Vampires have become sexy, mummies CG, monsters sympathetic, but no horror baddie remains as au courant as the lowly, lurching zombie. The reanimated undead continue to be the indie subject of choice for highbrow horror and lowbrow schlock, in part because they're the cheapest to whip up — slather some grayish make-up and fake blood on a few extras, and voilà! — but also because they're the most mutable stand-in for the less tangible things that plague us. It's this symbolic potential that seems to be behind the recent zombie film resurgence: beside this week's '50s conformity spoof "Fido," there's festival mockumentary "American Zombie," which purports to investigate L.A.'s "non-living community"; the brutal and epic sequel "28 Weeks Later"; Glasgow Phillips' zombie western "Undead or Alive" and others. Below, we take a wander through some of milestones of zombie symbolism.

Plan 9 From Outer Space (1959)
Directed by Edward D. Wood Jr.

Widely ridiculed for decades as one of the worst movies ever made (and not entirely without justification, either), Edward D. Wood Jr.'s "Plan 9 From Outer Space," made nearly a decade before Romero's "Night of the Living Dead," hides a poignant allegorical critique beneath its pie tin flying saucers and bad Bela Lugosi stand-ins. Wood's zombies are brought back to life by well-meaning (but also kinda dickish) aliens, who come to Earth with a warning: our constant desire to create bigger and more powerful weapons will eventually result in weapons so dangerous they will threaten the safety of the entire universe. Why the aliens thought that bringing a Swedish professional wrestler back to life in a small Southern California community would somehow alter the course of the military-industrial complex is largely left to the imagination, but that doesn't change the fact that Wood's zombies, like so many later ones, come to serve as a symbol of mankind's self-destructive nature.

Night of the Living Dead (1968)
Directed by George A. Romero

The seminal zombie movie from the genre's undisputed master isn't as explicit in its messages as some its sequels, but its openness makes it even more interesting. In the forty years since its release, George Romero's no-budget landmark has been discussed as everything from a critique of the Vietnam War to a reaction to the civil rights movement (its hero, an African-American, survives the zombie onslaught only to be murdered by the redneck-ridden cavalry). The text is so rich the interpretations are endless: the last time I saw it, "Night" struck me as an indictment of human indecisiveness — while Rome (or, in this case, rural Pennsylvania) burns, the survivors can't decide whether to flee or to hide, whether to stay in the living room, or hunker down in the basement. Meanwhile, scientists bicker over whether some space probe from Venus is causing the dead's reanimation. Like it matters! As that great Serlingian ending proves, we're all screwed either way.

Dead of Night (1974)
Directed by Bob Clark

Almost a decade before Clark made a mainstream name for himself with "Porky's" and "A Christmas Story," he turned out this rough but wickedly effective indie horror film equating zombism with Vietnam vet trauma. The Brooks family hasn't heard from soldier son Andy for long enough that his father and sister suspect the worst; it's only his devoted mother who keeps the faith with a fervor that borders on madness. Her conviction that her son is alive seems to actually pull him from the grave — he arrives in the dead of night, having hitchhiked to the house, and, given that we witnessed Andy's death in the jungle before the opening credits, it's clear nothing good is in store. Andy's changed — he's monotone, unresponsive and spends most of his time staring at nothing from a rocking chair on the porch. Oh, and he's picked up an addiction — he needs injections of fresh blood to keep himself from rotting. Dread builds over the course of the film, but so does a sense of tragedy; everyone is unable to understand that Andy has been (literally, in his case) to hell, and can only respond with frustration that he's not the same.

Dawn of the Dead (1978)
Directed by George A. Romero

Ten years and three movies after the success of "Night of the Living Dead," George Romero refined and expanded his vision of an undead apocalypse. Working with five times his original budget (a still shockingly paltry $500,000), Romero managed to top himself and make one of the best sequels of all time. This "Dead" installment critiques American consumer culture: four refugees from the zombie onslaught stumble on an abandoned shopping mall and lock themselves inside to ride out the storm. At first, the mood is euphoric, as they live out all their wildest shopping spree fantasies. But the fun doesn't last. Even before their muzak-tinged utopia gets overrun by unruly bikers and hordes of flesh-eaters, they're as depressed as a lottery winner who realizes his money can't buy him happiness. There's no defeating the darkness, but Romero's uncharacteristically upbeat ending suggests you can escape it, especially if you leave the mall and vow never to return.

