Hor-RIFF-ic Productions

When we think of zombies and zombie culture we can see hundreds of great films, comics, t-shirts and even action figures.  Much of the culture with zombies is similar with the underground culture of horror films and everything that makes them great.  At times when we think of great horror and zombie films, we also think of funny lines and maybe even bad acting.  Have you ever had a moment where you just wanted to create a famous line of your own?

Back in the late eighties into the nineties, Mystery Science Theater 3000 brought a whole new idea to the way we watched films.  In the show, the host and his robot sidekicks would make fun of the films they were viewing, also called “riffing.”  The series built a cult-like following with such a different way of viewing films and laughing about them.  The show ran for just over ten years, but put a good size dent in the lives of many.  Gary and Erin saw opportunity when the Mystery Science Theater 3000 group created another project, Rifftrax.com.  A website allowed people to sell their “riffs” and build an audience and name for themselves.

Gary, a writer, and Erin, an artist created, Hor-RIFF-ic Productions from their love of horror films.  With a great response from their audience, they have created twelve tracks to their name after only a year.  With the full moon on a dark night being the only limits, Gary and Erin are pushing to build their name and brand.  The duo hope to have their take on Gremlins done by Christmas.  To learn more about Hor-RIFF-ic Productions, what they do, and what drives their creatives, juices check out their YouTube Channel, Myspace Page and section on Rifftrax where you can purchase their takes on classic horror films.  You can also follow all their blood curdling updates on twitter @Hor_RIFF_ic.  If you are a horror movie fan or like something different and fun, I urge you to check out Gary and Erin’s lifeblood, Hor-RIFF-ic Productions.

Zombie Followup

In case you were unable to join us on Saturday or were not in the downtown Des Moines area, here’s what happened.  From my information, we had the first Des Moines zombie walk.  We were set to start things at 2pm at Impromptu Studio (@ImpromptuStudio).  When I arrived with Jason Schippers (@schippers) and my wife Ashley (@ashleymc), there were already two people waiting outside.  We pulled our box of supplies which contained bottles of fake blood, detached (fake) human arms, a camera, zombie water bottle and #DMZombieWalk picket sign, and greeted our fellow zombie friends.

As the clock moved closer to 2pm, we had more and more zombies of all ages pour in.  I believe there was an even mix of long dead and decaying zombies, and fresh killed bloody zombies.  Many of the zombies that took over Impromptu had a story and personality all their own.  Many people had heard about the event from 105.1 Channel Q (@1051ChannelQ), others found the flyers that were spread all over Des Moines, and some came as they heard about the event last minute.  We had several people come by to find out our route so they could be spectators, enjoy and watch us wage war on downtown Des Moines, IA.  There were people who didn’t walk, but were thoughtful enough to stop by anyway, wish us luck and bring donations for Central Iowa Shelter and Services.

Photo: Gary and Erin of @Hor_RIFF_ic

Once we got everyone organized we were off.  As we walked, not only was it a mob of zombies, but a mob of photographers too.  People came prepared to capture the mayhem.  Throughout the 4.5 mile walk we made some friends and fans, made some people feel very uncomfortable and had our pictures taken by many people as we looked through windows.  Many people who drove by wanted no part in what was going on and tried not to look.  I’m not sure if it was because they didn’t understand or because they didn’t want to.  Either way, many of the people we came across we excited and curious about who we were, what we were doing and why.  From chasing after cars on Grand and Locust to running after small children in the park, the walk was a blast.  We also crashed a wedding in the middle of drinks at Hessen House and had our pictures taken with the bride and groom.  On our last leg of the walk we stumbled upon another wedding on 4th.  As we clawed at the glass, the bride and groom had a hard time not laughing as they said their vows.  I don’t think many others with the party thought it was as funny as they and we did.

Cool picture of the walk

After the walk was over many people asked if we could continue this event and make it an annual zombie walk.  Almost everyone thanked us for the time to create and put the event together.  I had several people tell me that the zombie walk was the best time they had in a long time.  From fathers and sons, to fathers and daughters, families and teens, after the zombie walk, we were all family.

