by
Ghastly McNasty
Certainly not fresh news (in fact it’s so old it smells like a rotting corpse) but I had to post this as it’s proper exciting. Hit zombie survival comic ‘The Walking Dead’ is to be made in to a TV series!
Personally I think the story is perfect for a TV adaptation and I’m a big fan of good quality tv shows. My current faves being Lost, Heroes, Flash Forward, True Blood and I’m sticking with the BBC’s Survivors even after last nights poor start to the second series. Also there is certainly a gap in the market for a zombie based series as the genre shows no signs of dying off yet.
‘The Walking Dead’ is a big favourite here on Back from the Depths and many of our readers love it too. Sometimes the story can go off track a bit but writer Robert Kirkman has an uncanny knack of keeping this series exciting. One simple way he acheives this is by constantly killing off main characters and reshaping the surving group dynamics. This would lend itself perfectly to a high quality TV series as guest appearances by big name stars would always be extremely short lived.
As if this news wasn’t exciting enough then hold on to your seats for the next bit. Signed up to helm this new venture is none other than Shawkshank/Green Mile/The Mist director Frank Darabont. Joining him is Alien/The Terminator producer Gale Anne Hurd with Kirkman himself in an executive producer role. Surely this can’t be anything but a winning formula!
I’ve not seen any release dates yet for the project but it’s certainly worth keeping one ear to the ground regarding this project. Keep listening for the zombie herds!
by
Ghastly McNasty
A total must for any fan of the zombie genre this outstanding book by Max Brooks gives a unique perspective of the zombie outbreak and aftermath. Subtitled ‘An oral history of the zombie war’ the book consists of a series of interviews with survivors of the zombie apocalypse. It doesn’t have a standard storyline as such but the interviews follow a linear timeline streatched over 10 years that cover the origins and initial outbreaks through to the reclaiming of the world from the zombie hordes.
I’m still persevering with Kirkman’s ‘Walking Dead’ series but ‘World War Z’ manages to give me everything I hoped the meandering ‘Walking Dead’ comic would be, in one simple well written book.
This is also going to be made in to a movie to be released fairly soon and i can’t wait. Thoroughly expect this to be the best zombie movie ever made!
Click here to buy World War Z from Amazon
by
Ghastly McNasty
Who better to devote a horror comic to than the grand daddy of the macabre, H.P. Lovercraft himself. The first edition of this interesting looking graphic novel was released in April of this year and has already caused quite a stir. It seems Universal Pictures has snapped up the movie rights to produce The Strange Adventures of H.P.Lovecraft, Mac Carter and Jeff Blitz’s disturbing take on the life of Mr Lovercraft.
Toiling away as a timid and eccentric writer of pulp horror stories, H.P. Lovecraft, is powerless in the world… in love with a girl who doesn’t love him back, mired in a profession that inspires no respect and frozen in the grip of a terrible writer’s block. Until one day when everything changes. Lovecraft comes in contact with an ancient book that passes onto him an insidious curse: whenever he sleeps, his darkest nightmares come true and are loosed on the world. Suddenly, this shy and bumbling writer becomes both an unwitting god of destruction and the only man who can fight the wickedness he unleashes. It’s a fantastical revision of the life and work of H.P. Lovecraft, a story in the mold of the classic Universal horror movies. A weird tale indeed.
Looks pretty darn good and anything Lovecraft related has got to be worth a punt. Visit The Strange Adventures of H.P.Lovecraft website for more information.
by
Ghastly McNasty
Some extremely exciting news here for any fans of legendary TV show (I was trying to think how to categorise the program but I couldn’t) The League of Gentlemen. Leaguers Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton have been let loose on a new BBC 2 project, the mouth-wateringly titled Psychoville.
A manic clown, a pantomime dwarf and a simpleton serial killer enthusiast are just some of the bizarre characters that will appear in this 7 part series. Undoubtably, as with The League of Gentlemen, the comedy will be a sinister shade of black with some very good belly laughs thrown in as well.
It seems this show will also be heavily supported by various online tie-ins, with website addresses subliminally inserted in to each episode, allowing viewers to explore the back story and sub plots of Psychoville.
