Zombie Town

Last updated
Zombie Town
Zombie Town poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Peter Lepeniotis
Written by
  • Michael Samonek
  • Michael Schwartz
  • Peter Lepeniotis
Based onZombie Town
by R. L. Stine
Produced byJohn Gillespie
Starring
CinematographyRudolf Blahacek
Edited byMarc Roussel
Music by Ryan Shore
Production
companies
  • Trimuse Entertainment
  • Viva Pictures
  • Now Entertainment Group
  • Lookout Entertainment
  • Toonz Entertainment
Distributed byViva Pictures
Release date
  • September 1, 2023 (2023-09-01)
Running time
92 minutes
CountryCanada
LanguageEnglish
Box office$130,802 [1]

Zombie Town is a 2023 Canadian comedy horror film directed by Peter Lepeniotis. It is based on the 2000 novel of the same name by R. L. Stine. The film stars Marlon Kazadi, Madi Monroe, Henry Czerny, Chevy Chase, and Dan Aykroyd. [2]

Contents

Plot

Two teenagers watch a reclusive horror filmmaker's latest film, which turns a town into zombies. The teenagers use the Eye of Horus on a canister lid to ward off zombies.

Cast

Production

In August 2022, it was announced that Aykroyd, Chase and several other actors were cast in the film and that filming occurred in Ontario. [5] The film was shot in Sudbury in September 2022. [6] Principal photography wrapped that same month after four weeks of filming. [7]

The score was composed by Ryan Shore.

Release

The film was released in theaters in Canada on August 18, 2023. [3] It also premiered on Hulu in October 6, 2023. [8]

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 50% of six critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6/10. [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dan Aykroyd</span> Canadian and American actor (born 1952)

Daniel Edward Aykroyd is a Canadian and American actor, comedian, screenwriter, and producer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chevy Chase</span> American comedian, writer and actor (born 1943)

Cornelius Crane "Chevy" Chase is an American comedian, actor, and writer. He became the breakout cast member in the first season of Saturday Night Live (1975–1976), where his recurring Weekend Update segment became a staple of the show. As both a performer and a writer on the series, he earned two Primetime Emmy Awards out of four nominations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">R. L. Stine</span> American writer and producer (born 1943)

Robert Lawrence Stine, known by his pen name R.L. Stine, is an American novelist. He is the writer of Goosebumps, a horror fiction novel series which has sold over 400 million copies globally in 35 languages, becoming the second-best-selling book series in history. The series spawned a media franchise including two television series, a video game series, a comic series, and two feature films. Stine has been referred to as the "Stephen King of children's literature".

<i>Goosebumps</i> Series of childrens horror novels by R. L. Stine

Goosebumps is a series of children's horror novels written by American author R. L. Stine. The protagonists in these stories are teens or pre-teens who find themselves in frightening circumstances, often involving the supernatural, the paranormal or the occult. Between 1992 and 1997, sixty-two books were published under the Goosebumps umbrella title. R. L. Stine also wrote various spin-off series, including, Goosebumps Series 2000, Give Yourself Goosebumps, Tales to Give You Goosebumps, Goosebumps Triple Header, Goosebumps HorrorLand, Goosebumps Most Wanted and Goosebumps SlappyWorld. Additionally, there was a series called Goosebumps Gold that was never released.

<i>Caddyshack II</i> 1988 film by Allan Arkush

Caddyshack II is a 1988 American sports comedy film and a sequel to the 1980 film Caddyshack. Directed by Allan Arkush and written by Harold Ramis and PJ Torokvei, it stars Jackie Mason, Robert Stack, Dyan Cannon, Dina Merrill, Jonathan Silverman, Brian McNamara, Marsha Warfield, Paul Bartel, and Randy Quaid with cameo appearances by Chevy Chase and Dan Aykroyd. It tells the story of a wealthy and widowed real estate developer who goes up against Bushwood County Club's snobbish president in a golfing tournament.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Landis</span> American filmmaker (born 1950)

John David Landis is an American filmmaker and actor. He is best known for directing comedy films such as The Kentucky Fried Movie (1977), National Lampoon's Animal House (1978), The Blues Brothers (1980), Trading Places (1983), Three Amigos (1986), Coming to America (1988) and Beverly Hills Cop III (1994), and horror films such as An American Werewolf in London (1981) and Innocent Blood (1992). He also directed the music videos for Michael Jackson's "Thriller" (1983) and "Black or White" (1991).