What was your experience at the #DMZombieWalk like?  Tell us your thoughts, what you remember the most, and if you think it should be an annual event.  I can’t wait to hear what you all have to say.

Des Moines Zombie Walk, Details

I just wanted to say first off, thank you to everyone who took the time to RT my first blog about the Des Moines Zombie Walk.  I’m very happy and excited that you look forward to this as well.  Thank you!  I’ve been working towards getting the Des Moines Zombie Walk all put together there are a few updates I wanted to bring to everyone’s attention.

We will be doing the zombie walk on Saturday October 17th.  Thank you to Dan (@danielshipton) and Abbie Shipton (@abbieshipton) who are going to allow us to call Impromptu Studio (@ImpromptuStudio)  “home base.”  We will meet there at 2pm.  If you need help putting on your costume or makeup, we will be there about 1pm to help you do so.  We all know this is Iowa, so make sure you are dressed for the weather.  I hope it will be nice, but you never can tell and I want to make sure everyone has a great time and does not suffer due to cool or cold weather.  If you are not sure where Impromptu is located, please check the map for their address and to get directions.  We will have someone at the door just go in, and up the stairs.  I’m sure you will run into fellow zombies.  If you have any questions about Impromptu Studio please see the above website and twitter accounts.  I’m sure Dan and Abbie would be more than happy to answer any questions you may have.  If you have any questions on the Des Moines Zombie Walk you can email, dmzombiewalk@gmail.com or (@DMZombieWalk) for anything else you may need.

The last thing I wanted to to touch on was giving back to the community.  I know many of you have been to events that have been hosted by Impromptu Studio and others to donate and give back to the Des Moines community.  As part of the Des Moines Zombie Walk I also wanted to follow suite.  For those of you who will be attending this event, please bring used, hats, gloves, jackets, coats and other winter apparel you may have and don’t need.  Please make sure the apparel is in good condition and clean.  You can also donate any personal hygiene products as well, i.e. soap, shampoo, towels, tooth pastes, brunches, etc.  If you don’t have anything do donate, but would still like to participate in this, don’t feel you need to spend money.  This is not a requirement to participate in the Des Moines Zombie Walk, but it is encouraged to give back to your community.  I thank you in advance for your participation.   All the donations we receive will be donated to Central Iowa Shelter & Services.  If you are unable to make it to the Des Moines Zombie Walk, but would still like to donate please see my contact page.  We will figure out a way to work that out.

Thank you for reading the Des Moines Zombie Walk details.  I hope you will join us Saturday, October 17th.  If you would like to talk about it on twitter, please use the #DMZombieWalk hash tag.  Flyers will be made for this event by the end of the week and will be all around Des Moines, Ankeny and Ames.  Please take one and tell your friends.  Everyone is invited!!

Need Direction for Your Zombie Makeup?

As the Des Moines Zombie Walk approaches, people have asked me about makeup and direction.  Some of your makeup you can do yourself, but what about getting inspired or direction?  Are you wondering who you can turn to or where you can go?  To answer that question, yes there are talented people in Des Moines who can help you.

Patrick Boltinghouse, who calls Des Moines home, has over ten years of experience in the makeup industry and is able and willing to help.  From owning his own line of makeup, a great small shop in the East Village, Vanity Glamour, which is filled with anything you could ever need and/ or want, and a vast knowledge of everything makeup.  Patrick is a great person to talk with.   For a while Patrick worked for M.A.C Cosmetics.  One Halloween he did his own makeup and was told he to was “too scary.”  He was asked to go home and change, but was unable to and was written up.  Seeing a picture of the makeup from that day in his East Village shop, I can see where people may have been taken back by his appearance.  Patrick used a prosthetic piece glued on his face, painted it, added blood and more makeup.  It was breathtaking.  The photos all around his mirror in Vanity Glamour show how well rounded he is as an artist.  He takes his art seriously and loves to help his clients learn and grow into their own way of doing makeup.  Patrick is quick to sum up how he feels about makeup, ” maximize the product, minimize the packaging and sell to the artist.”

If you are looking for direction, ideas and education for your makeup, I would encourage you to talk with Patrick.  You can also check with The Theatrical Shop, they are another place that can help you decide what type of zombie makeup is best for you, what you will need, and what you can look at spending to achieve your desired look.

