By Kim Filchak, writer and professional bibliophile.
It’s hard to keep a dead trend walking but Syfy is trying to get a little more life out of the current feeding frenzy of zombie related entrainment. With Walking Dead having wrapped it’s fourth season, BBC America’s In the Flesh (about zombies who just want their normal lives back post people eating rampage) about to start its second season, and ABC’s hallmark-esque actually “living” living dead spring run of Resurrection just finishing up its first season (Based on the French series The Returned which has yet another adaption on the way from A&E by the same name next fall) it seems that while there are plenty of stories to tell about zombies, and people who want to tell them, it is getting harder and hard to keep them fresh (Last pun, I promise!).
Syfy intends to do this with seemingly the most left field of options, the reality show. Wait, what? Yes, Syfy is planning on airing a zombie themed reality show, though fortunately (or unfortunately depending on who you ask) it is not going to be an Alive meets Battle Royal meets Face Off mash up with contestants wearing their originally design zombie makeup battling for survival and then the victors eating their fallen opponents. Instead of my awesome idea (Syfy! Call me!) the show, tentatively titled Town of the Living Dead, is going to be a unscripted comedic docu-series about the town of Jasper, Alabama and their attempt to make their inde zombie movie Thr33 Days Dead, which they have been working on for the last six years.
The movie within the series, Thr33 Days Dead, is based on a town urban legend and follows a group of friends trying to survive in the zombie apocalypse in rural Alabama while Town of the Living Dead will be following the story of the people who are trying to make their film a reality.
Cinemablend reports:
“The series will follow the intrepid and motley crew of amateur filmmakers as they struggle against every obstacle imaginable to get to a final cut of their film…which could someday become a movie!”
This is such an interesting idea that it could end up being something special, of course it could also end up being Shaun of the Dead meets Keeping Up with the Kardashians with some Project Greenlight thrown in for good measure. The potential quality of both the series and the movie the subjects of the series are making aside, I have to say I kind of admire the moxie of this town. They have been going at this for six years now and have pushed at the doors of Hollywood with enough determination that they are actually getting some attention and I have to say I really want them to succeed.
If anyone is curious (even if it’s just morbidly) I recommend checking out their Facebook page and fresh from YouTube here is the current trailer for Thr33 Days Dead. If you can judge an artist by what they create then Town of the Living Dead is going to be kinda amazing because these people are nuts.
