This article at the New Scientist website introduces an interesting concept: worms and other parasites that can get into one's brain and make them do crazy things. This essentially means that zombies do exist in nature, albeit not necessarily undead ones. In the article, it is explained that a certain worm takes control of grasshopper's brains, forcing them to jump into water where they most likely will drown. Then the worm grows and bursts out.The ramifications are spooky. Check out the links within the article too for some other nasty parasites that control their host.
This served to remind me of Night of the Creeps, an 80s zombie flick with a twist: brain slugs. They get in your mouth, and you're a goner. They even resurrect you if you are dead. If you can, try to get the version of the film with the alternate director's ending. Golden stuff.
Now word is out on the net about the fresh gorefest Slither , which is a new entry into the brainslug/zombie genre. Let this serve as a cautionary note: DO NOT SEE SLITHER. Let me back up my credentials as a person in a position to tell you that. Rewind back a few years to a scene in a movie theater lobby. The movie poster for Van Helsing was up, and in many ways it looked cool. But I knew better. Kit (Cantwell of this blog) came up and said, "Looks sweet huh!" I replied, in a moment of bad-movie clairvoyance, "I could [expletive deleted] a better movie."
Kit: "Really?"
Later Kit confirmed my suspicions. I myself unfortunately did end up seeing a large portion of Van Helsing as well, when my drunken room mates rented it. And I was right. I'm telling you now, it doesn't matter that one of the big guys from the Dawn of the Dead remake was involved; it doesn't even matter that it looks like a zombie movie (in the sense that people become flesh-eating, brainless monsters). It's going to be bad. Believe me when I say that. And not bad in a good, Night of the Creeps way. No, bad in Van Helsing way. You've been warned.
