Ghost Adventures at The Stanley Hotel tonight!

http://www.travelchannel.com/TV_Shows/Ghost_Adventures/Episodes_Travel_Guides/StanleyHotel

Review: Handling the Undead

I spent the pre-dawn hours this morning trying to digest Handling the Undead. Most zombie lit and movies are really more about fighting death, what it means to be alive, and our base terror of dying. Handling the Dead comes at zombies from a completely different angle. The “reliving” as they are called are limited to a small population in Sweden of people who died in the previous two months. The story is much more about how we as humans are instinctively at conflict between grieving for lost love ones and our innate revulsion of corpses and death. It is also a metaphysical discussion about the nature of souls, Death, and belief systems. Ultimately there are no easy answers and the concepts and characters continued to tumble around in my mind this morning.

Handling the Undead opens with an unexplained atmospheric and electrical disturbances. Soon the recently dead “awaken”. Instead of the dead appearing threatening, they are more like empty shells that are following an instinctive desire to return to their former lives.  This of course is met with fear and chaos.

David’s wife Eva has just been in a car accident and despite massive trauma, and unlike the rest if the dead, retains the power of speech when she returns. He has to deal with his extremely confused grief and also try and explain what has happened to his 9 year old son, Magnus. Mahler was a newspaper reporter before the death of his grandson, Elias. He breaks into the cemetery where the boy was buried two-months previously and steals his desiccated, but reliving, body before the military arrives to collect him. Flora and Elvy, a granddaughter and grandmother,  are surprised when Elva’s recently departed husband returns home in the middle of the night. For Elvy, this is proof of her Christian beliefs and she is sure the Rapture is near. Flora is more a believer in Marilyn Manson and the Resident Evil films and is not so convinced.

The book is really about these characters and how the impact of the reliving hits them emotionally and spiritually.  How Sweden and the world react to these events is smartly limited to short exposition between chapters. How loved ones react to the reliving returning is conflicted. They want to love the person, but the corpse is another matter. Love and revulsion. Also groups of the reliving, and whatever broke in the atmosphere that night, have unexpected side-effects on the living.

Author John Ajvide Lindqvist (Let the Right One In) does an excellent job creating small moments of real horror that get under your skin. There is minimal gore and the atmosphere of grief is very affecting. He does an excellent job  showing what events such as this would mean to a grieving parent, child, and spouse. This passage in particular got to me:  

But zoom in on one single child and there you hand and upholder of the world. A child with a mother and father, grandparents, relatives and friends. A child whose existence is necessary for the proper functioning of many lives. Children are fragile, and carry so many lives on their frail shoulders. Fragile is their world, controlled by adults. Everything is fragile.

Overall, this is an excellent addition to the genre and I loved the original take on the concept of zombies. My only criticism would be the ending. It felt like it needed something more. Even a simple epilogue acknowledging some of the loose ends. There were too many unanswered questions. Some characters got closure and some didn’t. Normally I would have no problem with that, but in this case it felt like they should have at least been acknowledged. The final scene with Elias and his mother is haunting. 

Handling the Undead
Author: John Ajvide Lindqvist
Hardcover: 384 pages
Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books
Pub Date: (September 28, 2010)
ISBN-13: 978-0312605254

How Dangerous is a Zombie?

http://movies.yahoo.com/feature/infographic-dangerous-zombies.html

Zombie 101

A Baltimore college professor has taken his love of pop culture and zombies and created a class for The University of Baltimore.

Professor Blumberg told the Baltimore Sun that, "Students will watch 16 classic zombie films (including "Zombi 2," in which a zombie fights a shark), read zombie comics and, as an alternative to a final research paper, have the chance to write scripts or draw storyboards for their ideal zombie flicks."

http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2010-09-06/news/bs-md-ub-zombies-20100906_1_zombie-apocalypse-prejudice-and-zombies-pop-culture

Legally Undead

Minneapolis will pay $165,000 to seven people who were dressed as zombies that were jailed after a street theater protest.
http://www.startribune.com/local/101273159.html

Press Release: Walk of the Dead event in Baltimore City During ComicCon

I just received this press release about a zombie walk in Baltimore this Saturday:

This is it!! The much anticipated Zombie Invasion of Baltimore City.

Due to the epic failure of the DC invasions creator not following through and still being a success to the enthusiastic response to the event regardless, ThE HoUsE of MisFiT ToYs has decided to sponsor an invasion of Baltimore City.

Starting in Federal Hill then traveling up Light St to Pratt St we will wreak undead havok on the Inner Harbor and then off to Fells... Point for a Bar Crawl up Odonnell St into Canton Square..

Our only request is that you put on your best undead faces and be respectful to the tenants and shop owners on our slow gruesome march through B-More.
Several media groups will also be photographing and covering the event, so put on your best ghoulish grin and grab some of the drink Specials available at participating Pubs and Restaurants in Fed Hill, Fells Pt, and Canton.

This event is free..
 We will be taking donations and also have t-shirts and other schwag available at the event to obviously cover permit costs and advertisement so throw us a rotting bloody hand to make this event the best zombie invasion yet. 
 
If you have any questions regarding the event, policies, or recommendations hit me up at jon@thehouseofmisfittoys.com or post your comments here.


Hey all quick update:
 In response to the Baltimore City Walk of the Dead. Myself and the promoters of ComicCon have decided to make the entire weekend "Zombie Weekend!!"

On Saturday Aug 28th, film crews will be following us on our mortifying trek through Baltimore, filming us for an upcoming Zombie Flick being filmed later this fall. I will be providing an actors agreement during the event if you wish to participate and will also be posting it online for you to fill out prior.

On Sunday Aug 29th, Comic Con will be offering FREE admission to anyone who is dressed as a zombie and have also added "zombie" to the ComicCon Costume Contest with a top prize of $1000!!!
 Saturdays Itinerary will be available this week as well as a much easier to access website for the event as well.

Rigor Mortis #3 will be Available in September!

You can pre-order now:

http://www.leekinginc.com/rigormortis/rm3.htm