[Photos: "28 Weeks Later," Fox Atomic, 2007; "Plan 9 From Outer Space," DCA, 1959; "Night of the Living Dead," Continental Motion Pictures Corporation, 1968; "Dead of Night," Entertainment International Pictures, 1974; "Dawn of the Dead," United Film Distribution Company, 1978]

By Matt Singer and Alison Willmore in Features, Lists | Link | Recommended (1)

Tags: 28 Weeks Later, Dawn of the Dead, Dead of Night, Night of the Living Dead, Plan 9 From Outer Space, zombies

Movies have always borrowed ideas and stories from other mediums, from literature to theater to television. But in the last decade one medium has surpassed all the others in influence and importance: comic books.

It's certainly not the first time comics have found a second home in Hollywood. During the first comic book boom of the 1940s, when titles like "Action Comics" routinely sold millions of copies a month, many of the medium's most popular characters became the subjects of their own movie serials. Super-hero stories, with their outsized protagonists and outlandish villains, proved ideal subjects for the serials. And it didn't hurt that the two shared an overlapping audience of dime-spending youngsters.

Even after the success of the first "Superman" movie and Tim Burton's "Batman," it still took moviemaking technology a few decades to catch up with the inventive imaginations of the men and women who spawned Spider-Man, the X-Men and the rest of their four-colored brood. But the world of comics has provided the inspiration for more than tent-pole theatrics: they've provided the spark behind documentaries ("Crumb"), biopics ("American Splendor"), indie self-loathing ("Ghost World"), vampire movies (the "Blade" series) and more.

Just as comics have inspired movies, movies have proven a fruitful inspiration for many comics. And, admittedly, most of the comic book movies that make their way to multiplexes barely scratch the surface of the diversity of styles and genres available in any good comic book store.

Here, then, are five choices particularly well-suited to movie fans. This is not a list of the greatest graphic novels of all time, or anything like that; it's rather a list of five standout books in five different genres that deserve a wider audience amongst the moviegoing public, and all five are currently in print; most should be available just about anywhere in the country.

"Torso" (Image Comics, $24.95)

Written by Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Andreyko; illustrated by Bendis

Genre: Police drama

For Fans Of: "L.A. Confidential," "The Big Heat"

This black-and-white comic book noir based on a true story — and what's more movieish than that phrase? — follows Eliot Ness on one of his largely forgotten cases, on the trail of one of the world's first recognized serial killers.

Movie Fans Will Particularly Appreciate: Bendis' cinematography, for lack of a better term. Like a really good D.P., Bendis plays with light and shadow, and his innovative panel layouts beautifully translate film's editing rhythm to the page.

Cinematic Connections: Ness is also the subject of Brian De Palma's memorable cop drama "The Untouchables."

Further Reading: Both Bendis and Andreyko have gone on to high-profile work in mainstream super-hero comics including "Ultimate Spider-Man," "Daredevil," and "Manhunter"; Bendis has also created several other crime novels in the style of "Torso" — his massive "Jinx," a noir take on "The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly," is also highly recommended.

True Story, Swear to God: Chances Are... (AIT/Planet Lar, $14.95)

Written and illustrated by Tom Beland

Genre: Romantic comedy
For Fans Of: "Sleepless in Seattle," "An Affair to Remember"

Thousands of miles from home on a free vacation, newspaper cartoonist Tom Beland falls in love with a beautiful stranger named Lily he meets at a bus stop.

Movie Fans Will Particularly Appreciate: Beland's shamelessly — at times embarrassingly — romantic storyline. Rom-com and chick flick fans take note: you have never seen a more clichéd love story than this one: from the meet cute to the impossible coincidences to the wisecracking friends and relatives dispensing folksy advice, they're all here. And, of course, it's all true.

