Zombie Cliche Lookout: Taking Stock
There comes a time in most zombie stories that feature human enemies that the characters drop whatever pretense they had previously operated under. No longer are they going to act as if they’re capable of getting along with the other party. They might not be outright hostile, but they’re not far off either.
This is important as a contrast. The two groups need to start off on friendly terms. They need to make the effort to at least seem as if they’re open to getting along and working together. Make no mistake, this isn’t there to fool the audience. Readers/watchers are genre savvy enough to recognize what’s going on with the plot. It’s simply part of the dance; it’s important to show that characters are willing to try to get along, even if conflict is a foregone conclusion. It demonstrates that the good guys want peace, and that the bad guys are untrustworthy.
About this Episode:
So Bill has updated a bit. Where before he had a simple machete, he’s now sporting a rifle. Well, technically a carbine, but whatever. He’s also dropped any sense of geniality, not that he had all that much to begin with. He’s here to guard the door, and not take any bullshit from people.
Discussion Question: The Soundtrack
I’ve been in a retro-style movie mood recently, and have really been enjoying the faux synth soundtracks being used in movies like The Guest and shows like Stranger Things. This made me think a little bit more about how big of a role the soundtrack plays in genre films in establishing the mood. With this in mind, what sort of background music do you picture in Bricks of the Dead? For the purpose of this question, let’s not get into popular music, but rather orchestral styled music.
Typo alert: pretense they had previous operated under. previous–>previously 😀
Only one that I can find for today! If anyone else finds a typo please do post it! 😀
Not bad. Fixed.
Even though it’s a zombie apocalypse, how many people would willingly point a firearm at a police officer? Especially if they’ve got their own firearm out? 😀
It seems to me as if the next episode will have shots fired, whether anyone gets hurt is anybody’s guess! 😀
I guess that’s just a sign of how far things have gone downhill. After all, is Murphy still a police officer at this point?
Examining the scene a bit more closely, he’s also got it pointed at Murphy’s chest. Are we going to see another Abe come back to bite this guy or what? 😀
Hah, very good point here. I wonder if they know the dangers of shots to center mass.
I’m betting they don’t, but here’s a very good Discussion Question: “Should Dave actually kill off any of the characters or just settle for wounding them?” 😀 Have fun with that one! 😉
Please do get the results in before shooting anyone though! Even if it’s the bad guys!
I’ll use that one, thanks as always.
In my head I always hear the soundtrack music from the absolutely wonderful and underappreciated film “The Battery”.
I had to Google that. Sounds pretty damn interesting.
It’s a nice take on the genre. I think you will enjoy it.
For me, I’d go with a single acoustic guitar during the final. But before we get there, there’d be a full band (rock maybe?) with electrical instruments but as the story gets worse, we keep loosing instruments.
Maybe with each main character one gets dropped. Sort of like in “Steven Universe” each gem (and Steven!) has a unique instrument assign to them that plays the theme.
Just my idea…once the zombie apocalypse hit we’d loose the electric guitar first.
Man, that’s such a cool idea. I love the idea of the single acoustic guitar in general. It’s sad and lonely, and reminds me of The Last of Us. Having the instrumentation slowly disappear is just such a cool idea to add to it.