Zombie LARP: White Noise

"THE END OF THE WORLD – scheduled for this year, right? It’s in the Bioflex company marketing plan – we know ‘cos we heard their omega signals. So what’s Doctor Baxter up to? Strange place for a laboratory, the heart of a Leech zone. Why hollow out a zombie’s ribcage and stuff it with radio transmitters? That’s CRAZY, it's a NIGHTMARE. So, time for a bit of interference. TIME TO MAKE THE NOISES STOP!"


Zombie LARP: White Noise - March 24th 2012


ZOMBIE LARP: WHITE NOISE

MARCH 24th 2012 - 10.30am - 9.00pm - Friar's Walk Mall, Reading

At Zombie LARP: White Noise, take part in four massive, strange and scary games of Zombie LARP. It’s an all-action game of survival in a shopping mall filled with zombies. You'll be armed with the very best in NERF firepower and foam-rubber bashing-weapons to smite the undead. You start out as a tasty, tasty human in three of the games, and as a hungry, hungry zombie in the other. Think fast and shoot straight and you might turn out to be the hero. Slow down or slip up and you’ll join the shambling wall of corpses.

The venue – Friar’s Walk Mall – is a four-storey labyrinth of twisting corridors, pitch-black tunnels, vast storerooms, derelict shops and eerie arcades echoing with the moans of the damned! And it’s right next to Reading train station and has a big carpark. So it's ideal for a zombie outbreak.


"Bioflex betrays!" PAWN Propaganda

If you can think of a better way to spend your Saturday - well - you can't! It's impossible! We don't believe you! Of all possible things, ZombieLARP is best! Fighting running screaming horror action!

White Knight: relentless psychopathic grave horrors!

Secure your place at Zombie LARP: White Noise

Early Bird - Secure your place now with an early bird. A regular Player ticket, only cheaper! Strictly limited so GET IN FAST!

Player - Play three games as a survivor, and one as a devious NPC or part of the slavering zombie horde.

Spec Ops (Crew) - Be part of the team of Ultimate Badasses that makes Zombie LARP happen.

For more information, go to ZombieLARP.co.uk. Or get in touch with the team on Twitter or Facebook!

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Zombie Gifts and Gaming

20 Questions with Adam Millard

Life for Adam Millard revolves around writing.  If he isn't writing, then he is usually found with a book in his hand.  He is also a true Metal-head who loves to play the guitar and has an overwhelming collection of music that make his wife’s ears bleed. 

Adam Millard - Zombie Horror Author.

He is a self-professed connoisseur of all films but with a disturbing enthusiasm for everything horror under his skin, quite literally, thanks to his other passion of tattoos and tattooing. Adam’s body boasts over 50 tattoos (some of which were inked by himself) with his back being a showcase for all the modern classic horror characters thanks to his brother, Clint’s, tattoo skills.*



In this town, dead ain't dead enough.

We had the chance to catch up with Adam at the 2011 Festival of Zombie Culture and here's what he had to say.

1 Why zombies and how did they come to be the cornerstone of your work? To me, zombies are the only creatures in literature without restrictions. Vampires and werewolves have rules, weaknesses. The only way to kill a zombie is by decapitation or severing the spinal cord. I love that about them, which is why I write so much post-apocalyptic zombie fiction.

2 Do you mostly write in the morning, daytime or the witching hour? I used to write in the morning, but things have changed a lot since my son, Phoenix, came along. Now I write when I can, which might be after everyone else has gone to bed. As long as I hit my word count, though, it doesn't matter at what time of day I write.  I still go to bed happy.

3 Name one writer who has been a major influence on your work and why? I would have to say Stephen King. I grew up reading everything I could by King, and he is still one of the only authors that I pre-order months in advance, regardless of the book. I love the style, the way he can paint a vivid image so successfully.  I think that might be why there are so many poor movie adaptions.  People have their own ideas of what his characters are about, and it's difficult to make that leap from page to screen.  Apart from a few adaptions, of course: Misery, Carrie, The Green Mile.

4 One book you think everyone should read. Going back to King, here, but I would have to say The Stand. It's one of the greatest books ever written, and one that, should I be marooned on a desert-island with nothing but the clothes on my back, I could read over and over, or until I ran out of coconuts.

5 Do you think genre fiction has finally got the recognition it deserves? I think these last two years have been amazing for genre fiction. There are more genre-writers successfully hitting the stores than ever before, and I am glad to be a part of it. The introduction of the Kindle, of course, has made a massive difference to how books are received, and that has a part to play in how well genre-fiction is currently doing.

