It might be an obvious choice, but who wouldn’t include Zombies as part of their theme – they’re awesome! Much like vampires, zombies have been portrayed in a variety of ways and apart from the (mostly) undead part – writers have enjoyed to play with the rules and, well, basically scare us half to death. If we’re not laughing that is (see Shaun of the Dead)!
Zombies appear extensively in myth and folklore. I could write an essay on that alone, but instead I’ll cut straight to the fun part. I’m going to finish the theme with a final top-ten list. These are my own personal favourite depictions of zombies in media, and include film, television and a music video!
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- Zombies y Joe-Roberts
Digital Art / Photomanipulation / Macabre & Horror©2010-2015 Joe-Roberts
Night of the Living Dead – When I was eight or nine I woke up and went downstairs for a drink. My father was watching this movie at the time and I walked into the living room to see monsters on our television set! I only saw a few seconds, but it was enough to give me nightmares for weeks! I’m still terrified of zombies, and sometimes watch from behind my Superman cushion, but they also fascinate me.
- Pet Sematary – The book terrified me, and the film is a decent adaptation. The thought of reanimating dead family members sends a chill down my spine. The motivations are clear, but the family got more (or less) than they bargained for, and the result was truly horrifying.
- Warm Bodies – When I heard they made a zombie romance I had to go see it, no matter how sceptical I was. I loved the film, particularly because it didn’t take itself too seriously, and the transition these creatures went through – the general humour of Warm Bodies was extremely entertaining to watch.
- 28 Days Later – I spent the majority of this movie behind my cushion! It scared the living daylights out of me. I watched it with a friend, who went home shortly afterwards – or so I thought. Needless to say there was a prank, a few strong words, and a long and sleepless night because of his twisted sense of humour.
- Thriller (Video) – I put this in because I used to own the making of this music video and I enjoyed the way they brought zombies to life. I also liked how they choreographed the dance, and though zombies are about as likely to hit the dance floor as they are to break out in song, it sticks in my memory.
- World War Z – I loved the action in this movie, the speed at which the infection spread, and the general chaos of a world gone mad. Rather than hide, my eyes were glued to the screen. The Israeli wall scene, though horrifying, was exceptional in terms of special effects. It was one of those movies where you want to scream at the television to warn everyone what’s coming!
- I Am Legend – I put this in because I loved the film (it stars Will Smith, people!), but many would argue that the creatures are more vampire than zombie – especially in the book.
- Shaun of the Dead – This is one of my favourites. I love Simon Pegg and this is one of his best films, in my opinion. It’s funny, inventive, while still managing to achieve the scare factor.
- The Walking Dead – You can’t have a list without including the Walking Dead. It took me a while to get into it, but now I’m a huge fan. Luthor Siler writes great reviews over at Sourcerer – they are extremely entertaining.
- iZombie – A new show, but one which is shaping up to be a great series. The main character, Liv Moore, snacks on brains to keep her darker impulses at bay and helps to solve crime. Do you really need to know any more than that!
I didn’t rank them, but you’re welcome to. I’d love to hear about your favourites, so feel free to leave your list in the comments.
So that brings the A to Z Challenge to a close. I hope you enjoyed my fantasy squad, and I’d like to thank all those who joined me on the journey. I’ve enjoyed reading your comments and discussing the various creatures with you.
Thanks for stopping by.
Mel
The Yeti, or Abominable Snowman, is an interesting creature because, though most agree the Yeti is part of myth, cryptozoologists have been trying to prove the existence for years.
My options were limited today, so I had to find a best fit. I was going to talk about Xelhua, one of the seven giants from Aztec mythology. But Xelhua doesn’t work for two reasons: one, I’ve already done giants, and two, I cannot find any references to the giant in fiction.
The origins of the vampire myth are difficult to pinpoint, but certainly vampires have been around for centuries. There is a belief that vampires were born of sorcery in ancient Egypt – the summoning of a demon into our world. The Chinese jiangshi are wrathful dieties who attack people to drain their life essence. They appear in a variety of works, such as The Tibetan Book of the Dead.
Undines, (also spelled Ondine) are water nymphs, and some people believe they have been around since the beginning of time. Nature spirits are common to all cultures, and undines are believed to inhibit the element of water. They are depicted as either human or animal, or half-animal; half-human. Normally invisible to humans, views about their nature vary – a scale which ranges from kind and friendly to malevolent. The general consensus seems to be that they are emotional beings, who enjoy to serve mankind.
When I was little I used to believe trolls lived under bridges. Clearly that stemmed from one of my favourite stories – The Three Billy Goats Gruff. I liked to think of the billy goats as siblings; the younger two relying on their big brother for protection. I enjoyed the way the tables were turned and when the third ‘victim’ came tripping along the bridge, he had no fear of the bully – or the threat of being eaten up!
I’ve talked about my father’s love of Greek mythology before, (Melissa was the name of a nymph who nursed an infant Zeus), and my interest in sirens probably stems from his own fascination (I’m lucky he wasn’t a sailor!).
I’m not sure if that’s cheating, but I’ll probably get off on a technicality! This post is about the Grim Reaper, also known as Death or the Angel of Death.
Today I’ll be considering the virtues of the Questing Beast for my fantasy squad; a creature from Arthurian legend. It has been referred to by other names, including the Barking beast; an intriguing monster and the subject of many a quest!
Melissa Barker-Simpson 