Cinematic Connections: In the midst of his magical first night with Lily, Tom compares himself to George Bailey in "It's a Wonderful Life," and, in a somewhat less flattering reference, admits his childhood crush on Lady from "Lady and the Tramp."

Further Reading: The ups and downs of Tom and Lily's ongoing love story continue in another collection, and now each month in a new series.

[Photos: "Torso," Image Comics, 2001; "True Story, Swear to God: Chances Are...", AIT/Planet Lar, 2003]

By Matt Singer in Festivals, Lists | Link | Recommended (1)

Tags: graphic novels, Swear to God: Chances Are, Torso, True Story

By Aaron Hillis, Michelle Orange, Matt Singer, R. Emmet Sweeney and Alison Willmore

The DVD of "X-Men: The Last Stand," which went on sale this week, offers not one, not even two, but three alternate endings — what, did they let test audience vote with buttons on their armrests? (Well, we wouldn't rule it out.) In honor of a gentler, simpler time when alternate endings meant more than fodder for DVD editions, the IFC News team presents a list of notable alternate endings out there on DVD that actually offer interesting insights into the film, filmmaking or film biz.

Army of Darkness
Directed by Sam Raimi

Here's a case of the right ending for the wrong movie. As Sam Raimi's "Evil Dead" series progressed through "Evil Dead 2" and "Army of Darkness," things got progressively sillier — the first "Evil Dead" is a straight-up gorefest, but the last picture, which includes Bruce Campbell's doggedly unheroic Ash battling a fleet of wise-cracking miniaturized clones, is practically a renaissance faire riff on the Three Stooges. Raimi established the set-up for "AoD" at the sadistic conclusion of "Evil Dead 2," where Ash finally defeats the unholy evil of the Book of the Dead, only to find himself sent back to the Middle Ages, where he learns he'll have to start the battle all over again without the pleasure of adequate toilet facilities. The original ending to "AoD" took a similar bent; Ash defeats the medieval evil, but he takes too much of the potion designed to make him sleep away the centuries, and he wakes to a post-apocalyptic wasteland, bellowing "I SLEPT TOO LONG!" as the credits begin to roll. It was a fitting ending for the series, but not necessarily for "Army of Darkness," which had pushed too far (and too successfully) into the realm of comedy to end on such a dark note. So Raimi came up with a doozy of a replacement: a silly and supremely macho shoot-'em-up at Ash's place of business, S-Mart superstore. Purists prefer the original version, but purists also prefer "Evil Dead 2." Personally, I'll take the fun of "Army of Darkness" and Campbell's pitch-perfect portrayal of a man with an ego that far exceeds his talents or his smarts, and the ending that goes along with it.

Better ending: Theatrical. —Matt Singer

Brazil
Directed by Terry Gilliam

It may be Gilliam's career high point to date, but the director's clash with Universal Pictures over getting "Brazil" released in the cut he intended is almost as famous as the film itself (see Jack Mathews' book "The Battle of Brazil" for a blow-by-blow). Universal chairman Sid Sheinberg's infamous if ultimately TV-only "Love Conquers All" cut, included on Criterion's 1999 special edition three-disc DVD release, involves plenty of additions and subtractions, but none more significant than the alteration of the ending, which the studio found too dark. In the Sheinberg edit, Jonathan Pryce's Sam wakes up in the idyllic country house he's escaped to with ladylove Jill, and declares that he "doesn't dream anymore." Soaring music, clouds and...Fin! Of course, Gilliam's version of the film then cuts to Mr. Helpmann and Jack Lint, who've been torturing Sam in the Information Retrieval Room. The final shot, of Sam smiling cheerfully and humming, sanity clearly gone, is bleakly perfect. Too perfect to mess with — Gilliam ultimately prevailed in getting it into theaters.

