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Zombie vs. Mardi Gras: "We wanted to see what kind of movie we could create with no budget, and...try to capture the twistedness of New Orleans,” says Will Frank.
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As one of my coworkers put it, “This movie is like French impressionism meets Plan 9 meets Italian Cool.” Now, I have no idea what “Italian Cool” is, but I can definitely agree with the first two. Filmed in black and white, often out of focus, and with a barely discernable plot line, this movie is more like a parody of foreign existential cinema than anything. And, according to several people I’ve spoken to, that’s pretty much the point. It is a celebration of everything that is weird and wonderful about New Orleans, highlighted by the filmmakers’ showcase of the revelry and absurdity of Mardi Gras intertwined with a few choice characters: namely a zombie, a couple aliens, some random ninja, and Gailleo himself.
"We wanted to see what kind of movie we could create with no budget, and at the same time try to capture the twistedness of New Orleans,” says Will Frank, one of the creator/directors. Back in 1994 Frank and his two friends, Karl Demolay and Mike Lyddon, got an idea, grabbed a camera, and hit the streets filming all they could of the Carnival season. They had already come up with a name that made them laugh and they had a basic concept that kept them going right up until the money ran out. After that it was only a matter of several misadventures and some creative funding techniques that kept the capital trickling in a few hundred at a time, and two years later the masterpiece that is Zombie vs. Mardi Gras was finished.
In 1996 Salt City Video released Zombie on VHS. It was received with fairly off-balance reviews. “95% hated it, 5% thought it was brilliant,” Frank says. Since then that lonely five percent have taken this movie and run with it, securing it a place in the annals of underground cinema and cult classics. And now, ten years after it’s first “theatrical release” (read: a night time showing at the Zeitgeist filled with technical difficulties and, ultimately, a full refund to all viewers), Zombie vs. Mardi Gras has been digitally remastered and born anew as a two disc DVD set.
Last Sunday night I and about 50 other people attended the re-release showing of Zombie vs. Mardi Gras at One Eyed Jacks. After a few short films about guys becoming girls and the story of the creation of Zombie vs. Mardi Gras featuring Ted E. Bear and his assistant Cow in some compromising positions, the movie began. I had been hearing a lot of random hype about this thing from many different people for a couple of weeks by this time, all of which did nothing to explain what I should expect. I know now that it never could have. There is no explaining this movie, except to say that it is an experience, one that I feel is very uniquely New Orleans. And in my personal opinion, it is and experience that everyone who considers themselves a New Orleanian should have at least once. Anyone else should feel free to check it out, too, if they wish, but I’m not exactly talking to them right now, so what does that matter.
Now, maybe I’m being too favorable; maybe I should be a little more critical of this extremely low budget and, by all industry standards, rather poorly made movie. But I really liked it, as many people have, and describing my reaction to this movie is a lot like trying to describe the movie itself. It’s not your everyday flick; it’s extremely random and definitely not for everyone. But Will Frank put it best when he said “[this movie] stands as a New Orleans artifact.” It is something rare and distinct, much like this city itself.
There aren’t anymore showings lined up at this time, but if you still want to see it (and I think you should) the DVD set, which includes the movie and a whole slue of extras, is for sale at More Fun Comics on Oak St., Uptown. You could also check out the Rue de la Course on Magazine St. and ask for Crispin; lately he’s been keeping a stack of copies behind the counter for just such an occasion. You could also send an e-mail to zombievsmardigras@gmail.com, and pretty soon copies will be made available at Tower Records. And coming soon to a computer screen near you: ZombievsMardiGras.com. With so many options at your fingertips, you really have no excuse not to see it.
Erin Haindle is NOLAFugees.com's newest correspondent. Look for her review of Jello Biafra's ("who?") lecture at Loyola in the next issue.