6 Zombies - slow or fast and is there room for both? There is room for both, but I prefer slow zombies. Romero had the right idea, with his slow, shambling, couldn't catch a cold zombies. What people forget is that the faster creatures, like the ones in 28 Days Later, are not even zombies.  They are infected, but not dead.  I love that movie, but it does piss me off when people refer to them as zombies.

7 Blunt instrument, firearm or blade? I'm a massive fan of the Remington shotgun. It'll do the job every time, provided you're pointing it at the head. Failing that, though (as they are quite difficult to come by in my hometown of Wolverhampton) a machete and any decent .22 pistol.  You have to get up close and personal with a machete, but the kills would be so much sweeter.  Just keep your mouth closed at all times.

8 If you could save just one luxury, what would it be? Well, I've been sober now for almost a year, so missing drink would not be a problem. I smoke, so I would have to say cigarettes, or a few pouches of tobacco. I think, with all of the carnage going on around you, a nice smoke would take the edge off.

9 What do you think is most likely to cause an actual zombie outbreak? The government. Not David Cameron, directly, but certainly some government-funded laboratory taking an experiment a little too far. We saw it this year, when a group of foolish scientists decided to mutate the H1N1 virus so that it would pass more easily from human to human.  How ridiculous is that?  Let's create a more viral strand of Ebola, while we're at it.

10 What is your number one piece of advice for surviving a zombie apocalypse? Stay away from populated areas.  The mall might have looked inviting in Dawn Of The Dead, but it's the last place you should go. Don't wander into the city and expect to make it out uninfected.  What you need to do is get yourself as far out into the countryside as possible, somewhere quiet, secluded.  Find a nice farmhouse, fortify it, and see what happens from there.



Life doesn't always mean life.


11 If you were a character in one of your books, what would be your opening line? “I bet she was as fit as fuck when she was alive!”

12 How much has music played a part in your work? I have a writing soundtrack, which mainly consists of Metallica, Avenged Sevenfold, Atreyu, Bullet For My Valentine. I think it sets the tone for the story. If I had been listening to Avril Lavigne at the time I wrote Dead West it would be a completely different book.

13 If you had to live in a clichéd alternate reality would you choose medieval fantasy or futuristic sci-fi? Fantasy, without a doubt. I've always seen myself chopping heads off things wearing nothing but a facecloth and tribal paint. I know I could do that in the future, too, but I think it would be more fun in a medieval fantasy.

14 If you had a super power, what would it be? Invisibility. You can keep your flying and controlling fire. I would just love to be able to go anywhere without being seen. I'd probably do it naked, too, just for shits and giggles.

15 Star wars, Star Trek or Sci-Fi curious? I was never really into Star Wars as a kid, so I would have to say Star Trek. I loved the original series, and then Next Generations, but after that I lost track.  DS9 never really did it for me. I recently re-watched the original Star Wars trilogy and loved it.  Just wish the second trilogy could be wiped from existence, somehow.

16 Has Gary Gygax (creator of Dungeons & Dragons), and the phenomenon he spawned, influenced you in any way? I think he's influence almost everybody in the genre in some way. I used to watch the D&D cartoon series as a kid; it was great, though probably not so thrilling if I were to watch it again now. He was the King of Role-Playing games, and that is still a title that he holds to this day.

17 Do you see the influx in zombies in entertainment as good thing and do you think we are headed the right way for the genre? It's about time, too.  AMCs The Walking Dead has introduced a whole generation to zombies, which is good for authors like myself.  There's a lot of terrible stuff out there too, though, and you have to sift through all of that to find a decent novel or movie.  Personally, I think it's a great time to be in the genre.  As long as people find new ways to approach the undead, it will remain fresh.

18 Dead Island, Dead Rising, Left 4 Dead, Call of Duty Zombies or 'They just haven't made one quite right yet'? Dead Rising. It was like being in Dawn Of The Dead, and the fact that you could pick up any object and use it as a weapon was amazing. I had hours of fun, and many sleepless nights, with that game.

19 Do you have a guilty pleasure you are willing to share? An interest completely unrelated to the genre? I bake cakes. My wife runs a small bakery, and when I'm not writing about post-apocalyptic hordes of flesh-eating undead, I'm knocking up batches of vanilla sponge.

20 What's next for Adam Millard? Dead Frost is launching at the Cardiff Comic and Animation Expo on the 25th February, which I am very excited about. I am already working on the fourth book in the series, but in the meantime I have a bunch of short stories that I need to write for various anthologies.  It's going to be a great year.



Dead Frost. Due for release on 25th February 2012



Find out more about his other work and latest news at Adam Millard's website.

*Opening paragraph text taken from adammillard.co.uk

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Zombie Gaming and Entertainment

20 Questions with Iain McKinnon

"See that guy over there. That's Iain McKinnon."

