Review: The Greatest Zombie Movie Ever

By Jeff Strand
Available now from Sourcebooks Fire
Review copy

Justin, Bobby, and Gabe love making movies.  They just aren't that good at it.  But this time they're going to do it right.  They're going to write a script and everything!  It will be THE GREATEST ZOMBIE MOVIE EVER.

What follows is a predictable tale of everything going wrong, friends falling apart and then coming back together.  What sells this story is the humor.  I was sitting in the Jiffy Lube getting my state inspection done and trying not to crack up in public, because Justin's grandmother was investing the money to produce his picture - and threatening him if he didn't pay her back with interest.  (She was just kidding.  But really, she's gonna get her money back and Justin isn't going to like it if she has to make him.)

I particularly liked the way the boys got involved in the community through their movie.  They sometimes screw it up (waking people early on the weekends being the worst), but sometimes get it just right.   It really emphasized that they were running around in public and making a true effort to get a shambling horde onscreen.

THE GREATEST ZOMBIE MOVIE EVER isn't the type of book to win awards, much like the eponymous movie, but it is a cute and funny little novel.  It definitely made my hurry-up-and-wait chores easier to take!

Jeff Strand's Top Five Zombie Movies (+ Giveaway)

Jeff Strand is gearing up for the release of THE GREATEST ZOMBIE MOVIE EVER on March 1st with a sneak peek of the book and a giveaway of an advanced copy, as well as a list of his top five zombie movies.

Jeff Strand’s Five Favorite Zombie Movies: 

My five favorite zombie movies are very similar to many other people’s five favorite zombie movies. I could’ve gone the condescending click-bait route and written about “The Five Best Zombie Movies You’ve Never Seen!” but, no, I’m going with my five real favorites….

#5: DAWN OF THE DEAD (2004 version). I was one of the many people bellowing, “You can’t remake DAWN OF THE DEAD! This is blasphemy! Blasphemy!!!” But somehow this remake to a sequel (but not a sequel to the remake) turned out to be awesome. Not quite as good as the original (SPOILER ALERT: That’s #3 on this list) but one of my all-time favorites.

#4: RE-ANIMATOR. I’ve now seen plenty of movies that are more over-the-top insane than RE-ANIMATOR, but this was the first movie where I simply couldn’t believe what I was watching. It was hard to believe that a movie so dark and gruesome could be so funny.

 #3: DAWN OF THE DEAD (1978 version). Shameful confession: When I first saw this in high school I thought it was stupid and boring. Fortunately, I matured and accepted that it’s one of the high points of zombie cinema. It’s the reason I know to duck before walking toward spinning helicopter blades.

#2: RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD. Fast zombies long before 28 DAYS LATER! The first time zombies ate brains! It doesn’t often get the credit it deserves, but this is one of the most influential zombie movies ever.

 #1: SHAUN OF THE DEAD. The greatest zombie comedy ever. The greatest zombie movie ever. The greatest MOVIE ever.

About THE GREATEST ZOMBIE MOVIE EVER: 

After producing three horror movies that went mostly ignored on YouTube, Justin and his filmmaking buddies decide it’s time they create something noteworthy, something epic. They’re going to film the Greatest Zombie Movie Ever. They may not have money or a script, but they have passion. And, after a rash text message, they also have the beautiful Alicia Howtz—Justin’s crush—as the lead.

With only one month to complete their movie, a script that can’t possibly get worse, and the hopes and dreams of Alicia on the line, Justin is feeling the pressure. Add to that a cast of uncooperative extras and incompetent production assistants, and Justin must face the sad, sad truth. He may actually be producing The Worst Zombie Movie Ever…

Excerpt from THE GREATEST ZOMBIE MOVIE EVER:

The vampire, whose fangs were too big for his mouth, turned to the camera and hissed.