Friday Fun-- October is ZOMBIEFEST

I love fall, and October especially. It allows me the opportunity to indulge in my love of horror movies, and of all horror movies, I love zombie movies the best.

It's sad to  me that many people believe that George Romero invented the zombie. Don't get me wrong, I love Romero, but the zombie tradition is much, much older, hailing to us from Haitan and African cultures and voodoo legends.

So, in the spirit of kicking it old school, today I recommend an older film.

In 1988, suddenly famous from Nightmare on Elm Street, Wes Craven directed The Serpent and the Rainbow. Joining the ranks of horror classics like The Exorcist, the film is loosely based on actual events involving an anthropologist who travels to Haiti in search of a drug with rumored anesthetic properties. Political turmoil, alarming visions, and eerie challenges ensue as the scientists becomes obsessed with his quest.

In truth, this is more of a voodoo movie than a zombie movie, but is one that really surprised me. The front cover led me to believe that I would be watching a Wes Craven shock fest, but the film is actually cerebral and interesting.

The cover is so over the top that I passed this one over multiple times before relecting. Bill Pullman stars, and alternates between engaging and annoying, but ultimately contributes to what is an interesting film worth checking out.

More spooky recommendations to come! Happy October all.