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5 of the Craziest Asian Zombie Films You Probably Haven’t Seen (and really should)

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helldriver

There is something to be said for the sheer craziness of zombie films that come from Asia; while the western template for the zombie film has stood stock for years (pick two zombie movies; their plots are, at their core, similar), Japanese, Chinese, Korean and Thai filmmakers have taken more chances with the zombie genre.  Now that is not to say that all Asian zombie films are better/different than those zombie films made in the west, but Asian horror cinema is usually where the zombie film fan has to go in order to see something innovative and new.  Or weird. Very, very weird.

What has been compiled here is a list of zombie films from around Asia (three Japanese, one from Hong Kong & one Thai) which I think that, as a zombie fan, you should try and see, if only for the sheer crazy spectacle of it.  My recommendations are also entirely based on sub-titled versions of these films (save for one), because dubbing is evil.

1) Helldriver AKA Nihon bundan: Heru doraiba (2010)

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The newest film on this list, Helldriver is a gore fest from director Yoshihiro Nishimura (of Tokyo Gore Police fame) about antlered zombies and the girl who has to stop them with a katana shaped chainsaw.  It involves a “schoolgirl” named Kika (Yumiko Hara) who is attacked by her mother Rikka (Eihi Shiina, an actress you may recognize from her fantastically creepy role in Audition), a cannibalistic serial killer.  Kika is ‘saved’ by a meteorite that smashes through Rikka’s heart, but Rikka rips Kika’s heart out as a replacement.  Then some space ash bursts out of Rikka and falls on northern Japan, turning anyone who inhaled it into a zombie with a weird antler face:

helldriverzombie

zombie surprised by mirror

Kika is reanimated by a secret organization, and dropped into the infected side of Japan (the government having built a wall to separate the infected and uninfected sides of the country) to fight her way to her mother, who has proclaimed herself the ‘Queen of the Zombies’ because…yes.  There are other characters, and a side-plot about the Japanese government arguing about zombie-human rights, and another about the sale of zombie antler as an illicit drug…something…but if you are watching Helldriver you are watching it for the zombie gore.  The plot exists mainly to drive you from one action set-piece to the next, and sometimes even does it in a car made entirely of zombie parts (which you can see in the above trailer), and that is not even the most ludicrously awesome thing that gets built out of zombies, but I have to leave somethings unspoiled for you to see yourselves.

While the budget does affect the special effects, the makeup for the zombies serves its purpose, and there is plenty (gallons) of blood and gore throughout.  While the film can drag a little bit in its 117 minutes, it is worth it just for the sheer volume of everything.

2) Kung Fu Zombie AKA Wu long tian shi zhao ji gui (1982)

In brief, Kung Fu Zombie is an old school, so-bad-it-is-good Hong Kong kung fu movie where the villain comes into town in order to kill Pang (martial artist Billy Chong) but instead of doing it himself, the villain gets a Taoist priest/wizard to raise zombies to do the job for him, and things go horribly awry.

Look, I could tell you all  about this one, or you could just watch it:

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Kung Fu Zombie  is one of those films that we are lucky enough to have a full version of on YouTube, although it is dubbed; however, while I am generally anti-dubbing when it comes to foreign films, there is something awesome about 1980s kung fu movie dubbing, as it really adds a layer to the hilariousness of these old movies.

While this is the least ‘zombie’ of these zombie films on this list, Kung Fu Zombie is an unintentionally funny mash-up of 1980s cult kung fu movies and the supernatural zombie genre, and another good example of the difference in tone and genre that only Asian cinema can bring to the zombie genre.

3) Battlefield Baseball AKA Jigoku Kôshien (2003)

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Battlefield Baseball is a film which satirizes sports films (and the Japanese obsession with baseball) and adds in some ridiculous, over the top zombie horror.  The plot…OK…again, while I promise there is a plot, it is paper thin and a bit hard to follow; this is another film where you have to embrace the weirdness, and just be in for the ride.

Battlefield Baseball revolves around the Seido High School baseball team making it to the Koshien Stadium tournament, but dismay to find themselves facing the Gedo High School team, who do not so much play baseball, as they are vicious and armed zombies who slaughter their opponents on the field (they call it “fighting baseball” but there is, to be fair, very little baseball involved).

