World War Z director Marc Forster takes his zombie cue from animals

NEW YORK — As a boy growing up in Switzerland, director Marc Forster was obsessed with the way fish and birds, moving together, gracefully coalesced into a single organism, the multitudes swarming seamlessly as one.

From such pastoral visions comes the zombie tsunami threatening humanity in Brad Pitt-starrer World War Z.

Once bitten, the victims frenetically convulse and join an undead horde that sprint through city streets like rabid cheetahs, clicking their teeth malevolently and at times swarming terrifyingly en masse.

“They’re like this force of nature coming at you,” Forster said. “I felt like the more I could base it in nature, viscerally, the more scary it will be.”

The animal kingdom figured heavily into his conception of the zombies. In addition to birds and fish, the filmmakers also paid careful attention to the movements of ants. The mandibular mechanics of the zombie bite were informed by police dogs, specifically the way they lead with their mouths and “then bite forward”, Forster said.

As for the clacking teeth, which seem to evoke gorillas or an insect plague, Forster said that aspect was actually his one nod toward the gothic.

“It’s like an empty shell — you feel a hollowness because they’re not human anymore,” he said. “Their souls have left them.” THE NEW YORK TIMES

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5 things to have during a zombie apocalypse

SINGAPORE — Guys, the zombie apocalypse is inevitable, and you know it.

Plus, with the number of films about zombie invasions out there, you can’t say you weren’t warned.

While the good folks in World War Z have the indomitable Brad Pitt on their side, we would have to fight our own way to survival.

Here’s a list of five things we would borrow from the world of film, TV and fiction to defend ourselves against the walking dead.

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THOR’S HAMMER. There’s no guarantee that we can pick it up — unless one of us is Thor. In which case, hello sexy. But if we do manage to wield the hammer, we’re pretty sure we’d be able to crush some pretty zombie skulls.

JANE AUSTEN. If there’s someone who should be annoyed by the presence of zombies, it’s Jane Austen. The monsters have been introduced to her beloved Pride And Prejudice by the audacious Seth Grahame-Smith, and Elizabeth Bennet turned into a — gasp — zombie hunter. If we could bring Austen back to life, we’re guessing she and her army of fans would be more than happy to kick a few zombie butts.

STAR TREK’S USS ENTERPRISE. As the 36 Strategems rightly advise — flee, if all else fails. And how better to run away from a zombie invasion than to hop on the USS Enterprise and shoot to the nearest inhabitable planet at warp speed?

A CHINESE ODYSSEY’S PANDORA’S BOX. If none of the above work, we’ll have to resort to using the Pandora’s Box from Stephen Chow’s A Chinese Odyssey. The box will allow us to travel through time to escape. Even if it doesn’t work, yelling “bo yi bo lor mi” at the moon should be cathartic.

BANE’S MASK. Only because none of us will survive anyway, if this haze gets out of hand.

World War Z is scheduled for release in Singapore on June 20.

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