Just watched 'Dead Set'

[Cutter John]

Just got a chance to watch this BBC miniseries from last year, and holy crap! That has to be one of the more intense zombie stories ever! Closest I can compare it to was the Dawn of the Dead remake from a few years ago, as it follows the same rules, with fast, feral undead, and lots of shakycam footage during attacks. In fact, its practically be a companion piece. "Meanwhile over in England..."
It was also one of the goriest, something sorely lacking in the last few zombie films I've seen. I think thats what surprised me the most. You don't expect to see crushed skulls and torn out throats on was a tv show for gosh sakes. Not that I'm complaining. People should be bitten and torn apart like loaves of fresh bread at an Italian banquet in zombie stories.

Really surprised it hasn't come out on dvd here in the US. Fans would eat it up. (NPI)

 

[Starbreaker]

Never heard of it. I'll have to find it.

 

[Cutter John]

Its on Youtube, if you don't mind watching it in 9 minute segments. I had to get it via *cough* alternate methods. Though I'll be ordering the Region 2 dvd off Amazon once my budget permits.

Basically its a 45 minute premier, followed by 4 half hour episodes.

 

[nx1701g]

Oh yes I remember this: the Big Brother house - since it's isolated from the outside world - becomes a haven to the houseguests because there's a zombie outbreak. I didn't think that it was bad, but I hate the runner zombies.

 

[Bob The Skutter]

Loved it, it was written by Charlie Brooker, TV reviewer and columnist, as well as co-writer of Nathan Barley.
It was produced by Channel 4 and shown on E4 over Halloween week last year, it's not a BBC production.

Personally I loved it, along with most things Charlie Brooker has done. I'd love to see him turn his hand to more shows like this though.

 

[Cutter John]

Oh yes I remember this: the Big Brother house - since it's isolated from the outside world - becomes a haven to the houseguests because there's a zombie outbreak. I didn't think that it was bad, but I hate the runner zombies.

I'll always love the slow shamblers. But I can appreciate the different kind of fear inspired by the runners.

Loved it, it was written by Charlie Brooker, TV reviewer and columnist, as well as co-writer of Nathan Barley.
It was produced by Channel 4 and shown on E4 over Halloween week last year, it's not a BBC production.

Oops sorry, my bad. I have to admit I've always been a bit confused by British tv channels. My knowledge ends at around the BBC and ITV.

 

[Bob The Skutter]

Loved it, it was written by Charlie Brooker, TV reviewer and columnist, as well as co-writer of Nathan Barley.
It was produced by Channel 4 and shown on E4 over Halloween week last year, it's not a BBC production.

Oops sorry, my bad. I have to admit I've always been a bit confused by British tv channels. My knowledge ends at around the BBC and ITV.

It can get a bit complicated I suppose by US standards, but basically there are 5 networks, BBC 1 and 2, ITV, Channel 4 and Five.
BBC One and Two are of course the main BBC channels, and funded by the TV Licence.

ITV and Five are commercial and produce and commission their own shows.

Channel 4 is a publicly owned, commercially funded "publishing" broadcaster only, which means they have to commission everything they broadcast from independent producers, they also have a remit to push the boundaries and cater for fringe tastes.

There are of course cable and satellite broadcasters, but they hardly make original programming, unless they're owned by the networks.

 

[Ryan]

Oh yes I remember this: the Big Brother house - since it's isolated from the outside world - becomes a haven to the houseguests because there's a zombie outbreak. I didn't think that it was bad, but I hate the runner zombies.

I'll always love the slow shamblers. But I can appreciate the different kind of fear inspired by the runners.

I think fast zombies is the only way you can realistically have an outbreak spread that quickly. Plus if you can outwalk the zombie apocalypse where's the fear to it?

 

[Cky]

I loved Dead Set, mainly because I hate Big Brother, and watching past contestants getting eaten alive by zombies was basically a dream come true.

 

[nx1701g]

I think fast zombies is the only way you can realistically have an outbreak spread that quickly.

Not entirely accurate. Think about it for a moment in the world someone dies pretty much every second and studies suggest as many as 300,000 people die in a standard day. Since the contagion in most of the movies is unexplained for the slow zombies and normally some sort of virus for the fast ones it seems more likely that there would be more of the slower ones to fear than the fast ones. Plus, theoretically, the faster zombies would begin to break down faster than the slow ones because of the physical actions.

Plus if you can outwalk the zombie apocalypse where's the fear to it?

The problem isn't that you can outwalk them, the problem is the number of them. Plus, someone moving slowly is often quieter than someone running. It'd be harder to hear a slow zombie from a distance than the runners.

 

[ITL]

Simon Pegg made a good point about the speed of zombie movement after watching Dead Set. Charlie Brooker responded (Scroll down a wee bit until you see the "Speaking of fantasy worlds....." heading).

A lot of mutual respect there, I think. Let's face it - they're both great.

 

[Ryan]

I think fast zombies is the only way you can realistically have an outbreak spread that quickly.

Not entirely accurate. Think about it for a moment in the world someone dies pretty much every second and studies suggest as many as 300,000 people die in a standard day.

Worldwide? In the United States? Either way that's a drop in the bucket, with the living massively outnumbering the zombies.

What a slow zombie outbreak needs is concentration, not pure numbers. Spread those 300,000 zombies across the United States and they're a fairly small threat. Put them in Detroit and you've got a major outbreak.

And that's the catch-22 for slow zombies: if they aren't dangerous unless there's a high ratio of the dead to the living how do major outbreaks ever occur in the first place?

 

[Cutter John]

A zombie outbreak like any major 'movie' disaster depends a lot on general incompetence and stupidity of the people in charge.

The traditional shamblers do have one big advantage, in that ANYONE who dies becomes one. With the modern fast zombies it seems only those who are bitten turn.
Although, one thing I've always wondered is why only certain bodies end up rising while others are just a food source and stay dead. Is it possible that a percentage of people are just immune?

 

[nx1701g]

^ I know with the Shamblers - George Romero commented on this in an interview during Diary - is that anyone who dies in his continuity will be revived at some point unless their brain has been destroyed. So, to use Rhodes from Day of the Dead for example, after the zombies ripped him in half if his brain wasn't destroyed he'd wake back up. Doctor Logan would eventually wake back up.

 

[Bob The Skutter]

According to Charlie Brooker himself on his Twitter feed, Dead Set will be airing on IFC (or possibly The Sundance Channel) next October.

Also apparently it recently aired on SBS in Australia, I don't know if there'll be any repeats for Aussies who want to watch. (currently on episodes 4 according to the website...)