Long gone are the days when Vodoun houngans, bokors, and mambos raised zombies from the dead to work the cane fields of Haiti and Louisiana. Modern zombies are ghouls, feeding upon the living (brains preferred) rather than providing cheap farm labor. Director Jim Jarmusch leads an all-star cast in a new zombie horror-comedy where not only do dead men not wear plaid, but they don’t die.
Centerville is the sort of small town where nothing ever happens, at least until the zombie apocalypse hits town. Adam Driver (Kylo Ren in Star Wars: The Force Awakens) stars as Police Officer Ronald Peterson, the first person to realize what is happening. The cast also includes Disney’s Selena Gomez (Alex Russo in The Wizards of Waverly Place) as Zoe, Tilda Swinton (the Ancient in Dr. Strange, the White Witch in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe), Bill Murray (Dr. Peter Venkman in Ghostbusters, himself in Zombieland), Steve Buscemi (Randy in Monsters University, Wayne in Hotel Transylvania), the inimitable Carol Kane (Gotham, The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and so many others), and Danny Glover (the commander in Space Warriors, Derek Morgan’s father Hank in Criminal Minds).
The movie is written and directed by Jim Jarmusch, who won the Camera d’Or at the 1984 Canne Film Festival with his film Stranger than Paradise. He also wrote and directed Ghost Dog: the Way of the Samurai, Dead Man, and Night on Earth. It looks like The Dead Don’t Die will feature Jarmusch’s characteristic blend of realism and the absurd.
Carol Kane’s zombie croaking out the word “Chardonnay” is a harbinger of things to come.
The Dead Don’t Die is due to stagger mindlessly into theaters released this summer, Friday, June 14.
Are you looking forward to this new horror-comedy about flesh-eating zombies? Or do you prefer the old-fashioned undead creatures revived by voodoo? Please share your opinions with us in the comments section below. We want to hear from you.
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Susan Macdonald is the author of the children’s book “R is for Renaissance Faire”, as well as 26 short stories, mostly fantasy in “Alternative Truths”, “Swords and Sorceress #30”, Swords &Sorceries Vols. 1, 2, & 5, “Cat Tails” “Under Western Stars”, and “Knee-High Drummond and the Durango Kid”. Her articles have appeared on SCIFI.radio’s web site, in The Inquisitr, and in The Millington Star. She enjoys Renaissance Faires (see book above), science fiction conventions, Highland Games, and Native American pow-wows.
