Wow, you guys- it’s only March and we all know exactly what we want for Christmas this year and will be utterly devastated if this zombie-themed gift isn’t waiting for us under our blood and brains-spattered trees.
Zombies are having a bit of a moment in pop culture right now- initially stepping in to fill the void left by our vampire-empty hearts when True Blood is in one of its year-long hiatuses. But while die hard zombie apocalypse fans have been around since even before the recent string of Romero reduxes (which by the way, duh, of course everyone is infected with the virus, it’s called canon ), the prominence of The Walking Dead has allowed the cult-genre to shuffle into a new life of prominence.
First and foremost, zombie apocalypses (apocalyii?) are the fantasy football of geeks everywhere. While you all are out at Superbowl or Stanley Cup or World Series parties drinking Bud Light or whatever it is you people do, we are pinning bowie knives, prettily-patterned 9mms and leather hot shorts to our Pinterest “Zombie Apocalypse” boards in preparation for Z-Day. But what we both have in common is the lack of likelihood our talents will ever be needed- while you probably won’t ever head up the Yankees, so too will we be denied the epic experience of shooting down a horde of zombies to impress that guy we like who is way too cool for us.
Until now. Perhaps some newer upstarts won’t recognize the setting on sight, but a UK company has capitalized on our utter dweebiness to make a buck and to that we say, shut up and take my money ! Zed Events (“zed” is the letter “z” in fancy British-talk) has taken over a manor and an abandoned mall in Reading oh my God, just like in “Dawn of the Dead” to stage a zombie experience, and if you have always secretly said a prayed for our cousins across the pond with limited to no ammo, the mock-pocalypse is a bit bloodless over there, the event’s site confirms:
“…this will not just about shooting zombies, ammunition will be severely limited with only a few opportunities to get more. As a survivor you will need nerves of steel, speed and brain power if you are to fight your way through the zombie horde to safety… Survivors can be fighting through dense woodland to a rescue point, or in our urban venues which include a Manor House and even a fully fledged shopping Mall.”
Interested in your own mall zombie-fighting experience? You can check out the FAQ over at Zed Events to find out cost, times, and sign-up information. But act quickly- in the event the zombie apocalypse doesn’t come in early 2012, the mall is set for demolition in the summer.
