White Zombie, the movie considered to be Hollywood's first zombie movie, was released in 1932, but cinema had already depicted creatures which, while not technically zombies, shared some of their recognisable characteristics. In James Young's Lola (1914), a grieving Doctor brings his kindly deceased daughter back to life only to discover that the permanent loss of her soul has turned her into a cold-hearted temptress; German filmmaker Robert Weine's classic 1920 expressionist horror, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, featured the wretched pale-skinned Cesare, a somnambulist under the control of a malevolent fairground showman. Other notable antecedents of the zombie sub-genre are two Czechoslovakian horror films: Arrival from Darkness, in which a wealthy landowner finds himself competing with a reanimated ancestor for the affections of his wife, and The Wedding Shirt, which tells of a young girl whose prayers for the return of her lost lover resurrects a malevolent spirit.Until George A. Romero transformed the sub-genre with Night of the Living Dead in 1968, the zombie was found shuffling listlessly around the movie-making basement, the domain of impoverished Poverty Row studios who cared little about art or characterisation. The films were cheap, and usually quite bad - but there was the occasional exception: Val Lewton delivered a nuanced, thoughtful addition to the sub-genre with 1943's I Walked with a Zombie (based in part on Charlotte Bronte's 19th Century romantic novel, Jane Eyre!); Herk Harvey's haunting Carnival of Souls (1962) provided an unusual perspective on returning from the dead, while Hammer applied their usual brand of quality to Plague of the Zombies, a chilling horror movie featuring a nightmare sequence in which the dead are seen rising from their graves that has provided inspiration for a whole generation of filmmakers.However, it was Romero's low-budget Night of the Living Dead that would prove to be the game changer. After his movie, filmmakers would no longer play on our fears of being turned into a zombie by some twisted madman; instead, they would terrify us with the prospect of becoming their prey, of having our flesh ripped apart by predatory - if shambling - monstrosities of nature made all the more horrifying by the fact that they were once like us.This book is the first in a series that aims to chronicle, review and rate every feature-length zombie movie ever made. The good, the bad and the indifferent will all come under scrutiny, with as much consideration given to the obscure, low-budget rarity as to major studios' blockbusters.

Featuring chronological reviews of more than 300 zombie films-from 1932's White Zombie to George A. Romero's 2008 release Diary of the Dead-this thorough, uproarious guide traces the evolution of one of horror cinema's most popular and terrifying creations. Fans will learn exactly what makes a zombie a zombie, go behind the scenes with a chilling production diary from Land of the Dead, peruse a bizarre list of the oddest things ever seen in undead cinema, and immerse themselves in a detailed rundown of the 25 greatest zombie films ever made. Containing an illustrated zombie rating system, ranging from "Highly Recommended" to "Avoid at All Costs" and "So Bad It's Good," the book also features lengthy interviews with numerous talents from in front of and behind the camera.

Featuring chronological reviews of more than 300 zombie films—from 1932's White Zombie to the AMC series The Walking Dead—this thorough, uproarious guide traces the evolution of one of horror cinema's most popular and terrifying creations. Fans will learn exactly what makes a zombie a zombie, go behind the scenes with a chilling production diary from Land of the Dead, peruse a bizarre list of the oddest things ever seen in undead cinema, and immerse themselves in a detailed rundown of the 25 greatest zombie films ever made. Containing an illustrated zombie rating system, ranging from "Highly Recommended" to "Avoid at All Costs" and "So Bad It's Good," the book also features lengthy interviews with numerous talents from in front of and behind the camera. This updated and expanded second edition contains more than 100 new and rediscovered films, providing plenty of informative and entertaining brain food for movie fans.

Since 'The Night of the Living Dead, ' screen Zombies have become increasingly bizarre, bloodthirsty, yes even cannibalistic. A complete film guide to all your favorite undead, zombie, and the living dead films. Interesting stories behind the scenes and a list of my favorite zombie films. One thing is for sure - Zombies in various forms remain very much alive, in the movies and in audiences' imagination - like yours and mine! I want to eat your brains!

The zombie is cinema’s most enduring horror icon, having terrified audiences for decades. Book of the Dead charts the history of the walking dead from the monster’s origins in Haitian voodoo, through its cinematic debut in 1932’s White Zombie up to blockbuster World War Z and beyond. Covering hundreds of movies from America, Europe, Asia and even the Middle East, Jamie Russell examines zombies’ on-screen evolution from Caribbean bogeymen to flesh-eating corpses and apocalyptic plague carriers. With an exhaustive filmography covering the history of the zombie genre, Book of the Dead explains our ongoing fascination with the living dead and how this shambolic monster has become a stumbling, moaning metaphor for our age. Fully revised and updated with over 300 new movies Includes an exclusive interview with the ‘Don of the Dead’ George A. Romero The ultimate resource for zombie fans everywhere

The dead have risen. They have always lurked in the shadows, soulless and terrifying, but now zombies have come lurching back into our hearts. They walk among us. They are coming for you. This compendium of gore and ghastliness will reveal the complex history of the zombie from its earliest known origins in Haitian Voodoo, through its mysterious mythology to its modern incarnations in graphic novels, film and computer games. Zombies have arisen once more--Dust jacket.

Story of cinema -- How movies are made -- Movie genres -- World cinema -- A-Z directors -- Must-see movies.