Dead End Days
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Dead End Days was a zombie comedy internet webserial released by Rocket Ace Moving Pictures between 2003 and 2004. Launched in October of 2003 [1] "DED", as it is known by fans, was one of the first[2] independent webserials (serialized live action video series developed for broadcast exclusively on the Internet), and a predecessor to modern vlogs or podcasts.
Released weekly at DeadEndDays.com, the series combined elements of farcical comedy, classic serial adventure, social commentary, and modern zombie horror genres. The year long story followed the adventures of a number of individuals in a world where a human-zombie war has been narrowly averted, and corporate marketing interests were just starting to target the undead as a viable demographic. Comprised of forty-eight episodes each of five to ten minutes in length, the series ran from October 2003 to November 2004, and attracted a cult following due to its black humor and commentary on modern marketing culture[3].
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[edit] The Creators
Dead End Days was the brainchild of producer Brad Fox, director Matthew Hoos, and screenwriter Jason Patrick Rothary, childhood friends from Calgary, Alberta [4]. Before the project, each had become involved, in various capacities, in the Canadian film and live theatre industries
[edit] The Story
A full text summary of each episode in the entire series (containing major plot spoilers) is available at the official DeadEndDays.com website
Set in the near future, man- and zombie-kind have decided to settle their age-old differences with meaningful conversation and cooperation instead of chainsaws and pitchforks. But how do you integrate two such distinct cultures, especially when one is defined by their unquenchable thirst for human brains?
Eric is a disillusioned Monopoly Video clerk recently dumped by his girlfriend. Ashley knows she wants something different out of life, but she doesn’t know what that is yet. Bruce is a cheerful and persistent canvasser distributing educational pamphlets highlighting common misconceptions about the “Previously Deceased”. Sam and Bridget are determined to be successful independent entrepreneur Zombie-hunters... if only someone would hire them. These colorful characters and many others populate the eerily comedic world of Dead End Days.
Eric can’t help feeling there’s something wrong with current human/zombie government policies. He worries about the ever-expanding zombie population, and – even moreso – the rampant marketing campaigns targeting the living undead with products such as "Brains Cola" and "Johnny Numbskull Sportswear"‚ their motto: “Play Dead”. He wants to set things right, but what can one lone video-slinger do?
Ashley is glad to be free of her stifling relationship with Eric...or is she? Well, something had to change, and – for better or worse – she changed it. Time to renovate her life and meet a new love...even if that love has no pulse.
Sam and Bridget have set themselves up for a tough year. Not only are they new to the whole ‘married life’ thing, but they’ve started their own business as contract killers, specializing in the suppression and eradication of Rogue Zombies. They’ve got the passion, they’ve got the will, they attended the Tony Robbins seminar, and now they just need that first opportunity to come rolling around.
But something more is amiss in the world. Culture, politics, society as a whole is bending to the will of a new demographic. Zombies appear to be awfully susceptible to advertising that associates any product with brains. As critical thought is thrown to the wind, and the money starts rolling in, will humanity ultimately reap what it sows?
[edit] Aftermath
The series concluded in November of 2004, although it is still available on the website. The co-creators of Dead End Days have gone on to create the breakfast-based on-line sit-com Cerealized.com, as well as several music video and short film projects. On the Rocket Ace Moving Pictures Fan Message Boards they have confirmed they are also working on several secret short and feature film projects.
[edit] Related Products
Dead End Days was released as a 4-DVD box set on February 13, 2006[5]. It includes all 52 regular and bonus episodes, cast and crew commentaries, blooper and outtake reels, and a featurette on the art design of the series.
Dead End Days: The Complete Scriptbook, by series writer Jason Patrick Rothery, was published on October 31, 2005[6] it includes the original scripts for all 48 cannonical episodes (and some alternate and variant drafts of key episodes), a selection of behind the scenes photographs, as well as essays on serialized writing by Rothery, and other contributors to the show.