Zombie Apparel in Des Moines

So you’re a zombie fan?  Do you have any zombie apparel to go along with the long list of zombie films?  Well, if you don’t it’s okay.  We forgive you.  If you don’t know where to get zombie apparel, we are going to fix that right now.  Some of you may know about it, others may not have heard about it.  This post is to close the book on questions and point you in the right direction.

The one thing you may not have is a zombie inspired t-shirt.  I think every zombie fan should have at least one.  Jon Palestini (@JonFromNCA) owns and runs an apparel company called Nightmare City Apparel.  The last line of shirts they did were all zombie inspired.  There are six different shirts in total and each has it’s own message and feel to it.  The great thing apart from the fact that they sell zombie t-shirts, they are all printed on American Apparel.  If you have never worn an American Apparel shirt, you will understand why I mentioned it once you wear one.  They are soft, have a bit of a vintage feel to them, look good, and wear very well.  Most of the shirts Jon sells are between $15-$20.00 per shirt.  The shirts come in five different sizes too, XS, S, M, L and XL.

Jon was kind enough to donate his time and allow us to use one of the designs they didn’t use in their zombie line for Des Moines Zombie Walk flyers.  For people who like great t-shits, zombies and supporting the local talent that Des Moines has to offer, Nightmare City Apparel is something you might want to check out.

The zombie is perfect and I think the flyers turned out very well.  Thanks Jon!

Zombies on The Radio

While I was out around Ames, I stopped in where I had done an internship in college.  I went by 105.1 Channel Q (@1051ChannelQ) to drop of a Des Moines Zombie Walk flyer and say hello to a few people I worked with.  One of the on-air talents that I worked with there, Tony Tarbox (@tonytarbox).  If you’re thinking that you have heard the name before, it’s because Tony did The Garage show Sunday nights for a long time and, he’s a cool guy!

When I stopped in, he loved the idea of the Des Moines Zombie Walk and told me to go home, write up a short paragraph about the event, and also to write a thirty second ad spot.  As soon as I got home I sent Tony an email with what he wanted.  Without asking or paying anything Tony said he would put the thirty second spots on the radio from now until the event.  What’s really cool is that the ads are going to air throughout the day and more than just once.  Who’s excited?  I’m excited.  They are also going to put up information on their website.

The thing I’m looking forward to the most is being on the “Are You Smarter Than” show hosted by Tony Tarbox.  I will be doing the show live with him Friday, October 16th at 6pm in studio.  The show will be questioning my knowledge of zombies.  I’m very excited for the opportunity to be featured on the show, along with getting people excited about the Des Moines Zombie.  I hope my knowledge of zombies is enough to get me through the night.

Easy Zombie Costume

Don’t be stressed on your zombie costume for the DM Zombie Walk.  While I was out and running around town the other day I happened to stop into Hot Topic at the mall in Ames.  While I was looking around at the back of the store I saw a simple yet effective costume.  They had a very basic white t-shirt covered in blood.  It was great!  They also had several other t-shirt costumes as well, but I was most impressed with the white t-shirt covered in blood.

This to me was a great find.  For those of you who are all about simplicity I would urge you to check this out.  The only other thing you might want to complete your costume would be some makeup for your face, neck, ears and possibly arms.  It’s almost too easy!!  The other great part is that it looks good too.  It’s a given that white t-shirts covered with blood is a costume in itself.

For those of you who don’t want to get fake blood and other things that may damage the inside of your car or your friends car, this is the zombie costume for you.  Take a look here to take a closer look at the shirt I found.  Also, a very easy prop to go along with this costume if you don’t want to do much makeup is temporary tattoo wounds or a surgical mask.

Still stressed?  Don’t be.  We will be putting another post together about direction on your zombie makeup too.

Zombieland, A Short Review

Friday, October 2nd marked a date in time I’ve been looking forward to for a while.  Zombieland (@Zombieland) was released into movie theaters.   The new zombie film and comedy had me captivated when I saw it’s trailer months earlier.  The big question many zombie fans, comedy fans and I had was weather or not it would hold up.

