In the world of horror, vampires and serial killers may reign supreme, but zombies are right up there too. In fact, from a cinematic (as opposed to literary) standpoint, the zombie has occasionally even been the dominant monster, perfectly fitted to the lowest budgets and popular enough to be profitable. As shown in Jamie Russell's Book of the Dead, the zombie movie has a long and erratic history.
Book of the Dead is not merely a zombie fan's ode to these films, filled with uncritical praise. Instead, Russell provides a history of the zombie movie that is both informative and entertaining. He starts with the Caribbean origins of the zombie and its relation to voodoo and the early, often sporadically factual accounts of these creatures. The first zombie movie would also be a horror classic: White Zombie with Bela Lugosi. Like many early films in this genre, the zombies were little more than automatons.
Unfortunately, after White Zombie, the zombie movies would be pretty weak for a while, and often limited to Poverty Row studios. The one exception was I Walked with a Zombie, one of Val Lewton's classic horror films for RKO in the 1940s. Overall, there would be little to celebrate until 1968 when Night of the Living Dead resurrected (pun intended) the zombie. While there would be plenty of awful zombie movies in the next four decades, there would also be some really good ones, such as Dawn of the Dead, 28 Days Later and Shaun of the Dead.
Russell provides a pretty comprehensive list of zombie movies, though it is cuts off at 2005, so it omits movies like 28 Weeks Later, Fido, American Zombie, Diary of the Dead, Planet Terror and Black Sheep. Prior to that date, you'd be hard pressed to find a zombie film Russell has missed, and certainly those few would be very obscure. If there is a flaw in his book, it's his loose and rather flexible definition of a zombie movie. While it makes sense to include 28 Days Later even if the monsters aren't true zombies, why include movies like Invasion of the Body Snatchers (which may have influence on the genre but is also clearly not a zombie flick) while not including mummy movies (after all, aren't mummies little more than zombies in bandages?). Regardless of these quibbles, Russell's book is a real treat for zombie film fans, chock full of facts and (often gory) photos and artwork.
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Join or create book clubs
Choose books together
Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.
Customers who viewed this item also viewed
Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
About the author
Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
Reviewed in the United States on July 9, 2009
Reviewed in the United States on February 23, 2006
Reviewed in the United States on April 2, 2007
Reviewed in the United States on April 9, 2008
Reviewed in the United States on September 23, 2009
Top reviews from other countries
Sara
An interesting book that is well researched.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 10, 2021berthoven
Figura clave de la historia del cine zombi
Reviewed in Spain on December 17, 2016
andrew from llangollen
book of the dead
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 21, 2013