I have this plan for a zombie film. I'm calling it 2006 - The Movie. The plot's very simple. It's the last day of the year. People are gripped by an irrational desire to leave their homes and travel long distances. Not even a farcical tube strike can stop them. Some assemble in bars and become increasingly intoxicated as the hours pass. Some attend parties and end up standing in the corner with a vacant stare. Others mass together in public places and gaze expectantly at their wristwatches. Many have trouble staying upright or stringing together a coherent sentence. Some have been disfigured by tinsel horns growing from their head or sparkly glitter coating their face. And all are waiting for a sign from central command, their cue for action.
When the twelve bell signal finally arrives, crystal clear across the airwaves, the zombies spring to life. They cheer, they whoop, they embrace, and they drink more of the falling-down liquid. They form human chains by holding hands and sing something unintelligible in a strange alien language. They use their portable communication devices to transmit viral messages to acquaintances across the country, many of them previously uncontaminated. Meanwhile in central London thousands of ordinary people are drawn inexplicably to the river's edge to worship a giant blinking Eye, sparking with fire and lights. The New Year has struck, and the nation stands frozen in time.
And then, quite suddenly, the spell is broken. The crowds disperse, zig-zagging homeward as if on auto-pilot. In the morning everyone wakes with a throbbing head, unable to remember any of the strange activities of the night before. Nothing has changed, except the year's final digit. Life is still tough, and unfair, and tedious, and miserable. But a seed of hope has been planted in the collective mind of the nation, an irrational dream that the coming twelve months might just be better than the last. Roll credits. And expect a sequel at the same time next year.
I have this plan for a zombie film. I'm calling it 2006 - The Movie. The plot's very simple. It's the last day of the year. People are gripped by an irrational desire to leave their homes and travel long distances. Not even a farcical tube strike can stop them. Some assemble in bars and become increasingly intoxicated as the hours pass. Some attend parties and end up standing in the corner with a vacant stare. Others mass together in public places and gaze expectantly at their wristwatches. Many have trouble staying upright or stringing together a coherent sentence. Some have been disfigured by tinsel horns growing from their head or sparkly glitter coating their face. And all are waiting for a sign from central command, their cue for action.
