By NIKOS BUSE

BUSINESS DIRECTOR

I love movies. I am the type of guy who will watch any movie just for the sheer pleasure of seeing a movie — which means that although I have seen many great films, I have seen even more abysmal ones (Joel Schumacher, that last part is directed at you). Over the past few years, I have come to the conclusion that although it is populated with many denizens of the latter collection, the horror genre is probably the most innovative and unfairly maligned genre in the business.  Horror films explore and mock deep fears that exist in our preconscious minds, while providing entertaining and memorable narratives.  Let’s face it: the Bates Motel is way more recognizable than Tara, Ga — for the cinematically challenged, those are locations from Psycho and Gone With the Wind, respectively.  In this article, I hope to convince at least one person to set aside the culturally or historically significant film they were planning on watching and replace it with a zombie flick.

In each generation, the predominant form of horror film reflects the fears that lie beneath the day-to-day thoughts of the general theatergoing rabble like me. One great example of this is the rash of Godzilla films that were created in Japan in the early to mid-20th century, and which reflected the Japanese people’s fear of the affects of nuclear radiation in a post-Hiroshima world.  For our generation, however, the principal style of horror film is the zombie movie.  On an analytical level, zombie media is great because it allows us to explore our irrational fears that we would otherwise ignore, and come to a deeper understanding of ourselves. More importantly, these movies have become dominant because they are fun.

In order to ensure that no one sprints off to the library to rent an awful movie, I compiled a list of my four must-see zombie movies and four honorable mentions. These are not necessarily all of my absolute favorites, but this list will provide a pretty comprehensive understanding of the evolution of the modern zombie and a spectrum of scariness (for our more easily-frightened readers). The list is as follows:

[REC], a 2007 Spanish film directed by Paco Plaza and Jaume Balagueró, provides a truly bloodcurdling and claustrophobia-inducing experience, and is aided by the first-person style that was popularized in other horror films like Cloverfield and The Blair Witch Project.  For me, this is probably the scariest zombie movie ever made. Setting aside gore for shocks and an accelerating feeling of panic and despair, [REC] had me on edge for weeks after I saw it. This film, while awesome, is not for the faint-hearted.  Enjoy at your own risk.

28 Days Later, directed by Danny Boyle and released in 2002, is a fantastic film that ranks among my all-time favorite movies.  This is probably the best zombie movie for a variety of reasons.  The soundtrack is brilliant (after watching, the song “In the House – In a Heartbeat” was in my head for days), the acting is flawless and the plot takes zombies from fantasy to reality by using vector-borne disease instead of reanimation of dead bodies as the explanation for the creatures.  What truly sets 28 Days Later apart, however, is the way in which it demonstrates how the uninfected could be even more dangerous than the zombies in a world without law. Seriously, anyone who enjoys film should go to Walsh Library and check out this movie (DVD 960).

While George Romero’s original version of The Crazies had many flaws, the film still had enough good raw materials to produce a thrilling remake in 2010 — a rare thing in the movie business. I would consider this movie solid, but the cause of the outbreak and the nature of the zombies are innovative enough to push the movie to greatness. The zombies in this film are not the mindless monsters we know and love; the people of this town have been accidentally infected by a biological agent from the military and turned into insane and devious killers. This gives the movie a very different feel, as the killers and the government both attempt to destroy the town, with the protagonists caught in the middle.

For those who want a break from the constant adrenaline rush, look no further than Shaun of the Dead.  This 2004 British film features the inimitable duo of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost in their first installment of the Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy.  The seamless blend of clever dialogue and situational humor makes the film a refreshing and respectful caricature of the zombie movie, while retaining the eeriness and energy that are naturally a part of zombie films.  Shaun of the Dead is another movie that ranks among my all-time favorites, and can be enjoyed in any situation.

Next time you are planning a movie night with your friends, I hope you will consider one of these films as an option. There really is a horror movie for everyone, and I guarantee that watching any of these movies will provide an exciting and entertaining experience. Sit down, strap in and enjoy.

Honorable Mention:

1) George Romero’s 1968 film Night of the Living Dead made all of these films possible. It is very well done, but loses a degree of scariness from the lack of effects and film quality on which horror movies rely today.

2) Zombieland is another humor-saturated film that is very enjoyable, due in large part to Woody Harrelson’s antics and Bill Murray’s cameo.  In the end, however, this movie is more humor than horror.

3) The Evil Dead is a movie that everyone should see at some point in life. Scary and self-aware, this film is a great reflection of horror movies of the 80’s and the beginning of horror-humor hybrids.

4) One of the most entertaining movies I have seen in recent years was the 2006 horror comedy, Black Sheep.  In this film, sheep have become the zombie-like figures, and are feasting on human flesh and turning them into other sheep.  Predictably, it is set in New Zealand.