When someone like David Moody points you in the direction of a sci-fi author with two zombie novels to his name, it's a good idea to pay attention.

Mr McKinnon keeps a survival kit and a crowbar close at hand... just in case. And with two terrific books, Domain of the Dead and Remains of The Dead, under his belt (and a possible third on the way) we couldn't miss the opportunity to pick Iain's Braaaaaiiiin! Here's what he had to say about writing, zombies, gaming and other such geekery.

"We're all fucked now."

Why zombies and how did they come to be the cornerstone of your work? Zombies are the only thing that scared me. Vampires, werewolf, witches, hobgoblins none of them ever frightened me. But Zombies, the breakdown of civilisation, the transmogrification into the every enemy you feared. Becoming one of them and their relentless tenacity. That struck a chord with me.

Do you mostly write in the morning, daytime or the witching hour? Just depends, I used to do most of my work late at night, Remains of the Dead was mainly write at the local leisure centre when my wee boy was in soft play or at swimming lesions. These days being a stay at home dad I write around the school day.

Name one writer who has been a major influence on your work and why? Frank Herbert. I'm dyslexic so I find reading a chore on the whole. As a teenager I discovered Dune and devoured the book. I like that Frank didn't spend time on useless description. He painted a vivid and imaginative world with tons of fine detail but he focused on the important things to progress the story. Many authors you read and you get the feeling they're being paid by the word. Not Frank. Rich and yet frugal. And then there is the level of intelligence with which he treats his reader. He doesn't explain much of what he writes about. He expects the reader to make the connections as the story unfolds, to hold on to unfamiliar concepts until they are revealed by context or plot.

One book you think everyone should read. Have to be Dune.

Do you think genre fiction has finally got the recognition it deserves? I don't think fiction has ever been underrated. I start off both of my Zombie novels with extracts from the Epic of Gilgamesh the oldest recorded story. Humans need fiction, we learn by it. It vales the truth behind entertainment. From fairy tales to films mankind has an unquenchable thirst for fiction.

Zombies - slow or fast and is there room for both? I like my zombies slow mainly as I'd never survive against runners.

Blunt instrument, firearm or blade? Flanged mace would be my weapon of choice. Guns run out of ammo and bladed weapons, unless you have had years or training, are as dangerous to you as they are to the undead (what if you nick yourself then get some infected blood in the wound?).

If you could save just one luxury, what would it be? There are too many, my laptop (with a power supply), moist toilet wipes, Coke. Depends how bad it gets. Being dry and fed and safe may be the ultimate luxury.

What do you think is most likely to cause an actual zombie outbreak? We'll drill through the ice of some frozen Antarctic lake to find an ecosystem that has been evolving in isolation for 4 million years. Among the microbial flora and fauna will be the agent of out demise. Not that I've thought about it you understand.

What is your number one piece of advice for surviving a zombie apocalypse? Stay calm. Don't get panicked and make poor decisions.

If you were a character in one of your books, what would be your opening line? "We're all fucked now."

How much has music played a part in your work? Music is a great catalyst for me. I'll often put on a piece of music that encapsulates an emotion for me when I'm trying to engender that emotion in my writing. I also listen to music when I'm out walking to help me formulate ideas.

If you had to live in a clichéd alternate reality would you choose medieval fantasy or futuristic sci-fi? Got to be Sci-Fi. I'm a pleasure seeker and I can see technology delivering all manger of comforts and labour saving devices as well as entertainment. I'm basically a very lazy person. Also going into space would be cool.

If you had a super power, what would it be? The ability to see 10 seconds into the future. That window would be enough for you to avoid being hit by a car, or know the right thing to say or to make money in a casino. But not enough to freak you out by letting you see your own death.

Star Wars, Star Trek or Sci-Fi curious? Love them both. I'm a huge Sci-Fi fan, I would say I'm a Sci-Fi writer rather than a horror writer, just I have a very dark streak.

Has Gary Gygax (creator of Dungeons & Dragons), and the phenomenon he spawned, influenced you in any way? Yes he has. I never played Dungeons and Dragons but I did play Warhammer, Shadow Run and a myriad of other role play games in my youth. I loved to GM games and guess much of my writing apprenticeship came from plotting those adventure games.

Do you see the influx in zombies in entertainment as good thing and do you think we are headed the right way for the genre? For me as a fan of zombie entertainment it’s great news. One of the reasons I started writing a zombie novel was to the fill the void in good zombie fiction. As for direction? I doubt it. The big budget stuff tends to favour the running zombies and the low budget stuff is usually very badly written. Granted the Walking Dead TV serious has been phenomenal, let’s hope there are more like it just over the horizon.

