I’ve been a fan of zombie movies since I was a teenager. I can remember listening to my frightened schoolmates when I was in middle school in the early seventies as they whispered gory details to me about a film called, The Night of the Living Dead (NLD). I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I thought the talk was exaggeration. Were there really scenes of cannibalism, of people gnawing on bones and entrails? That was when my curiosity with the genre started. Fast forward thirty-odd years, and here I am, a grown man, a father of two. And, I'm still curious and fascinated with zombie movies.
Over the years, my affinity for zombie films hasn’t faded. While I’ve seen many zombie films (including NLD), I feel that I’ve not really delved very deeply into the genre. That realization came to me a couple of years ago when I picked up a DVD of the film, Zombie. The film is required viewing for anyone calling themselves a fan of the genre, especially anyone aspiring to aficionado status. And I hadn't seen it. I hung my head. I wondered about the other zombie films that I hadn't seen, the classics, the recent releases. What had I missed?
So, a little hop forward in time. My girlfriend and I are searching the Comcast On Demand listings. She knows of my preference for zombie films and couldn’t believe that I had never seen Peter Jackson’s Dead Alive, another seminal submission to the zombie genre. I hung my head. We watched it, I loved it, and it was then that I decided to start a collection of zombie DVDs. I would hang my head no more.
However, having moved residences a couple of times within the last several years, and having started other collections of "things" (and having had to haul these collections around with me), I knew that I did not want my collection to be a complete-ists one. No, my goal would not be to collect every zombie film ever made. I don't want to hoard and lug these things around with me. Besides, collecting in that fashion seemed too....20th century. Instead, I decided that my collection would be manageable and compact. It would only contain twenty zombie films, and these twenty films would be the films that I considered to be the best zombie films that I had seen to date. This is an important distinction for me for a couple of reasons.
However, having moved residences a couple of times within the last several years, and having started other collections of "things" (and having had to haul these collections around with me), I knew that I did not want my collection to be a complete-ists one. No, my goal would not be to collect every zombie film ever made. I don't want to hoard and lug these things around with me. Besides, collecting in that fashion seemed too....20th century. Instead, I decided that my collection would be manageable and compact. It would only contain twenty zombie films, and these twenty films would be the films that I considered to be the best zombie films that I had seen to date. This is an important distinction for me for a couple of reasons.
First of all, I won’t depend on top 20 lists created by others (and available online). Instead, I will view, discuss and rate the films here. I will create my own list, and in the process become proficient and well-versed in the genre. Besides, I also disagree with a lot of the lists that I've seen.
Secondly, I intend my collection to be a living/fluid thing, so at any given time it could contain films that might not ever appear on anyone’s top 100 list, much less a top 20 list. That means a film such as Plan 9 From Outer Space might (might!) reside on the same list as NLD, but in my collection, no film is safe and any film can be dropped from the list at any time. So, Plan 9's stint on my list could (would!) be a very short-lived event.
I don’t own a lot of zombie DVDs, so initially I'll build a collection of twenty using what I currently own. I'll add to that number based upon viewings and acquisitions. If I like a film and deem it worthy of adding to my collection, I will acquire it. It might happen that I will purchase a DVD or acquire it by some other means, but purchase or possession by no means constitutes an addition to my collection—unless the total in the collection is less than twenty AND I deem the title worthy of inclusion..
Secondly, I intend my collection to be a living/fluid thing, so at any given time it could contain films that might not ever appear on anyone’s top 100 list, much less a top 20 list. That means a film such as Plan 9 From Outer Space might (might!) reside on the same list as NLD, but in my collection, no film is safe and any film can be dropped from the list at any time. So, Plan 9's stint on my list could (would!) be a very short-lived event.
I don’t own a lot of zombie DVDs, so initially I'll build a collection of twenty using what I currently own. I'll add to that number based upon viewings and acquisitions. If I like a film and deem it worthy of adding to my collection, I will acquire it. It might happen that I will purchase a DVD or acquire it by some other means, but purchase or possession by no means constitutes an addition to my collection—unless the total in the collection is less than twenty AND I deem the title worthy of inclusion..
As I stated, once a title is added to the collection, it is by no means "safe". After I attain my twenty DVD limit, any and every title is subject to being replaced and dropping off of the list and out of my household. Yes, any DVD that falls from the list, will be sold or traded away. I will not have more than twenty zombie DVDs in my collection. However, I retain the right to have a viewing queue, so it is conceivable, for example, that I might have twenty DVDs in the collection and five in the viewing queue.
So, that’s it. That’s the how and the why of it. In my next few posts. I’ll list what I have in my collection and I’ll start my reviews and list building.
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