Zombie Gap

Well, it's official.

Between "28 Days Later," "Shaun of the Dead," and now "Dead Set," the United Kingdom has officially passed the United States when it comes to zombies. I hearby declare a "Zombie Gap" and call for President-elect Obama to put aside the Big Three and picking his Cabinet and focus on getting the "World War Z" movie on the fast track, before the Brits leave us completely in the dust.

I quasi-legally, through what can only be described as "a personal website involving a cylindrical container," watched a 5-part mini-series that was broadcast on Britain's Channel 4 this past Halloween, called "Dead Set."

The program takes place in the Big Brother house, from the reality show of the same name, during an outbreak of the "Dawn of the Dead" remake-style zombies - fast runners, infection spread only through a bite, and will eat the flesh of anything living or dead that's not a zombie. The housemates have no idea that Britain (and maybe the world) is going to hell around them, and try to survive against the hordes that are growing daily outside their compound.

The premise itself sounds silly as all get out, but I was extremely surprised by how good it was! I don't know what type of programming Channel 4 usually shows, but this series made "Dexter" look like "Sesame Street." It was well shot (the camerawork was superb), the actors and actresses were spot on, and, as always, the ending is never a truly happy one.

And "Dead Set" was, to put it simply, really gory. For a show on television, there were gore shots that made even me, a long-time horror movie fan, wince and go "Jesus!"

For example, in one scene, one of the characters is hiding in a convenience store while a zombie pounds on the glass. Behind the zombie, an SUV pulls up, a woman gets out and takes aim with a rifle, and blows the zombie's head clean off. Standard fare, save for the fact that the body and what's left of the zombie's throat and chin hit the glass and slowly slide down with some kind of sickening squishy type noise...

The script was written by, of all people, a British film critic who despises "Big Brother," and of course, draws a lot of parallels between zombies and reality telvision, including its producers, stars, and fans. And yet, "Big Brother" supported the show and lent its house, sets, and even some past houseguests and interviewers to the project. There's something, as always, to be for people who "get the joke."

If you like zombies at all, I highly, highly recommend the series. It's out on DVD in Europe, but I'm sure there are...means...to watch it stateside.