zombies

After watching a bit of Hannibal on television last night (I like Julianne Moore, but she just isn't a substitute for Jodi Foster), I remembered an item I've been meaning to blog about for ages.

Thanks to Natalie at Bake and Destroy, you now know what to get your favourite cannibal or undead friend for Christmas. As part of her - and I kid you not - Zombies in Popular Media Class, she wrote The Joy of Cooking Humans for all flesh eaters to enjoy.

The premise came after musing about the evolution of Zombies over the years (especially throughout the filmography of George Romero):

"Shoot'em in the head and they'll stay dead". That is the basic premise for the game I created this week.

This game uses balancing skill. You have one 'bullet' to kill the zombie. As most of us know, a zombie only dies if you shoot him in the head. The object of the game is to manoeuvre the bullet (a tiny ball or marble) by tilting the picture box of the zombie back and forth, rolling the ball into the head shot hole without accidentally 'shooting' the zombie in other body parts or missing him completely (making the ball fall through other holes). It's super easy to make and you could change the image of the zombie to match your theme.

If you're interested in seeing how it's done, take a look in my Horrific How-To Monster Workshop, and peek in on other Step-By-Step Prop Projects while you are there!

I have 33 hours left to create before my party starts. Wish me luck!

Before you attend the Toronto Zombie Walk on Sunday, take a stroll over to 6 Noble St (Dufferin and Queen) for the Bazaar of the Bizarre.

The Royal Sarcophagus Society has gathered all the local artistic ghouls and gals to participate in a sinister shopping experience.

Our first Halloween & Holiday Marketplace! Over 40 artists, clothing designers, craft-folk, publishers and other independent makers of all things exotic and macabre will assemble for this eccentric emporium of curious crafts.

A reminder that tonight in Toronto is Nuit Blanche, a free art event that takes over the city from sundown (6:52 p.m.) to sunrise. For one sleepless night, experience Toronto transformed by artists. Discover art in galleries, museums and unexpected places. From bridges and tunnels to warehouses and stadiums, choose from more than 155 destinations and chart your own path.

Exhibits of interest may include Horroridor where viewers will be guided toward a long corridor where they will pass through the approximately 20-foot dual projections of visual and audio recordings of hundreds of people screaming on either side of them. I plan to pop by this exhibit.

At sundown on October 4th, a Toronto condominium construction site is being taken over by zombies. And you can be a part of it.

Modern zombies are mindless monsters who are undead: neither dead nor alive. They travel in groups, hungry for humans. People who are bitten are infected and transformed into zombies themselves. Because they are dead, zombies look terrible, and usually move slowly and awkwardly. They are incapable of communication, and have no individual personalities. Zombies are metaphorically associated with the working class and consumers.

Condos are apartments, some luxurious, which are rising in popularity in major North American cities. Some can be found in convenient clusters, often in areas which artists and other less wealthy groups have helped to establish as safe and/or hip. People who can afford the expensive housing units are flocking to condos in droves, like zombies.

Earlier this year, Alton Brown was promoting his recent book for his "Feasting on Asphalt" series. An event was held in Atlanta where the cost of admission basically equalled the cost of the book (of which you got one copy), plus an hour Q & A session with Alton, and draws for door prizes.

I'm a big fan of Alton Brown (not so much of the American version of "Iron Chef" - the original Japanese show is superior), and was even more impressed when he signed the zombie cartoon of him I'd found online by Cheyenne Wright. Alton has a dark sarcasm that I instantly felt at ease with, and he was amused when presented with my print out.

I also walked away with a crazy Kershaw utility knife that I won (was a bit concerned about bringing that back across the border - for all my American readers, it's easy to bring knives/weapons into the States but not so much into Canada) and a "Good Eats" bandage dispenser (with G.E. bandages). All in all, a great time.

And now this image hangs on my office wall, framed.

There is a YouTube clip that is currently making the rounds on forums. It features zombie puppets singing "Dust in the Wind" made famous by the band Kansas.

But before you go straight to the clip (posted at the end of this blog), let me tell you a bit more about the man behind it. As explorers of the World Wide Web, we are often impatient and click-happy which means we miss the treasures behind the initial finds. Matt Ficner is one of those treasures.

Matt is an artist of many mediums including (but not limited to) digital art, sculpting, painting, and puppetry. He formed MF Productions and has worked with Jim Henson Associates, Warner Brothers, Disney and the BBC. I always love to learn of artistic Canadians finding international success (Matt is actually from Ottawa, Ontario).

As an artist, I always feel like I've breathed life into something when I create it. If this is true of all artists, then Dave O'Neill has some wonderfully dark children.

Dave is a young man in his twenties from Burlington Ontario whom I met at, yes, the Festival of Fear (by the way, I only have one or two more posts left regarding my adventure there). I was most interested in his zombie comic book art (or was it a graphic novel? I need to remember to bring a pen with me next time) called Horror Hills.

As it turns out, Dave is also a musician, actor, singer and writer:

I prefer writing on a typewriter; I find the clicking of it to be quite soothing and inspirational. I watch the stars. I dread the deep. I like robots, aliens, dinosaurs, zombies, vampires, monsters and anything else that nestles quietly within my brain, waiting to be put to paper.

While cruising the aisles of the Festival of Fear, I came across these wonderful Zombie puppets and plush toys by a local artist.

The puppets were a little on the pricey side, but they are one of a kind, hand made, and really, where else have you seen this product?

The artist's website, www.mylilzombie.com, is currently under construction but if you would like to contact her with questions, her email is queentwig@gmail.com.

You gotta love the picture of George Romero (below) with a puppet in his likeness.

Today I get to blog about two favourite subjects: local artists and original creepy creations.

See the sweet face in the picture? That young lady is Heather Gillies, the Ontario artist who makes simple little plush dolls and transforms them into flesh eaters with her acrylic paints.

I met Heather and her mini-zombies at the Festival of Fear. If you missed the expo, and you're interested in picking up one of these little lovelies, don't fret: she has a website promoting her art called www.pedestrianx.ca.