Logo by Kristian HornWhat the &#$% is ZOMBIES & SHARKS?

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Greetings, all. Ambush Bug here. Happy Birthday to AICN HORROR which celebrates its sixth year on Ain’t It Cool News in October! And what a fantastic year in horror it was! Always hoping to pass on new and exciting films for all of you ravenous readers, I have once again compiled a list counting down my favorite horror film released since last October 1, 2014 and covered in my weekly AICN HORROR: ZOMBIES & SHARKS column.

As far as how I compiled this list? Well, I simply looked over my AICN HORROR columns over the last year since October 1st, 2014 (which happens to be the birthday of this little column six years ago!) and worked and reworked a list throughout the year until I had 31. No real method to my special brand of madness; just my own personal favorites. The only rule qualifying the film for this countdown is that it had to be released to the masses (via theaters, digital download, On Demand, or DVD/BluRay) within the range of October 1, 2014 and October 1, 2015. Anything before or after that span of time doesn’t count in this haunted dojo. I’ll be counting down every day until Halloween to my favorite horror film of the year. I’ll also provide a second film suggestion at the end of each post that is worth noting or just missed making the list for those who can’t get enough horror.

So let’s get to it! Chime in after the article and let me know what you think of the pick, it’s placing on the list, how on the nose or mind-numbingly wrong I am, and most importantly, let me know your own personal faves from the last year in horror…let’s go!

#21 WYRMWOOD: ROAD OF THE DEAD

Why is WYRMWOOD: ROAD OF THE DEAD #21? Another pretty rad zombie film that was released this year was WYRMWOOD: ROAD OF THE DEAD, a film from Down Under that reminded me of a more successful version of the Sperig Brothers’ UNDEAD film with all sorts of crazy super powers and hyperkinetic action sequences. The film has a really aggressive and vibrant style that can’t be denied and really was one of the best zombie films (and there were too many to count released this year) you’re likely to see this year. Here’s my review from August 7th, 2015!

Available on Netflix here!

WYRMWOOD: ROAD OF THE DEAD (2014)

Directed by Kiah Roache-Turner
Written by Kiah Roache-Turner & Tristan Roache-Turner
Starring Jay Gallagher, Bianca Bradey, Leon Burchill, Luke McKenzie, Yure Covich, Catherine Terracini, Keith Agius, Meganne West, Berryn Schwerdt, Cain Thompson, Beth Aubrey, Sheridan Harbridge, Damian Dyke
Find out more about this film here and on Facebook here
Reviewed by Ambush Bug

Rarely do I see a movie which is entertaining from the very beginning up until the very end, but I saw just that with WYRMWOOD, a new zombie film from Australia. But before you scroll past thinking this is just another run of the mill zombie film, give me a minute to convince you that this if you think you’ve seen it all in terms of zombie films, this film is bound and determined to prove you wrong.

There is not a second of WYRMWOOD that isn’t in your face and running on all cylinders. Jutting from one catastrophic incident to another, the film follows a handful of survivors that haven’t fallen victim to a sudden outbreak of zombie fever after a meteor shower. The hows and whys explaining the cause of this outbreak are left vague. All we know is that there are zombies, and there are only a few survivors fighting their asses off to survive.

Unlike most zombie films, which either follow the Romero Way or the newer Zack Snyder fast zombies way, WYRMWOOD feels more like the Spierig Brothers’ UNDEAD, which offered up an unpredictable and boldly different take on zombies. Minor details are added to the mythos. The zombies’ blood is combustible and can be used as fuel, but this only occurs by day as they shamble slowly at night. One of the characters develops the power to control zombies’ actions telepathically. These new details make this film feel bold and new, making it more likely to surprise and less likely to become bored.

But the true highlight of WYRMWOOD is that it hits the ground running and never, ever stops for a breath until the end. Filmmakers Kiah Roache-Turner & Tristan Roache-Turner keep the action fresh and creative with one imaginative scene after another that you’ve never seen in any film before, let alone any zombie film.

WYRMWOOD is the type of film that could inject new life into the zombie genre. It’s bold and ballsy. The film tears down the road like a runaway truck off of the ROAD WARRIOR set without brakes or respect for road signs. And while zombie purists might flinch at the embellishments the Roache-Turners made to the zombie mythos, this film may prove those who rip on the zombie genre for being stuck on repeat for the last ten years that there’s some blood in the old genre still. Full of action that’ll make your heart flip and gore that’ll do the same to your stomach, WYRMWOOD is the next great thing in zombies.

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Worth noting: MONSTERS: DARK CONTINENT!

Just missing the countdown is the follow up to Gareth Edwards quiet and resonant MONSTERS. This one takes the ALIENS approach and shifts the perspective from a more intimate setting to a more militaristic approach focusing on a bunch of grunts from the same neighborhood fighting a war against the monsters on foreign soil. The story plays with the metaphor of the monsters and current American world interventions in foreign countries and while it’s not the most innovative of concepts, there really are some jaw-dropping scenes of monsters vs military action. Check out my full review of the film here and you can check out the film here on iTunes and !

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Previously on the Countdown!

#31 – AN AMERICAN TERROR
#30 – WE ARE STILL HERE
#29 – FROM THE DARK
#28 – THE TOWN THAT DREADED SUNDOWN
#27 – DEAD SNOW 2: DEAD VS RED
#26 – THE GREEN INFERNO
#25 – THE EDITOR
#24 – THE TAKING OF DEBORAH LOGAN
#23 – WITCHING & BITCHING
#22 – EXTINCTIONSee ya tomorrow, folks, as I count down the best of the best covered in AICN HORROR since October 1st, 2014!

Ambush Bug is Mark L. Miller, original @$$Hole/wordslinger/writer of wrongs/reviewer/interviewer/editor of AICN COMICS for over 13 years & AICN HORROR for 6. Follow Ambush Bug on the Twitters @Mark_L_Miller.

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