Tuesday, October 8, 2019

Episode 36: They're Dead, They're All Messed Up: Zombies and Ghouls



The dead. We all have a fear of death, corpses, decay...and the strange border between life and death. What of those creatures that walk that border, the undead? In this episode, the Planet 8 crew looks at zombies and ghouls. What are they? And what is the difference between the two?


We'll do a semi-chronological journey through film starting with the Bela Lugosi classic, White Zombie, and cast our eyes first on the traditional voodoo zombie. How did this type of undead rise to popularity?


Then we'll transition into the more commonly accepted type of zombie, the one that grew popular from George Romero's films, which began with Night of the Living Dead. But were the creatures in these films zombies, or ghouls? Add your two cents to our debate!


In the decades that followed Romero's classic, scores, if not hundreds, of zombie films, have been made. We'll share some of our favorites, including zombie comedies. And of course, we can't ignore the enormously popular Walking Dead.  


So if shambling undead are your thing, give this episode a listen! We've got you covered.

For this week's Sensor Sweep, Chief Engineer Bob reviews a book called Screaming for Pleasure:  How Horror Makes You Happy and Healthy, by S.A. Bradley. This tome looks at how horror films impact and influence our lives. Bradley examines numerous films and interviews well-known directors for their thoughts. It's a highly enjoyable work for anyone who has an interest in the genre, and you can find it in stores or at Amazon. Bradley also has a podcast, called Hellbent for Horror (https://hellbentforhorror.com/), so be sure to check it out.



That's all we've got time for today. Make sure your doors are locked, and should you take refuge upstairs, or go down to the basement? Hmm....

We'd love to hear your thoughts about the zombie vs. ghoul debate, or any of the films we discussed (or missed). You can leave comments here, or through our other communication channels:

Thanks for listening!


6 comments:

  1. Planet 8 No Prize goes to Butch Portillo for pointing out that they do use the term Zombie in Dawn of the Dead.

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    1. Yeah, but do they use zuvembie? That would impress me...
      -Edo

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  2. I'll probably be back with more thoughts on the main topic here, but I just have to say I'm so happy to hear that we may still be treated to Karen's writing. I recall that she mentioned that she was working on a Frankenstein project years ago at the BAB, and I often wondered, but was too hesitant to ask, whether she was still working on it. I'm also dying to read the short story that had such a life-altering impact on Larry.
    -Edo Bosnar

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    1. Let us hope Karen’s writings see the light of day and soon! Especially that short story! Take care Edo!

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  3. Hi Edo, thanks for your interest in my writing. I've been a little sidetracked lately but I am slowly getting back to it and looking at how to get it out there. When I do, I'll be sure to share with the Planet 8 listeners.

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  4. O.k., I know I said above that I'd be back with thoughts on the show's actual topic, but since it coincided with the fact that I was already planning on watching some zombie movies I'd never before seen this month, those thoughts grew into something much larger, so I turned it into a blog post at the Atomic Junk Shop. (Posted a link on your fb page as well, just in case).
    -Edo Bosnar

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