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Director Matthew Butler talks with LDM about E'Gad Zombies! … Check it out!

Fighting Owl Films stopped by to tell us about their new zomedy called The Night Shift. …Read about it here....

Conor McMahon gives us the scoop on an awesome web series based in Ireland called The Zombie Busters. …Here is what he had to say.

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The Zombie Bashers - Irelands elite zombie disposal unit

Posted February 1, 2010

Conor McMahon is the director of the new zombie series called The Zombie Bashers and was nice enough to contact LDM about his newest project. Here is a bit more about the story and premise behind this awesome series.

The Story:

‘Call today, and we’ll cull tomorrow!’

Zombie Bashers is a madcap online series which launches on the RTE storyland website on January 29th 2010, and needs your vote!

It follows the life and times of Pascal and Mick who roam the country killing the walking dead for a nominal fee. The lads set up their company after the country was infested by a plague of Zombies and the government was too bankrupt to fight it. The zombies in this show are seen more as vermin and an annoyance.

For a while business was booming for the bashers, but now, like most businesses, the recession has tightened its grip on proceedings. Add to that the fact that a rival zombie extermination team from America, known only as the ZTU, seem to have a monopoly on all zombie hits.

As the series progresses, the rivalry between the lads and the ZTU intensifies and it becomes apparent that things are not quite as they seem. And as the HSE rolls out its anti Zombie vaccine, the lads’ livelihood is called into question Can Zombie Bashers survive the recession? As the series reaches its dramatic climax, the lads are faced with their toughest decision ever, when a routine operation goes disastrously wrong & Paddy is bitten.

Will the bashers become the bashed?

The Background:

Zombie Bashers is the brainchild of young screenwriter Stephen Shields from Clondalkin. Stephen has been an avid writer since studying on a film production diploma at Ballyfermot College of Higher Education. Since completing the course, he has had a number of scripts optioned and one about Celtic mythology is about to enter production in Hollywood.

Stephen met director Conor McMahon at a networking event which brought together members of the Screenwriters Guild of Ireland, and the Directors Guild. Conor has directed 2 feature films ‘Dead Meat’ for the Irish Film Board, and more recently ‘The Disturbed’. The kernel of an idea that became Zombie Bashers came about when both Conor and Stephen were sick with flu (not the swine kind), but it led to them thinking about such outbreaks and plagues, and before long zombies were brought into the equation too.

The first 2 episodes were plotted out in a matter of hours, with referential nods to Ghostbusters and 2001 A Space Odyssey considered a must. After completing the first 2 scripts, Conor approached producer Ruth Treacy, one of the managing directors of Tailored Films, to discuss entering the series into Storyland for RTE. Ruth and Conor both studied the film production degree at the National Film School, IADT, and have collaborated on a number of ideas for TV and short films over the past number of years.

Tailored Films was established by Ruth Treacy and Julianne Forde in 2006 and produces a lot of promos, ads and short films. The trio was then complete, and after successfully pitching the idea to the RTE Storyland panel, Zombie Bashers was ready to kick into action. Zombie Bashers’ episode 1 will go live on January 29th 2010 until February 8th. You can vote for the show at

www.rte.ie/storyland

If we get through this round, then episode 2 will be shown in mid February. There is a possibility of making 6 episodes in total. Zombie Bashers needs to fight off competition from 5 other series to triumph.

Be sure to vote on Feb 5th or you might find these guys outside your window.

Director Thomas Smith talks with us about his new zomedy The Night Shift

Posted February 1, 2010

Director Thomas Smith managed give us zombie fanatics over here at LDM some insight into his zombie comedy called The Night Shift. The best part to me is that this isn't being shot on the west coast but down south. This goes to show you that not all great movies are being made in Hollywood but in our own backyards.

TIRING OF SEQUELS & REMAKES, LOW-BUDGET FILMMAKERS SET OUT TO PRODUCE AN ORIGINAL FEATURE:

Mobile, Alabama based independent filmmaking group Fighting Owl Films is set to produce an independent feature in the city utilizing local talent. The feature, titled “The Night Shift”, is based on Fighting Owl Films' shoestring budget short film of the same name which proved an online hit, was positively reviewed in "Fangoria" magazine's online edition earlier in 2009 and has screened in several festivals across the United States.