Baseball at its' finest

I would watch this baseball on television…

Seido’s one hope is to recruit Jubei (Tak Sakaguchi), a mysterious pitcher who swore never to play baseball again, due to the lethality of his ‘Super-Tornado’ pitch (and we get Jubei’s back story in the best way possible: song).  Jubei does not help in the game and Seidos team is slaughtered and through “plot”,  Jubei discovers his desire to beat Gedo, and with the help of some cyborgs and crazy, will do his best to beat the Gedo team at their own game.

This is one of the craziest films I have ever seen, and you do need to be in the right mood/with the right group of people to enjoy Battlefield Baseball, but this surely is one of those zombie films that you just have to see once.

Also, note that the full film is available on YouTube again, however it is dubbed in German, so it will only work for a really particular audience.

4) Wild Zero (1999)

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Japanese garage rock stars, named Guitar Wolf, Bass Wolf and Drum Wolf, help a young couple fight zombies brought back by aliens as part of an invasion plan of Earth.

Yep.

Wild Zero is exactly as fun as it sounds; it is one of those B-Movies that you come across that is just ridiculous and fun enough that you can forget everything for 98 minutes and watch guitars and guns blaze their way through swarms of zombies. And really, when you see a synopsis like that you have to expect a film that appeals to the Midnight Movie, B-Movie crowd, and that is precisely where Zero‘s sweet spot is.  Directed by Takeuchi Tetsuro, a well known Japanese music video director, you can also get a sense of the aesthetic you are going to get from Wild Zero: it is fast paced, aggressive, and quite a ride.

It is fun, it is silly and as will all of these films, with the right crowd, you are going to have a blast with Wild Zero.

5) SARS Wars: Bangkok Zombie Crisis AKA Khun krabii hiiroh (2004)

Speaking of over the top: SARS Wars.

I.  Um…

Well:

Flying zombie baby? Check.

SARS Wars is a Thai film, where SARS Type-4 has evolved in Africa into a zombie virus which is ripping through a quarantined apartment building in Bangkok because of an hornet and an airliner.  Thai comedy actors Suthep Po-ngam and Somlek Sakdikul star as comic book style (there are animated sequences), zombie killing heroes who have to try and rescue a beautiful girl from a gang (of course, holding the girl in said apartment building) and then must team up with the gang to fight of the ravenous zombies, including a (ghost? zombie?) Burmese python.

This film is a horror comedy, that pushes for lowest common denominator humour a bit too much, but is, at the same time, hilarious for stretches, and filled with ridiculous (sometimes cartoon) gore.  There is a twist that happens later that makes absolutely no sense, but if you are walking into SARS Wars expecting anything less than insanity, you will be disappointed and probably unsure of what just happened in your life.  I have not even begun to describe the insanity in SARS Wars, so go in expecting nothing but being bamboozled and having a ridiculous time, and you will be pleased.

As an example: when SARS Wars ended with my group of horror movie junkies, we all sat in a stunned silence for about three minutes…

Here’s a fun checklist for you while you watch SARS Wars:

(__) Zombie Baby

(__) Magic bullet

(__) Albert

(__) Suddenly: Random weird cartoon

(__) Furry

( X ) “That made no sense!” (I’ll get that one for you)

(__) Uncomfortable joke

(__) Meta reference to the film being a film

(__) Someone you are watching SARS Wars with becomes wide-eyed and yells expletives at the screen/you for making them watch SARS Wars

 

That’s it, that’s all folks.

Let me know what you have seen from here, what you liked (or hated), or if you have anything crazier that you prefer to these five films in the comments below.

 

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News

Brad Dourif Says He’s Retiring Except For One Important Role

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Brad Dourif has been doing movies for nearly 50 years. Now it seems he is walking away from the industry at 74 to enjoy his golden years. Except, there is a caveat.

Recently, digital entertainment publication JoBlo’s Tyler Nichols talked to some of the Chucky television series cast members. During the interview, Dourif made an announcement.