<i>Spies Like Us</i> 1985 film by John Landis

Spies Like Us is a 1985 American spy comedy film directed by John Landis, and starring Chevy Chase, Dan Aykroyd, Steve Forrest, and Donna Dixon. The film presents the comic adventures of two novice intelligence agents sent to the Soviet Union. Originally written by Aykroyd and Dave Thomas to star Aykroyd and John Belushi at Universal, the script went into turnaround and was later picked up by Warner Bros., starring Aykroyd and Chase.

<i>Nothing but Trouble</i> (1991 film) 1991 film by Dan Aykroyd

Nothing but Trouble is a 1991 American black comedy horror film written and directed by Dan Aykroyd in his directorial debut, based on a story by his brother Peter, and starring Chevy Chase, Dan Aykroyd, John Candy, and Demi Moore. It tells the story of two yuppies and the clients of one of them who are taken to court for running a stop sign in the bizarre, financially bankrupt small town of Valkenvania, which is dominated by a 106-year-old judge. Tupac Shakur made his acting debut as a member of the rap group Digital Underground.

<i>The Haunting Hour: Dont Think About It</i> 2007 American film

R. L. Stine's The Haunting Hour: Don't Think About It is a 2007 American children's horror film based on the children's book of the same name by R. L. Stine. The film was directed by Alex Zamm, written by Dan Angel and Billy Brown, and stars Emily Osment, Cody Linley, Brittany Curran, and Tobin Bell. It was released direct-to-DVD. The plot follows a goth girl named Cassie moving into a new town and fascinated by the occult. At a mysterious Halloween store, the store owner insists on selling her an old book. Stuck with her brother Max on Halloween night, she reads the book to him, despite the book's warnings not to read it out loud or think about its monster. After the monster comes to life and captures Max, Cassie, with help from her friend, must save Max and defeat the monster before their parents return from a Halloween party.

<i>Saturday Night Live</i> season 1 Season of television series

The first season of Saturday Night Live, an American sketch comedy series, originally aired in the United States on NBC from October 11, 1975, to July 31, 1976. The show served as a vehicle that launched to stardom the careers of a number of major comedians and actors, including Chevy Chase, John Belushi, and Dan Aykroyd.

<i>Goosebumps</i> (film) 2015 American film by Rob Letterman

Goosebumps is a 2015 American horror comedy film directed by Rob Letterman and written by Darren Lemke, based on R. L. Stine's children's horror book series of the same name. The film stars Jack Black as a fictionalized version of Stine, who teams up with his neighbor and his teenage daughter, to save their hometown after all the monsters from the Goosebumps franchise escape from his works, wreaking havoc in the real world. It also stars Amy Ryan, Ryan Lee and Jillian Bell in supporting roles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spies Reminiscent of Us</span> 3rd episode of the 8th season of Family Guy

"Spies Reminiscent of Us" is the third episode of the eighth season of the animated comedy series Family Guy. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on October 11, 2009. The episode pays homage to the 1985 comedy film Spies Like Us, featuring baby Stewie and anthropomorphic dog Brian as they discover that American spies Chevy Chase and Dan Aykroyd have moved into their neighbor Cleveland Brown's old house; they eventually follow them on a secret mission to Russia. Meanwhile, Peter, Joe, and Quagmire attempt to start an improv comedy group with very little success.

<i>The Haunting Hour: The Series</i> Childrens horror anthology television series

R. L. Stine's The Haunting Hour: The Series is a children's horror anthology television series based on the 2007 movie R.L Stine's The Haunting Hour: Don't Think About It and the anthologies The Haunting Hour: Chills in the Dead of Night and Nightmare Hour by R.L. Stine, which originally aired on The Hub Network from October 29, 2010, to October 11, 2014. The only story taken from The Haunting Hour anthology was My Imaginary Friend, and the only story unused from The Nightmare Hour was Make Me a Witch. The fourth season's seven remaining episodes ran on Discovery Family from October 18, 2014, to November 29, 2014. The series was produced by Front Street Pictures, The Hatchery, Incendo Films, and Endemol.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dan Angel</span> American film producer

Dan Angel is an American film and television producer, screenwriter, story editor and showrunner.

