuckling, snickering, and laughing out loud...A funny and spirited romp.” –Kirkus
“Fans of comical books rejoice as Strand has hit the zombie trend on its head with this one…Aspiring filmmakers, zombie movie fans, and reluctant readers should be entertained by this title.” –School Library Journal
“Readers will come away not only with stomachs aching from laughter but with the stars in their own eyes a little.” –Booklist
“[Strand] hits his stride with sarcastic conversation and the relationship dynamics. This novel will appeal to anyone trying to create something great against all odds—or anyone who needs a laugh.”-RT Book Reviews
Jeff Strand wrote the script for the short film Gave Up the Ghost, which has zombies in it for a few seconds, and was an associate producer on the short zombie film Chomp. In the event of an actual zombie attack, he would run around crying and screaming, “We’re all doomed!” and contribute very little to everybody’s chances for survival. He’s written a bunch of other books, including I Have A Bad Feeling About This and A Bad Day for Voodoo. Check out this website at jeffstrand.com
My Top Six Zombie Movies
NOTE: For this list, I'm going to be a zombie purist and say that the movies need to involve dead people coming back to life. Infected people (28 DAYS LATER), and possessed people (THE EVIL DEAD) don't count.
ANOTHER NOTE: To be a TRUE zombie purist, I'd have to count only voodoo zombies from Haiti, but there's no reason to be a nerd about it.
#6: DEAD/ALIVE. Before Peter Jackson won our hearts with the Lord of the Rings movies, and before he lost our hearts again with the Hobbit movies, he made one of the craziest and goriest movies of all time. Those New Zealanders are weird in the best possible way.
#5: DAWN OF THE DEAD (2004 version). I was one of the many people bellowing, “You can’t remake DAWN OF THE DEAD! How dare you??? How dare you???” But somehow this remake to a sequel (but not a sequel to the remake) turned out to be awesome. Not quite as good as the original but one of my all-time favorites.
#4: RE-ANIMATOR. I’ve now seen plenty of movies that are more over-the-top insane than RE-ANIMATOR, but this was the first movie where I simply couldn’t believe what I was watching. It was hard to believe that a movie so dark and gruesome could be so funny. Poor kitty.
#3: DAWN OF THE DEAD (1978 version). Shameful confession: When I first saw this in high school I thought it was stupid and boring. I don't know what was wrong with me. Fortunately, I matured and accepted that it’s one of the high points of zombie cinema. It’s the reason I know to duck before walking toward spinning helicopter blades.
#2: RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD. Fast zombies long before 28 DAYS LATER! The first time zombies ate brains! It rarely gets the credit it deserves, which fills me with geek-rage, but this is one of the most influential zombie movies ever.
#1: SHAUN OF THE DEAD. The greatest zombie comedy ever. The greatest zombie movie ever. The greatest MOVIE ever. I notice new jokes every time I see it.
The Dumber and Dumber movies--the plots are terrible, but the humor just takes me away from the day's cares.
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