Wild Zero

I first encountered Wild Zero, this rock’n’roll zombie escapade, at a midnight showing for the Seattle International Film Festival. The Egyptian had to delay the start by twenty minutes to accommodate the expansive restroom lines. I went based on love shared for both the undead and Guitar Wolf, the raucous Japanese trio who are the ostensible stars of the film. I was immediately infatuated, though for years I had to sate my lust with an inferior bootleg VHS copy. Synapse Films finally grew a pair and the movie got an official DVD release. I rented it from Scarecrow, watched it three times in a day and a half, and bought a copy of my very own when I returned the rental.

All you really need to know about this movie is encapsulated within the drinking game on the DVD. Yes it has a built in drinking game. When you are supposed to drink the silhouette of a mug appears in the upper right hand corner. You drink when one or more of the following things happen: when someone drinks, when someone combs their hair, when fire shoots out of anything, when someone says rock’n’roll, when anything explodes and when a zombie’s head pops. All of these things happen. All of these things happen a lot. From personal experience, don’t play it with hard alcohol, I will not end well.

And remember, Ace, “love has no borders, nationalities or genders.” Words to live by.