There are several ways to make a zombie: bio-chemicals, viruses from outer space, watching “According to Jim…” In THE MAD, the method happens to be beef patties, tainted with something a touch worse than mad cow disease.
Take a look at the trailer for THE MAD, which stars the great Billy Zane, at ShockTillYouDrop. It looks like fun, somewhere in the RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD spectrum of zombie movies, where it’s not taking itself too seriously, but has enough genuine horror moments that it’s not just a complete goof.
After you’re done enjoying the trailer and shrouding your eyes from the shine beaming off of Zane’s cueball head, check out Dread Central’s interview with director John Kalangis. He talks about his inspirations for THE MAD (unsurprisingly, Romero was a big influence), as well as how the humor is utilized :
“There are laughs in The Mad, but they’re not without some meaning if anyone is thinking about the themes of the film.
“It’s meant to be somewhat representative of our modern attitudes toward meat as a whole. You can only do that in a comedy where people can get past their terror quickly and still be characters with issues we somewhat relate to.”
I guess Kalangis is stickin’ it to fast food chains, as well as the chunky bums who partake in Hamburglary. That’s all good, but subversive horror is a tricky thing. Of course Romero does it with mastery, but it can be a heavy-handed affair is not done well. Luckily, THE MAD seems to be more concerned with jokes and gross-out gags than preachin’.
THE MAD hits stores on May 22, and if you’re already sold on the ZANE-INESS (yeah, you liked that), buy the
DVD NOW!