I base a good or great film on many different areas, some more important than others, but collectively all make a huge impact.  One of the first things that I always listen and watch for is the opening of the film.  Like a good book and CD the opening track or first page has to pull me in and get my attention.  The second and most obvious thing I watch for is did the film fall short, meet, or exceed my expectations from all the hype surrounding it’s release.  From there I pay attention to the film’s writing, characters, acting and how those three aspects work together.  Some people don’t care as much about the story of a film.  Many people go to a horror movie to get scared or see blood and guts.  Many see action films, because nine times out of ten there will be fist fights, car crashes, gun fights and hot women.  For me, I need some type of story.  I need a reason for these characters and situations to have a purpose.  At some point in the film, everything has to tie together to some degree.

With an all-star cast featuring Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone, Abigail Breslin and Bill Murray, Zombieland does not fail.  The writing of Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick shows us what movies can be and so clearly why some movies fall short.  From the music to the cast, the writers and the overall experience, Zombieland rewrites what films should be.  Overall, Zombieland is by far the best film I’ve seen all year.  Don’t believe me?  Go see it for yourself.  You won’t regret it.

Did you see Zombieland opening weekend?  What were your thoughts?

Zombie Mints and Brain Breath!

When I went out shopping yesterday for zombie supplies I found something new and interesting.  I found Zombie Mints.  No, you heard me right, Zombie Mints.  The artwork is what caught my eye.  The great colors, the contrast and the fact that I was looking for anything zombie for inspiration.

Depending on what smells you like and/ or dislike, for you it could have gone two ways.  You would have eaten them all and still wanted more, so to ever increase your hunger for human brains; or you could have been like me at that moment, almost not hungry for my hot oatmeal.  I’ve never smelled brains before, but I have smelled burnt flesh, etc.  Let’s just say I would guess they smell close to actual brains.  I give Zombie Mints an A for authenticity and for it’s cult appeal.  I thought you other zombies and zombie fans would appreciate this find and me sharing it with you all.

For those of you who would brave the Zombie Mints until our Zombie Walk (then try the real thing!! BRAINS!!).  I picked them up at Nobbies.  The Zombie Mints were made by Accoutrements LLC.  I checked out their website and realized that I’d seen a lot of toys they sell before.  They also have a zombie play-set and other zombie toys!  I want one… of each!

Walk With The Dead

With autumn fast approaching, the weather starts to cool.  The mornings begin with more fog and rain in the air.  We start to look forward to candy, scary movies and getting into mischief.  One of the best things about October is Halloween.  The one day of the year you can be anyone or anything you want.  For one night you can unleash the monster that hides inside of you.  But, you may be asking yourself, how do you hold off until October 31st.  The solution is simple.  Join us for the Des Moines Zombie Walk or DM Zombie Walk.

Yes, we have all dressed as a vampire, a witch and countless other costumes, but have you ever been a zombie before?  To be the unholy of unholy, the undead.  To be a zombie is something of cultural fantasy thanks to non other than George A. Ramero.  Thanks to his brilliance and some of the other wonderful Hollywood directors, writers and makeup artists, we have the desire to be the undead.

As you make the choice to become one of the undead, you may be asking yourself all types of questions.  What does a zombie move like, how do they walk, what sounds do they make and do they talk?  You may also be asking yourself what type of zombie you want to resemble.  Do you want to look like a freshly killed meal of a zombie, which would now make you a zombie; or would you rather be what was once a human, and is now a rotting shell of decay?  These are all wonderful questions to be asking yourself.  I would encourage you to check out this link to some of the many known and some unknown classic and wonderful zombie films.  Use these as a guide to learn more about zombies, how they move and act, and to decide what type of zombie you would like to resemble.  It is important to remember, for those of you not as educated in zombie culture, zombies survive on human flesh and brains.  Learn to love them, you will be enjoying them soon.

Do you have a favorite zombie film?  Tell us about it.  What makes it your favorite?  What do you like most about it?  Do your friends share the same excitement for zombie culture as you do?  Please tell us as we would love to learn more about you and your thoughts of walking with the dead.