Where are the Dead?

Alex Zane on stage

Some of you may have read about my zombie hunting mission to Leicester Square this Sunday.  If you didn't, check out the post here.  I was expecting the opposite of 28 Days Later's deserted streets.  I was expecting countless flesh-eating, decaying, gore-covered horror fans and maybe even some kind of Thriller inspired flash mob dance routine.  I was disappointed.  The few hours I spent in the new-look Leicester Square that doesn't actually look that new were spent, not cowering in the corners as expected, but desperately squinting into the sun to see if anyone had come dressed as a zombie.  I saw one, yes just one, embarrassed-looking girl in zombie make-up but she soon disappeared.

Taking the piss with Ted

But the trip was far from a total loss.  The Sun's film reviewer Alex Zane was on hand to do a horror film quiz with some fans from the crowd.  I  got to get a quick photo of myself in one of those interactive movie posters pretending to piss with Seth MacFarlane's Ted.  I also got to have a play with some interactive giant iPad type thing that had loads of trailers and stuff to look at. 


There were lots of posters dotted about the square and a wodge of cash with The Dictator's face on the notes stuffed in a transparent safe but really I was ready to go home after about twenty minutes of being there.  I didn't come for endless marketing, I came for zombies!

Giant iPad

Wadiya currency

Never mind.  Then the gathered people enjoyed a few trailers on the big screen on stage.  The likes of Prometheus, Storage 24 and Chernobyl Diaries all played before the hard core horror fans and the random families with small children that looked a little concerned about what they were seeing.

Noel Clarke in...

Johannes Roberts' Storage 24

Then it finally got really interesting with a Q&A with FrightFest organiser, founder and co-director Alan Jones.  His tales of being a film journalist were fascinating and inspiring and FrightFest sounds like a great place for fans of horror to descend over the August bank holiday every year.  It's a just a shame it clashes with Reading Festival otherwise I'd be there.  Maybe when I get too old for the music...

 Then came a final pleasant surprise in the form of a further Q&A with two of the cast members of upcoming Brit-horror Cockneys Vs Zombies.  It sounds potentially terrible from the title but the clips shown on the big screen gained quite a few laughs from the assembled crowd and it actually looks like it could be quite a promising horror-comedy.  Alan Ford, the terrifying Brick Top from Guy Ritchie's Snatch, answered questions with his co-star Michelle Ryan.  

Here's a news report from the set of Cockneys Vs Zombies.



And here's the trailer for Storage 24 from the director of hoodie horror F.  Incidentally, the director of this is Johannes Roberts who is coming to give a talk to my media students very soon.  So that's exciting!






Finally here's a quick video I uploaded of Alan Jones answering two questions: what is his favourite horror film and who are the most talented horror filmmakers working today?



So all in all it was quite a worth while trip, even if there were far less zombies than I had hoped for.

Zombies Attack London!

In case you are a Londoner and haven't heard about this, please go check out this link!

 'On Sunday 27 May, zombies will rise all over London and shuffle into the West End, invading the Leicester Square gardens from 12.00 noon – for Lawn of the Dead.'

Leicester Square has apparently been undergoing 18 months of redevelopment work and is re-opening this weekend.  I wouldn't know as it's an hour and £20 train ride away from me so I don't get up there very often!  However as it's the home of the Odeon that had the first digital projector in Europe and hosts the most premieres with a capacity for 1683 people, this is pretty much the centre of London's film exhibition.

Apparently there is going to be loads of stuff going on all weekend starting today:

'An array of interactive displays, costume characters and personal appearances will bring the new-look Leicester Square to life in a special film-themed event running from Thursday 24 to Sunday 27 May.  Free to the public, the live event will showcase the quality and diversity of films coming to West End cinemas in 2012 in a variety of engaging ways - while also offering a glimpse of the spectacular film events hosted in Leicester Square during previous years.'

It sounds really exciting and pretty much a film lovers dream.  I hope the beautiful sunny weather that has just finally arrived holds out all weekend for the lucky Londoners in attendance.

In case you're wondering what the zombie invasion is about: 'The programme of relaunch events includes a celebration of FrightFest, which has haunted the Square for the last 12 years'.  Hence the zombies. 

And there's more.  In an email I was sent from See Film First, it says:

''Get down to the square for:
 ▪ interactive preview zone, in which visitors may select and view their own choice of content such as trailers, compilations and games on digital iTables;
 ▪ a family zone with entertainers, face painters, green-screen photo opportunities for audiences aged 3 plus;
 ▪ a performance zone that will feature a film quiz presented by Alex Zane, a Q&A with the world's leading stuntman Vic Armstrong as well as a movie fencing demonstration, and an insight into life as a leading film journalist with Empire magazine.'

If all that isn't exciting enough, you can 'come as a zombie or get a special make-over in the Square' if you head down on Sunday!

Head here for the full programme including the details of free screenings of Top Cat - The Movie and Red Tails.  The programme really suggests this would be a great family event but just be careful of all the marauding zombies on Sunday.

So is anyone going along to any of this?  I'm busy Friday and Saturday but am really hoping to go join the zombie madness on Sunday.  If I do, expect lots of ridiculous photos next week.

 Read more about it over at Screen Daily.