Dead Island, Dead Rising, Left 4 Dead, Call of Duty Zombies or 'They just haven't made one quite right yet'? A friend of mine made a mod for Battlefield 2 that I just love. 200 zombies against a solider with just 100 rounds of ammo, truly terrifying.

Do you have a guilty pleasure you are willing to share? An interest completely unrelated to the genre? Neil Diamond. I do like a bit of Neil Diamond. Even seen him in concert.

What's next for Iain McKinnon? I have a Sci-Fi called From the Torment of Dreams that's almost complete. I'll be looking for a publisher this year for that one. I also have an occult thriller I'm working on too and I've also just finished doing some research for a possible third zombie novel.

---

You can keep an eye out for the third book in his 'of the Dead' series and anything else Iain is getting up to by visiting Iain McKinnon's website.

Get Yer Zomb On

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Zombie Boot Camp - After Action Report

These are dark days. Chaos has fallen across the land. The plague has spread and the news reports are true; the dead walk among us. Zombies are real. We drew straws, we're not sure if we're the lucky ones, finally getting to do something positive or just fodder, sent into the jaws of the monster.

"Snack on this dead-head!"

We arrived on site amid a flurry of activity. The whir of the inflatable decontamination chamber as the staccato crackle of emergency instructions blare out over a tannoy - Welcome to Zombie Boot Camp.

Quarantine first, a health check to see if we have any of 'the signs' and then decontamination, thorough and precise. Renowned zombie expert Sean T. Page is among us, he reassures us they are checking for all the right signs.

We kit up: boots, fatigues, body armour, helmet and eye protection and then cold utilitarian burden of an M4 carbine. We exchange nervous looks, crack jokes to break the ice as a thought occurs - This is the real deal; we're being trained to fight the undead, and fast.

Dr Uden explains the magnitude of the threat.

Zombie 101 then weapon familiarisation, training, drill and we hit the range.

Run, kneel, safety off, engage target, stand, safety on. Hand signals, vehicle debussing, patrolling "Target front!", bounding firing line.

Do as he says, it just might save you from the ghouls.

Volunteer needed for squad leader? Someone has to do it. My hand goes up involuntarily. What have I done? A volunteer for someone to go first into the breech? Sean steps forward, a braver man than I.

The pace picks up. We patrol the compound. "Targets front." Drop to one knee, safety off, open fire.

Room clearance. "Standby... Go!" pushing into the dark, clattering bulk of our gear jostles with heavy breathing. We fire, scan the room and give the nod. "Clear!" comes the shout and in the next team comes. Terrifying, and this is just an empty room.

Safety's off, at ease, return to the mess tent. Rest, eat, talk and wait. And then the call comes.

Perimeters have been breached, the infected are everywhere, headed this way. We're needed.

"I say we nuke the site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure."

We reload, weapons check and then go.

The darkness is broken by flaming detritus, smoke fills the air and drifts across the compound, we press forward, move in bounds, shadows dance in the dark beyond. We reach the compound entrance.

Zombies ambush the squad - "Let's Rock!"

This is it, I'm leading the first entry. In goes the flash-bang, seconds pass like an age, dull boom and my boots hit a concrete floor, I head right and the under slung flashlight on my M4 sweeps the dark recesses of the interior. "Clear!"

On we press, a relay of shouted commands, grenades and shots fires, room after room, relentless moans cut short only by the reports of semi-automatic gunfire.

We rotate. I'm stacked up first again. There's something in that room, I can hear it, taste it -smell it.

Things didn't look so good.

No more grenades, we're going in old school, safety's off, ready to go loud.

The signal comes, we enter. Every move punctuated by a heartbeat.

Out of the darkness a shape rears, groaning, moaning and shambling. It happens so fast. Without thinking I'm looking onto the soulless eyes of an inhuman abomination across iron sights. Bang, head-shot and again, blam!... just to be sure. Sweep and scan, another gnashing and growling, inches from tearing me limb from limb. It's too late. The crack of an M4 and the walking corpse jerks and sprawls at my feet.

Page gives me the nod and shouts "Clear!" as he chews on a Cuban cigar... or is it a flash-bang? It'd hard to tell in the half light.

"Don't be a cheap meat snack!"

In this War Against the Walking Dead we're going to need more than guns, ammo and guts to prevail. Without our training we would have been toast.

We need teamwork, co-operation and someone to watch our six.

And most of all we need Zombie Boot Camp.

Zombie Boot Camp is a mix of Paintball, Live Action Role Playing and Scare attraction. If you're looking for an EPIC day out in Worcestershire. Zombie Boot Camp needs you!

Get Yer Zomb On

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