Check out the video below for a bit of insight in to what we can expect.
Psychoville starts Thursday 18th June at 10pm on BBC Two.
by
Ghastly McNasty
Being a medical horror comic by Mssrs. Brandon Seifert and Lukas Ketner
If your looking for an example of excellent artwork and a ripping good yarn then it’s surely worth your time delving in to the world of Witch Doctor.
About Witch Doctor
Vincent Morrow’s fall from grace in the medical world was swift, total, and his own damn fault.
He would’ve ended things that same night if he hadn’t been headhunted into an exciting new career — in the black arts. Then there was the matter of pulling a certain sword out of a certain stone and being declared earth’s destined protector, but he’d rather you didn’t mention that. The obedient path of mystical tradition isn’t the one for Morrow. The Holy Grail made a great sink — it just needed a hole for the plumbing and a rubber stopper in the bottom — and earth’s vampires, zombies and other superfauna are just patients to him, victims of unknown illnesses waiting to be treated.
It’s a sick world. And Dr. Morrow serves it with both hands — one in magic, one in medicine — as earth’s Sorcerer General. Earth’s Witch Doctor.
Witch Doctor has some really great characters that strengthen the storyline. The lead character has an intriguing personality and if you venture on to the Witch Doctor site and read the preview story ‘First Incision’ you will definately leave wanting to know more about the mysterious and intelligent Vincent Morrow.
It seems from their blog they have just lined up a fresh story so scoot on over and get a taste of this great indy comic. You can find out more about this awesome comic and read the first story at the Witch Doctor website
by
Ghastly McNasty
Night Zero is a photo comic book that pretty much stands out in it’s field. Very professionally made it harkes back to a time when Doomlord used same technique in some of the older issues of Eagle. Check out the blurb below and visit the site to read for yourself
NIGHT ZERO is a photo comic book, or fumetti, produced on location in Seattle, Washington. It is a collaboratively-driven project that blends the talents of writers, actors, photographers, digital artists, and film crews, to create a graphic novel unlike any other.
THE STORY
Set in the months following a deadly viral outbreak, NIGHT ZERO follows the lives of the surviving population of Seattle, Washington. Holding together in the New City, a semblance of normalcy barricaded against the terrors of the world outside, those still alive have no choice but to throw their lots in with the rest and make a new future.
THE LOOK
NIGHT ZERO is produced like a feature film, shot on-location with a full cast and crew, complete with sets, props, and costumes. Using the emerging technology of High Dynamic Range photography (HDR) and a process called tonemapping, our digital artists are able to transform the images into a unique visual style somewhere between photography and illustration. There is no tracing or hand drawing superimposed on the photographs– the “illustrated” style is purely the result of the HDR photography method.
You can find more information about this amazing project and read the comic stories in full by visiting the Night Zero website.
If you’re interested in the spectacular zombie horror game Left 4 Dead then you may want to check out Left 5 Dead also from the creators of Night Zero. The artistic after-touches applied to these photographs create an amazing effect. Top notch work!
by
Ghastly McNasty
I bought this game a few months ago and although I no longer play it as much as I did, it is certainly worth a mention on this site. I’ll try not to gush about it too much as I can do about things that get me excited.
Left 4 Dead is a survival horror first person shooter game available for the Xbox360 or the PC. Made by Valve, the people behind Half Life 2, this very simple game is quite possibly the best horror game ever made. If you own a PC or Xbox then I recommend that you go out now and buy it.
It is like sombody reached in to my head and made my ideal Zombie holocaust game.
The game begins with a 5 minute intro movie that will scare your pants clean off and will have your blood pumping from the adrenaline rush. From then on the game involves sneaking round buildings and streets trying not to awake any zombie hordes. Obviously is you never met any zombies the game would be poor, so when you do accidently set of a car alarm and the zombies attack, the game becomes a frenzy of blasting as many zombs as possible as they pour out of holes in the ceilings or burst through doors in their hundreds. Not only is this completely terrifying, but it’s also an absolute hoot!
