An Island During a Zombie Outbreak; Movie Chat - Survival of the Dead

Using an Island During a Zombie Outbreak

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Movie Chat - Survival of the Dead

  

Book Chat

Once a week I’ll be discussing a Book or Movie/TV Series I love.  Or posting a submission from a reader/author about a movie or book in the horror or zombie genre. Sharing the love of a book or movie as if you were talking with a friend.

We continue with Book Chat and a review of a horror novel. 

Sit down, relax and let’s chat

The offering this week is an interesting book submitted by the talented horror author, Kelly M. Hudson. This review was previously published in Kelly's column, The Scrying Eye, in the October 2013 issue of BTS Book Reviews. After reading the blurb & review, I am adding this to my read list.:)

Book Chat

Once a week I’ll be discussing a Book or Movie/TV Series I love.  Or posting a submission from a reader about a movie or book in the horror or zombie genre.

Sit down, relax and let’s chat

The offering this week is a great book I just finished reading. Well, really reread.:) Don’t you love it when it’s been so long since you read a good book, you forgot the little details, but you still remember you really enjoyed it. And it went on your shelf as a future read again.

Rise Again by Ben Tripp

Blurb:

Forest Peak, California. Fourth of July. Sheriff Danielle Adelman, a troubled war veteran, thinks she has all the problems she can handle in this all-American town after her kid sister runs away from home. But when a disease-stricken horde of panicked refugees fleeing the fall of Los Angeles swarms her small mountain community, Danny realizes her problems have only just begun; starting with what might very well be the end of the world. Danny thought she had seen humanity at its worst in war-torn Iraq, but nothing could prepare her for the remorseless struggle to survive in a dying world being overrun by the reanimated dead and men turned monster. Obsessed with finding her missing sister against all odds, Danny’s epic and dangerous journey across the California desert will challenge her spirit . . . and bring her to the precipice of sanity itself. . . .

Before I give you my humble opinion on this book, let me just say that the author is very talented with prose. He writes descriptions that turn me pea-green with envy as a writer! Don’t believe me; here is an example:

“The road descending from the Adelman place into the Forest Peak was a scribble of tar a lane and a half wide through the steep woods. It curled upon itself like a rattlesnake gliding through the immense trees; heavy-browed ponderosa pine, Douglas fir with their thick scored skins, young black oak coming up the gulleys where the big trees let a little sunlight get through. The slope of the mountain was so steep here that the crowns of the trees on the downhill side were at the same height as the roots of the trees on the uphill side. It was a beautiful place, especially with the morning sun cutting through the mist.”

Ah, didn’t I tell ya.:) I can see the mountains and smell the pines.

My Book Review

Danny is quite the main character; flawed, a bit crazy, and such a kick-ass heroine you’d think she was on speed. The woman was relentless and seemingly unstoppable.

Things went downhill fast from the peaceful goings on with tourists at the planned 4^th of July event. First, the Sheriff got called in for because of a dead body. Kids who found him reported the downed body, saw him running down the mountain, arms flailing while screaming. No one knew what he was running from.

Soon, other people were running and screaming, filling up the little town quickly with unexpected guests. Many tourists got nervous; there were weird reports coming in from Los Angeles. Most of those left, or tried to, resulting in a huge traffic-jam.

Long story short here. People got stuck in town and all around the area. It didn’t take long for things to get worse. People started dropping dead; every person who had run screaming was effected. Not long after that, the supposedly dead folks started coming around. They seemed dumb, slow and addled.

My zombie alarms were flashing right and left. And rightly so. The undead started attacking anyone in town and soon their ranks swelled. Danny saves a small group of friends and strangers, getting everyone secured in a large RV. Not without a struggle, one that seemed near impossible, but the sheriff kept pulling off feats of heroism and insane actions in order to escape the zombie hordes.

The group travels across the desert to try and find a safe place. Danny doesn't disclose that she is also looking for her sister Kelly. Once the group is secure, she goes off alone, all the way to San Francisco. She finds a big city is more dangerous than small ones, as she thought.

