zombies

“The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” topped the Saturn Award nominations Wednesday, with nine nods including best fantasy film, best director for Peter Jackson, best actor for Martin Freeman and best supporting actor for Ian McKellen. Other films being honored with nominations for the 39th annual Saturn Awards include “Life of Pi,” “Skyfall,” “The Avengers,” “The Dark Knight Rises,” “Looper,” “Cloud Atlas,” “Argo” and “Les Miserables.” The diversity of films underscores “the ways in which genre filmmaking has expanded beyond its roots as niche entertainment,” the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films said in its announcement. ‘Hobbit’ Blu-ray release March 19 won’t have extended edition Although much of Hollywood is focused this week on Sunday’s Oscar ceremony — considered by many to be the highlight of the awards season — the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films is just […]

This post has been corrected. Please see note below for details. A Montana TV station was the victim Monday of a zombie hoax.  One must ask: Was it a crazed “Walking Dead” fan? The Great Falls, Mont., station KRTV has caught the attention of media nationwide after the emergency alert warning of a zombie attack. QUIZ: Prove you’re smarter than a zombie The “Steve Wilkos” show was exploring the subject “Teen Cheaters Take Lie Detectors” when the familiar buzzing sounds alerted viewers of an important announcement: “Authorities in your area have reported that the bodies of the dead are rising from their graves and attacking the living. … Do not attempt to approach or apprehend these bodies as they are considered extremely dangerous.” It was a hoax.  The Montana Television Network reportedly said hackers broke into the Emergency Alert System […]

As those who tuned in to Sunday night’s “Walking Dead” know, the zombie apocalypse is just around the corner. “Walking Dead” scored its highest ratings ever with its mid-season premiere Sunday, The Times’ Show Tracker blog reports. Fans of that AMC show know all about the reanimation of corpses. It will happen either because hell’s too full so the dead walk the Earth; cosmic radiation from a downed space probe sweeps across the Earth; or some particularly angry monkeys are set loose in Britain. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention wants us to be ready for a zombie apocalypse. Seriously. Check out their Web page on surviving amid the undead crowd.  If you’re ready for zombies, you’re ready for anything, the CDC says (though they do need to switch out that battery-powered radio with a hand-cranked model). A screenshot from […]

AMC’s hit zombie series “The Walking Dead” returned Sunday for the second part of its third season, with an action-packed installment titled “The Suicide King” that saw Woodbury collapse into chaos and Rick Grimes continue to grapple with his sanity. His hallucinations, it seems, are becoming increasingly more troubling. (Anyone who missed Sunday’s episode might want to stop reading now.) There was little doubt that the spectral figure dressed in white that appeared near the end of the episode was the ghost of Rick’s wife Lori come back to haunt him. Outgoing “Walking Dead” show runner Glen Mazzara said in an interview with Hero Complex last week that he was deliberately looking to evoke classic horror image with the scene; when Rick sees the figure, he becomes so distraught that his discussion with Tyrese and his group takes a turn […]

“The Walking Dead” will resume its third season at 9 p.m. Sunday on AMC with the episode “The Suicide King,” blessed relief for fans who have been shambling in zombie limbo during the show’s midseason break. Show runner Glen Mazzara spoke with Hero Complex in a two-part interview about the remainder of the season, promising more surprises for diehard fans — and warning that, should the story demand their deaths, no character is safe. PREVIEW: Season 3 episodes | RECAP: ‘Made to Suffer’ “We’ve already deviated from the Governor’s [comic] storyline in interesting ways; it’s a matter of continuing to tell that story and being honest and true to the essence of what’s there,” Mazzara said. “But comic book fans will not be able to guess what’s coming.” It’s been a long wait for “Dead” devotees, who were informed during […]

On a sidewalk across Wilshire Boulevard from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Steven Yeun, one of the stars of “The Walking Dead,” was handing out refreshments to passersby just before lunchtime. The gourmet street food came courtesy of the Bun Truck, which Yeun’s younger brother Brian co-owns and operates, serving Korean-Mediterranean fusion cuisine to hungry Angelenos. The actor stood by, helping visitors puzzle over the menu, strongly recommending the spicy pig “sammich” with a side of the duck fat fries. When it comes to potatoes, glistening and golden, studded with garlic and rosemary, he noted, it’s hard to go wrong. Yeun’s amiable nature is familiar to fans of AMC’s hit zombie series. As Glenn Rhee, he functions as a likable everyman, the closest thing to a romantic hero in an unrelentingly brutal apocalyptic world. “Steven is the heart […]

AMC’s hit zombie series “The Walking Dead” returns for the second half of its third season Sunday with an installment titled “The Suicide King.” The run of eight episodes marks the end of the line for departing show runner Glen Mazzara, who leaves his position as a result of creative differences with the network. Word of his departure came as a shock to fans. Mazzara, of course, is the second show runner in just three seasons to part from “The Walking Dead” under mysterious circumstances — series creator Frank Darabont left the show during the production of Season 2, and the series thrived during his tenure, enjoying remarkable success in its third season. The show kicked off to record-breaking ratings this past October and remained wildly popular with audiences and critics, who praised “The Walking Dead” for its complex examination […]

When word came down that “The Walking Dead” would be renewed for a fourth season, it was hardly a surprise. The AMC zombie series has become a pop culture touchpoint, bringing in record-breaking ratings and introducing mainstream audiences to the type of expertly crafted horror movie gore that once only devoted genre fans cheered. Far more shocking was the news that Glen Mazzara would leave his post as show runner, a reportedly amicable parting of the ways that resulted from creative differences between Mazzara and the network. (Mazzara, of course, is the second show runner in just three seasons to part from “The Walking Dead” under mysterious circumstances — series creator Frank Darabont left the show during the production of Season 2.) The experienced producer is remaining in his position to see through the conclusion of the season, though, a […]

“Warm Bodies” defied box office expectations and staggered to a $20-million box office haul. The box office prospects for the zom-rom-com were unclear heading into the weekend. (A romantic film starring zombies?!? Would you want to kiss someone who ate brains for a living?) And, of course, it was Super Bowl weekend. Turns out not everyone was fixated on football, beer and chicken wings this weekend. Super Bowl Sunday: ‘Clean up those zombies. Now.’ IMDB’s Keith Simanton told Hero Complex that he had predicted “Warm Bodies” would win the weekend box office with a $17.4-million draw. He was right — the film won the weekend — but with a few extra millions to spare. “Warm Bodies” distributor Summit Entertainment told the Los Angeles Times the movie cleared $20 million, a number that could potentially shift higher once Sunday afternoon and […]

Time Warner saluted “The Walking Dead” — coming back on Sunday — with a Super Bowl commercial that showed the zombie apocalypse might not be so bad. Except for the mess. Norman Reedus appears in the commercial as cross-bow-wielding redneck Daryl. The busy, disgusted mom in the Time Warner spot sternly tells her husband — busy on his tablet — and Daryl to clean up that pile of walkers. It was an ad sure to tickle the funny bones of “Walking Dead” fans everywhere. But there was more to ogle. Hollywood trotted out potential summer blockbusters, including Brad Pitt’s zombie feature, “World War Z,” just before kickoff. WATCH: Game day teasers for ‘Star Trek,’ Iron Man,’ ‘Lone Ranger’ In the first half of the game, promos aired for “Star Trek Into Darkness” and the “Oz: The Great and Powerful.” After […]