The zombies are a slow moving Romero type bunch, until startled, when they suddenly become enraged and come out you 28 Days Later style. Brilliant! There are also specialist zombies which are harder to kill and this adds a bit of variation to the game.
The graphics aren’t amazing but do the trick. The key to this game lies in the addictive gameplay and the online 4 player story modes. It really is a game that needs to be played with other humans to get the full benefit.
Back from the Depths Rating:
Thoroughly entertaining this game is a must for any fan of the Zombie genre. 10/10
If you still need persuading to buy this wonderful game then just check the intro movie below.
by
M.I.K.
I’m leaving this a bit late, but thought I’d post this anyway.
If you’re in the UK there’s another chance to see the first three episodes of supernatural drama series “Being Human” tonight (Saturday 28th March) on BBC Three, with the last three episodes airing next week.
The programme follows the tale of three seemingly ordinary flatmates, but each of them has a dark secret they struggle to keep from the world. Mitchell’s a vampire, George is a werewolf and Annie’s a ghost.
You might now be thinking it all sounds a bit Rentaghost, but Being Human is intelligently written and at times genuinely thought-provoking.
This evening’s viewing looks like this…
21:15–22:15 Unearthed
The cast and creator discuss the BBC Three hit drama in a behind the scenes special.
22:15–23:15 Episode 1
1/6. Mitchell struggles to resist his blood lust. Annie is confronted by a ghost from her past.
23:15–00:15 Episode 2
2/6. When George meets another werewolf called Tully it seems that he wants to stay forever.
00:15–02:10 Episode 3
3/6. Annie investigates why she’s trapped in limbo with the help of a miserable ghost.
02:10–03:10
Unearthed (same documentary as earlier)
More information can be found here :
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/beinghuman/2009/03/new_to_being_human.html
by
M.I.K.
Here’s Johnny, a documentary about comic artist John Hicklenton, will be showing on the UK’s More4 freeview channel this Tuesday 17th February at 10pm.
Some info from the official website…
Here’s Johnny enters the surreal world of renowned graphic artist Johnny Hicklenton, who is battling against Multiple Sclerosis. Living in an increasing state of immobility and frustration, Johnny escapes the confines of his frontroom through his artwork.
Through the expression of his brilliant and sometimes troubled imagination we learn about the disease that he cannot escape from.
Launched at the Science Museum on January 30th 2008, and premiering at South by South West film festival in March 2008, Here’s Johnny went on to win two prestigious Grierson Awards in November 2008. Winning both the ‘Best Arts Documentary’ and ‘Best Newcomer’ awards, Here’s Johnny is the first film ever to win two awards in the Griersons’ 36 year history.
Website : http://www.heresjohnnyfilm.com/
Facebook group : http://www.new.facebook.com/group.php?gid=63199301042
Ξ December 17th, 2008 | → 1 Comments | ∇ Blah, TV |
by
M.I.K.
BBC4 are showing a trilogy of ghostly tales, over three consecutive nights starting from Monday the 22nd of December, all written by and starring The League of Gentlemen’s Mark Gatiss. The stories all revolve around a house which no longer stands…
“Ben, a school teacher, has recently moved into a new house and found a door-knocker in his garden. The local museum curator identifies it as having once belonged to Geap Manor, a now-demolished Tudor mansion with a ghostly reputation. Intrigued, Ben asks if there are any “juicy stories” to be told, and the curator obliges. He begins to recount stories of the manor’s curious past… “
A special which combines all three stories will be shown on the night of Saturday 27th December.
More info here… Crooked House feature
…and a clip can be seen here…
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00gf5cz
I also saw a trailer for this tonight, but that doesn’t appear to be online yet. It certainly looks promising though.
AIRDATES :
Crooked House – The Wainscoting Ep 1/3
Monday 22 December
10.30-11.00pm BBC FOUR
Crooked House – Something Old Ep 2/3
Tuesday 23 December
10.30-11.00pm BBC FOUR
Crooked House – The Knocker Ep 3/3
Wednesday 24 December
10.30-11.00pm BBC FOUR
Crooked House Special
Saturday 27 December
9.00-10.30pm BBC FOUR
Ghastly 
M.I.K.
Countess 
Jova