<i>Monsterville: Cabinet of Souls</i> 2015 American film

Monsterville: Cabinet of Souls is a 2015 American comedy horror film based on the 2012 novel of the same name by R.L. Stine. It is directed by Peter DeLuise, written and produced by Dan Angel and Billy Brown, and executive produced by Stine. It stars Dove Cameron, Katherine McNamara, Braeden Lemasters, Tiffany Espensen and Ryan McCartan.

<i>Just Beyond</i> American anthology series

Just Beyond is an American horror comedy anthology television series created by Seth Grahame-Smith for Disney+, based on the Boom! Studios graphic novel series of the same name by R. L. Stine. The series premiered on October 13, 2021, with all 8 episodes. The series was removed from Disney+ on May 26, 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marlon Kazadi</span> Canadian actor (born 2004)

Marlon S. Kazadi is a Canadian actor and music artist. He is known for the role of Mike Broadstreet in the film Zombie Town (2023), a zombie thriller based on author R. L. Stine's book of the same name. Before that, Kazadi's first lead role was in the independent film Chained in which he won "Best Young Actor" from the New York International Film Awards, and nominations for Best Actor for a Canadian Film at the Vancouver Film Critics Circle Awards, as well as Best Lead Performance, Male at the UBCP/ACTRA Awards.

<i>Fear Street</i> (film series) Horror film franchise

Fear Street is a series of American horror films based on R. L. Stine's book series of the same name. Involving slasher and supernatural elements, the films' overall story revolves around teenagers who work to break the curse that has been over their town for hundreds of years. The first three installments were directed by Leigh Janiak from scripts and stories she co-wrote with other contributors, while the upcoming fourth film will be directed by Matt Palmer from a script he co-wrote with Donald McLeary. Produced and developed by 20th Century Studios and Chernin Entertainment, the film's distribution rights were eventually acquired by Netflix following The Walt Disney Company's purchase of 21st Century Fox.

<i>Goosebumps</i> (2023 TV series) 2023 American supernatural horror television series

Goosebumps is an American supernatural horror television series developed by Rob Letterman and Nicholas Stoller for Disney+ and Hulu. It is based on the book series by R. L. Stine. The series abandons the episodic anthology format of the 1995 original television series to focus on a serialized-anthology style of storytelling instead, changing storylines from season to season instead of episode to episode while still featuring some of the existing Goosebumps monsters and items episodically.

References

  1. "Zombie Town (2022)". Box Office Mojo . IMDb . Retrieved September 7, 2023. OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  2. Squires, John (October 27, 2022). "'Zombie Town' – Poster Art for Next R.L. Stine Movie Starring Dan Aykroyd and Chevy Chase". Bloody Disgusting. Archived from the original on July 7, 2023. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Atad, Corey (May 29, 2023). "Chevy Chase & Dan Aykroyd Reunite For New Movie 'Zombie Town' In First-Look Featurette". Entertainment Tonight Canada. Archived from the original on May 29, 2023. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
  4. Milligan, Mercedes (February 23, 2023). "Viva Kids Brings 'Inspector Sun,' 'Epic Tails,' 'Dragonkeeper' & R.L. Stine's 'Zombie Town' to U.S. Theaters (EXCLUSIVE)". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on December 12, 2023. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
  5. Vlessing, Etan (August 29, 2022). "Dan Aykroyd, Chevy Chase to Star in 'Zombie Town' Mystery Teen Romancer (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
  6. Moodie, Jim (September 16, 2022). "Accent: SNL comedy icons reunite in Sudbury for horror-comedy film (watch video)". The Sudbury Star. Archived from the original on September 16, 2022. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
  7. Papineau, Chelsea; Campbell, Ian (September 16, 2022). "Dan Aykroyd, Chevy Chase filming adaptation of popular YA novel in Sudbury". CTV News. Archived from the original on July 7, 2023. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
  8. Encinas, Amaris; Martin, Saleen (October 6, 2023). "R.L. Stine's 'Zombie Town' is now out on Hulu. What else to stream for spooky season". USA Today. Archived from the original on October 8, 2023. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
  9. "Zombie Town". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on October 6, 2023. Retrieved September 12, 2023.