Better ending: Theatrical. —Alison Willmore

Clerks
Directed by Kevin Smith

Naming the lead character in Kevin Smith's $27,000 mini-masterpiece of suburban ennui "Clerks" Dante always struck me as an odd choice. It's way more gothic and theatrical than the rest of Smith's immature brood (Randal, Jay, Bob). Smith's original ending gave the moniker a bit more weight. As first conceived, the movie continued for one more scene after the ending that appeared in the final theatrical version (where Dante and Randal reconcile before Dante closes the Quick Stop for the night). Instead of that optimistic denouement, a burglar enters the convenience store, shoots Dante and robs the cash register. Instead of a cut to black and credits over upbeat selections from the soundtrack, the titles roll over the continuing shot of the Quick Stop, as a customer walks in (played by Smith himself) and steals a pack of cigarettes. The initial ending adds the extra oomph to "Dante" but it's also wildly out of character for a comedy that, while dark, essentially laughs at all of life's mysteries and dilemmas.

Better ending: Theatrical. —MS

[Photo at top: Terry Gilliam's "Brazil," Universal Pictures, 1985]

By Aaron Hillis, Michelle Orange, Matt Singer, R. Emmet Sweeney and Alison Willmore in Features, Lists | Link | Recommended (0)

Tags: alternate endings

John Cameron Mitchell, in his second feature "Shortbus," has justified his use of graphic, unsimulated sex throughout the film by saying it was done as "an act of resistance" against the Bush regime. Other directors usually come up with something about "normalizing sexuality" or "cinematic honesty" in their attempt to work actual sex into what they hope is a mainstream film. Some dismiss it as a cheap gimmick, some say that outside of snuff films it's one of the last big ideas the movies have, with the potential to say something new; before seeing "Shortbus" for myself, I tended to think it's the directorial version of leaving the house in sweatpants: you've given up. In the last six years (hmm), the number of films featuring unsimulated sex has grown noticeably — is burgeoning on a trend, in fact — and so we thought we'd take a look back at some milestones in real live sex on screen.

1972: Pink Flamingos

Debauchery of all flavors is on offer in John Waters' infamous yuck-fest, and Divine performing fellatio on her on-screen son is, incredibly, not the most outrageous example. For that I would vote for what I hope is the simulated rape of a young woman...by a chicken. Hardly mainstream, Waters gets credit nonetheless for being one of the first if not the first American director to put a sex act in what became a well-known, non-porn feature. That's the first time I've even written "fellatio," by the way. We'll see how long that lasts.

1976: In the Realm of the Senses

Nagisa Oshima's film, based on a book recounting true events, caused a huge ruckus in 1976, and was the first explicitly sexual film to lobby hard for arthouse credibility, with some success. John Cameron Mitchell pays dubious tribute to the film with a hilarious reference in his recent "Shortbus."

1979: Caligula

The uncut version of this Tinto Brass film included an orgy and several acts of graphic sex. Though none of the principals were engaged in said graphic sex, it's the first film with a pedigree (written by Gore Vidal) and actual movie stars (Peter O'Toole, Malcolm McDowell) to, as the kids say, go there. Unsurprisingly, almost everyone involved with the film later disowned it, except major backer Penthouse magazine; they felt all right.

1986: Devil in the Flesh

This Italian film is often cited as the first major western film to depict unsimulated sex which consists, if you must know, of a blowjob performed by lead actress Maruschka Detmers on co-star Federico Pitzalis.

1999: Romance

French director Catherine Breillat could put out a shingle, at this point, for films featuring (incredibly depressing) unsimulated sex, but this one brought her the widest acclaim. "Sex is forever," the movie poster warns, and if that doesn't terrify you, check out Breillat's "Fat Girl" or "Anatomy of Hell." "Sex is Comedy," her 2004 film, is something of a misnomer, as I can't imagine anyone has ever laughed watching a Breillat film, unless it was one of those bitter, French snorts.

[Photo: Catherine Breillat's "Romance," Trimark Pictures, 2006]

By Michelle Orange in Features, Lists | Link | Recommended (1)

Tags: Caligula, Devil in the Flesh, In the Realm of the Senses, Pink Flamingos, real sex, Romance