The city was surrounded by thousands of zombies, and more being turned every day. Danny knew it was a ticking time bomb. She took the offer of going outside the safe zone with another woman; a crazy, heroic figure. This is where they first met the "hunters", zombies who were smarter and faster than their undead cousins.

Danny makes it back to her group, who were holed up in a safe place for the present. But while she was gone, mercenaries had taken over. Crazy Danny went up against armed Humvees and a tank to try and rescue her peeps. She got trapped in her car when it was blown up, at least partially. What she did to escape was truly insane. I don't  think I could do what she did, and I am sure only a few heroic types could do the same.

At the end, Danny finally finds her sister. It is a touching, sad scene. I don't want to give the ending away, but it took me by surprise. And now I am ordering the sequel, cause I gotta see what happens next!!

Link at Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Rise-Again-Ben-Tripp/dp/1439165165/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1466635474&sr=1-1&keywords=ben+tripp+zombies

Myra Nour

www.myranour.net

Night of the Living Dead

Securing the Farm House. What did they do right? What would you have done differently?

The most famous, quintessential representative of securing your home against the undead. Night of the Living Dead. This movie scared the crap out of me and I still can’t rewatch it at night.

As everyone who has ever watched this movie knows, there were two parts of the house that different characters secured – the main floor and the basement.

Ben and Barbara were taking care of the first floor. Well, mainly Ben, with a tiny bit of help from the “zombified” Barbara. Could you move any less? The married couple, Harry & Helen, their injured daughter, and the cute young couple were in the basement.

 The main floor was a nightmare to secure. Let's face reality -there were tons of windows and all within easy reach of undead hands. Ben didn't see any other choice at hand. I don't think he was aware of the basement, and even if he were, he was not cool about shutting himself down there.

He was lucky there were nails and a hammer in the house. He was smart, using the dining room table top and inside doors after he'd exhausted all the lumber he could find. Ben knew the zombies were weak, so I wonder if he thought they weren't strong enough to pull the boards off the windows and doors.

Ben also planned on escaping in the truck, so he probably considered the boarding up a a temporary measure only.

The basement on the other hand had one good point; access only at the basement door. The bad part of that was the door seemed awfully flimsy. I guess enough boards could be nailed in to make it fairly secure.

But then there was Ben's points - no escape if the door were breached, and no way to see outside. As it turned out, there was something really scary about the basement. 

So, did he do things right? I think based on what he knew at the time, he did. IF the trapped folks had known the zombies would wander off once things got quiet, I think hiding in the basement would have been better. Also, in this version of Romero's undead, they are very weak, often lying around during the daytime. So, the people may have been able to push their way past them once escaping the basement, even if the zombies still hung around the door.

Would you have done things differently? Christy and I have discussed these type scenarios and one area we feel is very neglected is the 2nd floor. Only one access point; the stairs. You could block them with furniture and hopefully fight off the zombies one at a time if they got through. Or as they attempted to get through.

IF there were a way to cut the stairs loose that would be ideal. Would need a chainsaw I guess. Would you have time to cut through all that wood. I dunno.

You would have access from all the windows upstairs so you could see what was going on around the whole house. Hopefully there would be an escape route you could take if the zombies got upstairs, like climbing out a window onto a tree limb and down to the ground. Heck, even the roof would be preferable to staying inside with a pack of hungry zombies.

Anyhoo, those were my thoughts on the subject. I'd love to hear from you - what would you do differently if anything?

An aside: As I was searching for images, I ran across the woman with her nude backside. It probably depends on which channel is showing the movie, but I've seen her before. I thought this was pretty risque for 1968. But I had never seen her front nude shot, which is in images. I guess that ended up on the editing floor. Gotta say the woman was nice looking for a zombie. LOL.

Myra Nour

www.myranour.net

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I also started a new group on FB - Zombies & Horror Loves. Please join if you love this genre and want to be involved in the group.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/12148831251970