Friday, September 16, 2011
Edohotep
Spike TV's "Deadliest Warriors" tackled the supernatural in its third season finale a few nights ago. The modern cinematic vampire and zombie faced off against one another and the odds were nearly even when the combat data was entered into the battle simulator.The method of destruction: who has the strongest bite and how effective can they use their hands? These beasts can either claw or tear victims apart.
With a guest panel that included Steve Niles (30 Days of Night), Scott Bowen (Vampire Survival Guide), Max Brooks (World War Z), and Matt Mogk (Zombie Research Society) to give their input in what these 20th Century counterparts are like. This battle is one that won't necessarily see a cinematic adaptation either. At best, all audiences will ever see is Aliens versus Predators.
As interesting as this episode was in putting two of the supernatural world's heavyweights against one another, the poor Wolfman was left behind. What "Deadliest Warriors" did not fully include is a definition of the creatures from legends and lore. More would have helped flesh out this episode than a battle royale.
Depending on the cultural source, some vampires behaved very much like zombies. They were corpses who rose from the grave to consume the blood of the living to restore their vitality; they are not always methodical in their blood lust. Some further acknowledgement of these creature's ancient roots would have added credence to how serious this episode wanted to tackle the subject matter. Instead, all it did was to jump into the modern lore. When commentator Geoffrey Desmoulin says mythical, he was off his mark.
A few details could have been said. There is the "all-too human" vampire who believes that the consumption of blood will sustain them. They don't have the abilities that cinema, folklore and literature gives them, but if the magic is to be believed, these pseudo vampires seemingly feel more alive after feeding. There are also other types who drain the living energy away from others. Energy vampirism is still subject to debate.
But in this television show, at least Steve Niles acknowledges the sources that he's drawn inspiration from. He talks about Bram Stoker's Dracula and considers Marvel Comic's "Blade" a great throwback to the legend. Bowen adds to the modern take by saying vampires are super athletes. They are apex predators.
Brooks is a true scholar and happily hits upon the zombie's voodoo roots. In Haiti, they are simply people whose minds have been altered by mysterious toxins. They are, at best, simple automatons performing labour for shamans and plantation lords. They can easily multiply depending on the needs of the lord. They are a labour force that can be replinished whenever needed, and their numbers cannot be underestimated. But as Brooks describes them in the modern sense, they are a virus that creates "pure motorized instinct."
Quite simply, zombies seek out living matter. A good question is asked: can a zombie virus infect a vampire? Niles says it can not. A vampire is not considered living. Another question to ask is why should a zombie attack a vampire? The hungry dead are only ravenous if there is a living victim nearby that is sustaining the vampire.
Only the creative imagination of a writer will find a reason for the two to fight one another. After all, if Dracula can subvert the Frankenstein monster to do his bidding in cinema, why can't he also tame the hungry zombie too? A human can tame the festering hunger of a zombie; remember Fido?
This episode has some interesting points going for it. To find an animal that can be matched to have the strength of either a vampire or zombie is a very good touch. An alligator's bite is supposedly as powerful as a vampire, and a Rottweiller attacks with the same ferocity of a zombie. A vampire can take out any creature in two bites, but a single zombie takes several bites. Multiply that with several walking deads, to take anyone down will be just as instantaneous.
The battle was fierce. And the results are in: the Vampire won.
But the question of which creature is more interesting to continue seeing in cinema boils down to one thing: just how much blood money needs to be spilt in order to get the idea right. Other than that, in "Deadliest Warrior," viewers are treated to the epitome of machismo – the deadliest alpha happens to be undead.
The "Deadliest Warrior" at Spike TV:
Deadliest Warrior Details at Spike
Seas. 1 on DVD:
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Posted in: 2011,2011 release,action,horror television review,max brooks,steve niles,television review,vampire,vampires,zombie,zombies
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