We zombies are a proud and long lived species dating back to prehistoric times. It was only in recent history that our presence came to the forefront in Romero’s groundbreaking documentary, Night of the Living Dead. For decades, though, no one bothered to look into our lineage. Only recently, have authors begun to do their research and found that we had a strong presence in the 19th century. Jane Austin’s original work, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, was found before it had been rewritten and watered down to Pride and Prejudice. The world just wasn’t yet ready to learn of our presence.
Other paranormal parties are jealous of our popularity. Vampires are trying to cash in with Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, but we know that’s just a work of fiction. They simply don’t have the same credentials. Renowned zombie scholar Max Brooks has chronicled several of our appearances throughout history in The Zombie Survival Guide: Recorded Attacks showing that we have been around since long before Bram Stoker wrote Dracula.
Most recently, Clive Barker has been hired by Amazon Studios to write a historical documentary, Zombies vs Gladiators. Sure, Clive has an extensive background in horror, but will it translate well into a work of non-fiction? We have yet to see, but we are excited that our role in the fall of Rome may finally be told.
We already see a flaw in the premise. A shaman is supposed to unleash the first zombies in history. Max Brooks has already documented that zombies have surfaced long before that. The original script is available from Amazon Studios. We had a chance to look through and while there is a thrilling battle between war elephants and zombies, ultimately Rome triumphs. That’s just not how it went down. There are still a few shamblers around that can recount the story.
After years of oppression in the gladiatorial pits, a lone brave zombie broke out of his cell, embraced his captors and turned them to our cause. Ultimately, the gladiators succumbed to our superior strength in numbers. We left Rome and went free into the Italian countryside.
Clive, please contact our elder shamblers, the’ll fill you in.