Zombie! vs. Mardi Gras
Encyclopedia
Zombie! vs. Mardi Gras (1999
) is an independently-produced comedy horror
film directed by Karl DeMolay, Will Frank and Mike Lyddon.
, a deranged occultist, whose life has been dedicated to vengeance after being trampled and rendered a paraplegic as a child by overzealous revelers in the throes of bead-catching madness. With the help of a Sumerian Goddess MacGuffin performs a ritual that raises Zombie! (exclamation point mandatory) from his grave. Zombie! embarks on a killing spree in New Orleans during the Mardi Gras
festivities. A trio of filmmakers get word of this and hasten to capture Zombie! on film. Renaissance genius Galileo, newly pardoned by Pope John Paul II
and thus released from Purgatory
, also chases Zombie! through New Orleans’ crowded streets. Meanwhile, a zaftig ninja
vows to take down the undead menace. The film is peppered with comedy sketches and sight gags more or less unrelated to the plot, including numerous shots of bare-breasted women flashing the Mardi Gras crowds.
when he proclaimed it “the worst professionally produced film I have had the displeasure of sitting through.” Berardinelli goes on to mention that after "enduring Zombie! Vs. Mardi Gras, you will have a clear appreciation of which films are truly bad and which ones are just unimaginative and lifeless." However, David Sterritt
of the Christian Science Monitor noted that "Fans of unregenerate underground moviemaking will have a ball, and there's a creepy charm to the picture's proudly homemade quality" . Later reviews were tinged with grudging admiration; T.L. Bugg describes the film as "trash on the highest order, but it is some damn entertaining trash" and further opines that "Zombie! vs. Mardi Gras comes across like an art film that’s been invaded by a dime store Val Lewton
...."
The film was re-mastered, with noticeable improvements to sound quality, and released on DVD in February 2006 by the filmmakers.
1999 in film
The year 1999 in film involved several noteworthy events and has been called "The Year That Changed Movies". Several significant feature films, including Stanley Kubrick's final film Eyes Wide Shut, Pedro Almodóvar's first Oscar-winning film All About My Mother, science fiction The Matrix, Deep...
) is an independently-produced comedy horror
Comedy horror
Comedy horror, also known as horror comedy, is a literary and film genre, combining elements of comedy and horror fiction. The comedy horror genre almost always inevitably crosses over with the black comedy genre; and in some respects could be considered a subset of it.The short story "The Legend...
film directed by Karl DeMolay, Will Frank and Mike Lyddon.
Synopsis
The opening scenes of the movie center on MacGuffinMacGuffin
A MacGuffin is "a plot element that catches the viewers' attention or drives the plot of a work of fiction". The defining aspect of a MacGuffin is that the major players in the story are willing to do and sacrifice almost anything to obtain it, regardless of what the MacGuffin actually is...
, a deranged occultist, whose life has been dedicated to vengeance after being trampled and rendered a paraplegic as a child by overzealous revelers in the throes of bead-catching madness. With the help of a Sumerian Goddess MacGuffin performs a ritual that raises Zombie! (exclamation point mandatory) from his grave. Zombie! embarks on a killing spree in New Orleans during the Mardi Gras
Mardi Gras
The terms "Mardi Gras" , "Mardi Gras season", and "Carnival season", in English, refer to events of the Carnival celebrations, beginning on or after Epiphany and culminating on the day before Ash Wednesday...
festivities. A trio of filmmakers get word of this and hasten to capture Zombie! on film. Renaissance genius Galileo, newly pardoned by Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
and thus released from Purgatory
Purgatory
Purgatory is the condition or process of purification or temporary punishment in which, it is believed, the souls of those who die in a state of grace are made ready for Heaven...
, also chases Zombie! through New Orleans’ crowded streets. Meanwhile, a zaftig ninja
Ninja
A or was a covert agent or mercenary of feudal Japan specializing in unorthodox arts of war. The functions of the ninja included espionage, sabotage, infiltration, and assassination, as well as open combat in certain situations...
vows to take down the undead menace. The film is peppered with comedy sketches and sight gags more or less unrelated to the plot, including numerous shots of bare-breasted women flashing the Mardi Gras crowds.
Critical reception
Originally released as a straight-to-VHS video, the film first gained attention when critic Rob Firsching, writing for The Amazing World of Cult Movies, dubbed the production “the worst piece of garbage I have ever seen.” Other Internet critics took up the chant, knocking Zombie! vs. Mardi Gras for its artistic and technical shortcomings. The most notable slam may have come from James BerardinelliJames Berardinelli
James Berardinelli is an American online film critic.-Personal life:Berardinelli was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey and spent his early childhood in Morristown, New Jersey. At the age of nine years, he relocated to the township of Cherry Hill, New Jersey...
when he proclaimed it “the worst professionally produced film I have had the displeasure of sitting through.” Berardinelli goes on to mention that after "enduring Zombie! Vs. Mardi Gras, you will have a clear appreciation of which films are truly bad and which ones are just unimaginative and lifeless." However, David Sterritt
David Sterritt
David Sterritt is a film critic, author and scholar. He is most notable for his work on Alfred Hitchcock and Jean-Luc Godard, and his many years as the Film Critic for The Christian Science Monitor, where, from 1968 until his retirement in 2005, he championed avant garde cinema, theater and music...
of the Christian Science Monitor noted that "Fans of unregenerate underground moviemaking will have a ball, and there's a creepy charm to the picture's proudly homemade quality" . Later reviews were tinged with grudging admiration; T.L. Bugg describes the film as "trash on the highest order, but it is some damn entertaining trash" and further opines that "Zombie! vs. Mardi Gras comes across like an art film that’s been invaded by a dime store Val Lewton
Val Lewton
Val Lewton was an American film producer and screenwriter, best known for a string of low-budget horror films he produced for RKO Pictures in the 1940s.-Early life:...
...."
Theatrical release
Zombie! vs. Mardi Gras received a theatrical release in New York in April 2001. The film mainly played in non-theatrical venues after its initial release, and maintains underground cult status.The film was re-mastered, with noticeable improvements to sound quality, and released on DVD in February 2006 by the filmmakers.
External links
- Zombie! vs. Mardi Gras at Rotten TomatoesRotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
- Film ThreatFilm ThreatFilm Threat is a former print magazine and, now, webzine which focuses primarily on independent film, although it also reviews DVDs of mainstream films and Hollywood movies in theaters. It first appeared as a photocopied zine in 1985, created by Wayne State University students Chris Gore and André...
interview with co-director Mike Lyddon: http://www.filmthreat.com/index.php?section=interviews&Id=101