16-bit horror parody Zombies Ate My Neighbors is up for a translation to the big screen.
In 1993, LucasArts released a game for the SNES and Genesis called Zombies Ate My Neighbors that parodied a number of classic horror films. 18 years later, the property has come full circle and inspired a movie that an independent company hopes to bring into production.
Just for the sake of pointing it out, that means a movie will soon be based on a game that was based on a bunch of movies. Zombies Ate My Neighbors gave players the choice of two characters named Zeke and Julie. Nothing against Julie, but Zeke was the obvious choice with his 3D glasses, skull t-shirt, and extremely high hairstyle. Both characters had to explore the game’s levels to rescue different kinds of neighbors, such as babies and BBQ chefs, while taking out zombies, werewolves, and other monsters with a water pistol.
The varied level design and humor made Zombies Ate My Neighbors a classic. A filmmaker named John Darko wrote a screenplay for the movie adaptation, which has a style described as “John Hughes meets Judd Apatow meets George A. Romero” and “Superbad + Zombieland + Home Alone.” It’s a “coming-of-age high school” tale that won’t follow the game’s story directly, but will definitely star Zeke and Julie.
The independent production is still securing the rights to Zombies Ate My Neighbors and the script is being shopped around to investors, so it’s not a done deal yet. If everything falls into place, it could end up as an amazing tribute or a horrible reflection on its basis. Movie adaptations of videogames don’t have a perfect track record, but Zombies Ate My Neighbors is a somewhat obscure title that a creator would likely have to genuinely appreciate to get behind. If that appreciation can stay intact all the way through production, we may have a worthy movie on our hands.
Source: FirstShowing
