I happen to be a big fan of the Zombieland--and a huge reason why i think it works so well is the amazing chemistry between its two leads, Woody Harrelson and Jesse Eisenberg. Those two guys just absolutely click, and the rest of the movie's goodness flows out of their interaction.So naturally (well, naturally if you're me), I started thinking: What would this movie look like if it were made in earlier decades of film history? Which two actors of previous eras could pull off the perfect chemistry to make Zombieland work in any time period, and what incarnations of movie zombies would they each face? A couple of possibilities immediately came to mind, and before I knew it, I had it plotted out going back through seven decades of cinema.
The ages may be slightly off in some of the cases, but I got a kick out of imagining what these pairings would yield, and I hope you do, too.
* * * * * * * * * *
1990s ZOMBIELAND
BRUCE WILLIS & BEN STILLER
Taking on...
Dead Alive zombies!
* * * * * * * * * *
1980s ZOMBIELAND
CHUCK NORRIS & JOHN CUSACK
Taking on...
Return of the Living Dead zombies!
* * * * * * * * * *
* * * * * * * * * *
1970s ZOMBIELAND
JON VOIGHT & WOODY ALLEN
Taking on...
Lucio Fulci zombies!
* * * * * * * * * *
* * * * * * * * * *
1960s ZOMBIELAND
STEVE McQUEEN & GENE WILDER
Taking on...
Night of the Living Dead zombies!
* * * * * * * * * *
* * * * * * * * * *
1950s ZOMBIELAND
JOHN WAYNE & JERRY LEWIS
Taking on...
Mora Tau zombies!
* * * * * * * * * *
* * * * * * * * * *
1940s ZOMBIELAND
GARY COOPER & MICKEY ROONEY
Taking on...
Val Lewton zombies!
* * * * * * * * * *
* * * * * * * * * *
1930s ZOMBIELAND
GEORGE RAFT & JIMMY STEWART
Taking on...
White Zombies!
* * * * * * * * * *
* * * * * * * * * *
Fun, right? OK, glad I got that out of my system...
I would give my left arm to see that 1970's version! I hope Woody wrote the script for it.
ReplyDeleteHow about the 20's version(silent of course) with with Douglas Fairbanks and Harold Loyd (featuring Gloria Swanson and Bebe Daniels as the tag-a-long chicks) fighting off Keystone Cop-like zombies! ;)
Pax, I had a feeling you might get a kick out of this one! The idea actually started when my dad notices that every line coming out of Eisenberg's mouth sounded like it was written for Woody Allen. So it got me thinking...
ReplyDeleteOk, not related, but I'm wondering if you've seen the "Marble Hornets" web series yet on youtube. It's weird. I'm almost ashamed to admit that the first 15 or so segments scared the crap out of me. Like, too scared to go to the bathroom before bed without turning on all the lights on the way. I'd be interested to hear what you think.
ReplyDeleteAwesome post!! Cusack and The Norris vs. the ROTLD? Oh what could have been? It could end with the Army nuking the place and only Chuck survives the blast because, well, he is Chuck.
ReplyDeleteFun article!
ReplyDeleteSmall nitpick, though. White Zombie wasn't released or produced by Universal, as far as I know. Parts were shot on the Universal lot, but the film was distributed by United Artists. Universal never released a zombie movie to my knowledge.
Nerd drive disengaged!
Haven't seen that series, Michael!
ReplyDeleteAnd good catch, Zed, thanks! I need to fix that...