“Dourif said that he’s retired from acting,” says Nichols. “The only reason he came back for the show was because of his daughter Fiona and he considers Chucky creator Don Mancini to be family. But for non-Chucky stuff, he considers himself retired.”

Dourif has voiced the possessed doll since 1988 (minus the 2019 reboot). The original movie “Child’s Play” has become such a cult classic it’s at the top of some people’s best chillers of all time. Chucky himself is ingrained in pop culture history much like Frankenstein or Jason Voorhees.

While Dourif may be known for his famous voiceover, he is also an Oscar-nominated actor for his part in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Another famous horror role is The Gemini Killer in William Peter Blatty’s Exorcist III. And who can forget Betazoid Lon Suder in Star Trek: Voyager?

The good news is that Don Mancini is already pitching a concept for season four of Chucky which might also include a feature-length movie with a series tie-in. So, Although Dourif says he is retiring from the industry, ironically he is Chucky’s friend till the end.

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Editorial

7 Great ‘Scream’ Fan Films & Shorts Worth a Watch

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The Scream franchise is such an iconic series, that many budding filmmakers take inspiration from it and make their own sequels or, at least, build upon the original universe created by screenwriter Kevin Williamson. YouTube is the perfect medium to showcase these talents (and budgets) with fan-made homages with their own personal twists.

The great thing about Ghostface is that he can appear anywhere, in any town, he just needs the signature mask, knife, and unhinged motive. Thanks to Fair Use laws it’s possible to expand upon Wes Craven’s creation by simply getting a group of young adults together and killing them off one by one. Oh, and don’t forget the twist. You’ll notice that Roger Jackson’s famous Ghostface voice is uncanny valley, but you get the gist.

We have gathered five fan films/shorts related to Scream that we thought were pretty good. Although they can’t possibly match the beats of a $33 million blockbuster, they get by on what they have. But who needs money? If you’re talented and motivated anything is possible as proven by these filmmakers who are well on their way to the big leagues.

Take a look at the below films and let us know what you think. And while you’re at it, leave these young filmmakers a thumbs up, or leave them a comment to encourage them to create more films. Besides, where else are you going to see Ghostface vs. a Katana all set to a hip-hop soundtrack?

Scream Live (2023)

Scream Live

Ghostface (2021)

Ghostface

Ghost Face (2023)

Ghost Face

Don’t Scream (2022)

Don’t Scream

Scream: A Fan Film (2023)

Scream: A Fan Film

The Scream (2023)

The Scream

A Scream Fan Film (2023)

A Scream Fan Film
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Movies

Another Creepy Spider Movie Hits Shudder This Month

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Good spider films are a theme this year. First, we had Sting and then there was Infested. The former is still in theaters and the latter is coming to Shudder starting April 26.

Infested has been getting some good reviews. People are saying that it’s not only a great creature feature but also a social commentary on racism in France.

According to IMDb: Writer/director Sébastien Vanicek was looking for ideas around the discrimination faced by black and Arab-looking people in France, and that led him to spiders, which are rarely welcome in homes; whenever they’re spotted, they’re swatted. As everyone in the story (people and spiders) is treated like vermin by society, the title came to him naturally.

Shudder has become the gold standard for streaming horror content. Since 2016, the service has been offering fans an expansive library of genre movies. in 2017, they began to stream exclusive content.

Since then Shudder has become a powerhouse in the film festival circuit, buying distribution rights to movies, or just producing some of their own. Just like Netflix, they give a film a short theatrical run before adding it to their library exclusively for subscribers.

Late Night With the Devil is a great example. It was released theatrically on March 22 and will begin streaming on the platform starting April 19.

While not getting the same buzz as Late Night, Infested is a festival favorite and many have said if you suffer from arachnophobia, you might want to take heed before watching it.

Infested

According to the synopsis, our main character, Kalib is turning 30 and dealing with some family issues. “He’s fighting with his sister over an inheritance and has cut ties with his best friend. Fascinated by exotic animals, he finds a venomous spider in a shop and brings it back to his apartment. It only takes a moment for the spider to escape and reproduce, turning the whole building into a dreadful web trap. The only option for Kaleb and his friends is to find a way out and survive.”

The film will be available to watch on Shudder starting April 26.

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