A supernatural adventure-comedy, “The Night Shift” centers on Rue Morgan, the undead night watchman at Pinewood Oaks Cemetery. Rue, along with his buddy Herb, a limbless corpse, spends his nights trying to keep the cemetery’s cantankerous residents in, and his days dreaming of a date with hard-nosed day-shifter, Claire. It’s an okay afterlife until a scourge of supernatural occurrences leave Rue not only watching the cemetery, but also watching his back!

The short film’s positive reception coupled with the disillusionment with Hollywood’s current output of remakes and reboots encouraged the filmmakers to pursue their dream of turning the original “The Night Shift” into a feature length horror-adventure film. Thomas Smith, the film’s writer/director and co-producer, is hoping to recapture some of the cinematic magic of the 80s Amblin films he grew up with that had a lasting influence.

“Growing up as a child of the 80s, the world depicted on film had a completely different atmosphere,” Smith says. “The films possessed a graininess and lived-in look that added an extra dimension of realism. There also seemed to be a greater emphasis on character and storytelling and less of the headache-inducing flash and sensory overload that’s become so commonplace today. It was the era of ‘Gremlins’, ‘Ghostbusters’ and ‘Indiana Jones’, films everyone could enjoy, not just children or adult audiences. That’s what we’re hoping to recapture with ‘The Night Shift’.”

The independent feature has secured its cast. Returning from the short to reprise their roles of Rue Morgan, Claire Rennfield and Herbie West are Khristian Fulmer, Erin Lilley and Soren Odom, respectively. New additions to the cast include Andrew Crider as Adramalech, the villainous vengeance demon with an affinity for western wear, Jordan Woodall as Curly and Jonathan Pruitt as the mysterious Captain Roderick Blake. The film, currently in pre-production, is expected to begin shooting in May 2010.

For more information on Fighting Owl Films, “The Night Shift” and to view the original short film, visit them online at

www.fightingowlfilms.com

and
www.thenightshiftmovie.com.

On a personal note from your friendly neighborhood Kommando aka Jason, I have to commend the director on taking old gore hounds like me into consideration when making a zombie film. I personally enjoy classic horror films from the 70's and 80's when I was growing up. Maybe Mr. Smith is paving the way for a new "old" style that will catch on. We will keep you posted on more details when we get them.

E'Gad Zombies! Living Dead Media Exclusive

Posted January 18, 2010

The director of E'Gad Zombies! Matthew Butler was kind enough to speak with Living Dead Media on his project and give the fans a litte more detail about his vision.

Here is what the director Mr. Butler had to say about his debut film.

I directed the film and, along with Tori Hart, wrote it. I also play William Filthe, the dappy poet hero, and Tori plays Vanity Banks the beautiful but slightly terrifying heiress that William loves. I know that people are going to start comparing this to Pride and Predjudice and Zombies, but I promise you it is very different. In fact we wrote the script before we'd even heard of the book.

Tori and I were actually in an 18th century play in London and I just thought how brilliant zombies would look in those costumes. So we started writing. We tried to make it seem like an 18th century play, with similar themes and characters, but we added zombies. This means it's a comedy with quite extreme characters, so is going to be very different to P and P! I also need to say that I haven't actually read the book. I thought it would just be safer just in case people start thinking we're just jumping on the band-wagon!

In E'gad, Zombies! the plague has only just hit the town of Upper Trollop so they have no knowledge of what these things are, and since they don't have any zombie films to learn from, have no idea what they're supposed to do about them. Also, Ian McKellen is interested in the feature as well, but he'd be playing one of the main characters this time.

We here at Living Dead Media are very excited to see how this turns out and from the clips we have seen and in speaking with Director Matthew Butler that we are in for a real treat. We wish the team of E'Gad Zombies! the best and will keep you updated on the progress.

E'Gad Zombies!

Posted January 14, 2010

This up and coming production was brought to my attention by a fellow zombie fan and I have been working diligently to find some more info to bring you. Let me tell you it was not easy.

E'Gad Zombies! stars Ian McKellen and from the looks of things appears to be a zombie comedy along the same veins as Pride, Prejudice, and Zombies. The premise of the film is still sketchy but the trailer shows a zombie outbreak in either Britain or colonial America.

This is certainly a breath of fresh air in the zombie genre as most take place either in the now or some sort of apocalyptic future. The cause of the zombie outbreak is still a mystery but the zombies certainly look very cool.

Here are some stills from the film and a teaser trailer. Be sure to stick with Living Dead Media and the E'Gad Zombies! offical site for further updates. Thanks John for the info and heads up on the project!

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