They're dead, but they're comin' right for us!

December 18, 2007 9:20 AM

Help me find the perfect gift for a zombie enthusiast.

My friend and I are big fans of zombie/apocalypse movies. We spend a lot of time imagining how we and our rag-tag group of friends will survive the coming zombie apocalypse. After coming off of I Am Legend this weekend, I had the idea to get him a tool or other instrument to aid in our ultimate survival as a jokey Christmas gift. The trouble is, I can’t think of anything clever that fits the bill. He is an avid hunter, so he’s already got camping/outdoorsy survival stuff. Ideally I would be able to go to a store to buy it (rather than the internet), and I'd like to spend less than $25, but if the gift kicks ass, I would be willing to spend more and/or order online. Extra points if it’s generally useful or entertaining and won’t just collect dust.

If all else fails, other general zombie gift ideas are welcomed.

Thanks!

posted by rinosaur to shopping (29 comments total)

No matter how much of an enthusiast he is, he probably doesn't have either of these two kits of zombie-distracting bait. Note that they come in small pieces, so that you can sidetrack multiple zombies in your frenzied dash for safety.
posted by Malor at 9:26 AM on December 18, 2007

A CD by The Zombies?
posted by ubiquity at 9:27 AM on December 18, 2007

I recently go this for a zombie enthusiast I know:
Glow-in-the-Dark Flesh Eating Zombies Play Set
posted by fx3000 at 9:29 AM on December 18, 2007

Delicious brains?
posted by BitterOldPunk at 9:29 AM on December 18, 2007

I am currently reading the book, World War Z, and am enjoying it immensely.
posted by spec80 at 9:30 AM on December 18, 2007 [1 favorite has favorites]

Zombies (card-ish game) I've seen it for sale in comic book type stores.
posted by chndrcks at 9:32 AM on December 18, 2007

I don't think these Zombie Emergency Kits are for sale... but perhaps you could have a go at making something similar.

If you've not already read it World War Z is one of the best books I read this year.
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 9:35 AM on December 18, 2007

Amazon search for "zombie survival" This one is hilarious.
posted by martinX's bellbottoms at 9:36 AM on December 18, 2007

A cricket bat for defending his favorite local pub from the inevitable zombie attack.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 9:36 AM on December 18, 2007

How about a nice, head-lopping-off machete?
posted by ekstasis23 at 9:38 AM on December 18, 2007

The zombie survival guide can most likely be found in a brick and mortor book store or comic book shop.
posted by phil at 9:38 AM on December 18, 2007

i should refresh more often. but will add that the book that both martinX's and i linked to comes highly recommended from my zombie obsessed friends.
posted by phil at 9:39 AM on December 18, 2007

Stuart Sports in Philadelphia sells cricket bats, but the kind used in Shaun of the Dead are a bit out of your price range.

However, you could get a crowbar or prybar for about $30 from a hardware store. Mod it up with some red paint for that "ran into some zombies on the way home" look, maybe stencil a cool name on the shaft, and there you go!
posted by gargoyle93 at 9:47 AM on December 18, 2007

Lord of the Fries - the only zombies-working-in-a-fast-food-joint card game you will ever need.

The same company also makes The Great Brain Robbery, if he leans more towards zombie-cowboys-robbing-a-train kind of action.
posted by Lokheed at 9:48 AM on December 18, 2007

World War Z and The Zombie Survival Guide are both awesome and compliment each other quite nicely. It might sounds kinda random, but I'm pretty sure World War Z was the best fiction I read all year...
posted by ph00dz at 10:00 AM on December 18, 2007

Braaaaaaains
posted by Pollomacho at 10:20 AM on December 18, 2007

My friends bought me Zombies! A boardgame where you get to find out if you can survive the zombie apocalypse. Mostly by screwing over your friends to get to the chopper first. I also received a bag of additional glow-in-the-dark zombies. I'd like to emphasises that: GLOW IN THE DARK ZOMBIES!

I also second getting World War Z and the Zombie Survival Guide. There is also no short supply of fantastic zombie movies (both recent and old). Mefi-mail me if you want some recommendations.

Disclaimer: I love zombies. A lot.
posted by slimepuppy at 10:32 AM on December 18, 2007 [1 favorite has favorites]

Both of Fred Brooks' books mentioned above are some of the best zombie-related reading there is. The Zombie Survival Guide mentions that a good, solid crowbar may be one's best melee weapon in case of a zombie attack since it's relatively lightweight, sturdy and has uses other than just zombie slaying (unlike say, a sword or a spear). The suggestion from gargoyle is pretty awesome.

While certainly out of your price range, this is highly amusing for anyone with a fondness of the walking dead.
posted by Nelsormensch at 10:34 AM on December 18, 2007

In the other general zombie gifts category, Jamie Russell's Book of the Dead is perhaps the definitive book on zombie cinema at the moment. Amazon and so forth will have it if ordering from the UK is implausible now. (I think it is, seeing as how you are in the U.S.) I've seen it in good bookshops in the U.S.
posted by galaksit at 10:41 AM on December 18, 2007

This is one of my favorite Threadless shirts. It's out of stock right now, but you might want to bookmark it in case it's ever reprinted.
posted by MsMolly at 11:03 AM on December 18, 2007

My husband and my mom both are a bit zombie obsessed. She got him the Zombie Survival Guide, which is a fabulous book, esp since it's written with a really serious tone (which makes it even funnier). He got her the above mentioned Zombies board game, which we played at Thanksgiving, and it was lots of fun.

Of course, the best gift would be a titanium crowbar, the specific weapon of choice from the guide.
posted by purenitrous at 11:46 AM on December 18, 2007

Be sure and drink some zombies while you exchange gifts.
posted by TedW at 12:15 PM on December 18, 2007

nthing the World War Z and zombie survival guide mentions...

If your buddy is a zombie enthusiast, they may well already have those books. If so, I heartily recommend zombie comic books, er, graphic novels.

Best short comic compilation ever:
Zombie Tales The "Daddy smells Different" story is the second one in, and is just three pages or so, but absolute genius.

The awesome "Walking Dead" series:
Walking Dead

As for zombie attack survival tools.. Just about nothing beats the reliability of an aluminum bat. It's also a good canvas for some creative personalization/customization (think spray painted skull stencils and a "brain" sweet spot". Maybe even a custom sling made out of nylon straps form a sporting goods store - so that during the invasion of the undead he can carry the bat slung behind him until he runs out of ammo. If the sling strap also held an old army surplus machete, you might just be the best zombie-enthusiast-present-giver the world has ever known.

Damn, now I want one of these contraptions... Maybe I should start selling these online.
posted by terpia at 12:24 PM on December 18, 2007

I love the zombie merchandise here. The zombie plague ornament is on my tree right now.
posted by jenfullmoon at 12:28 PM on December 18, 2007

A riot shield and a nightstick?
posted by boo_radley at 1:04 PM on December 18, 2007

You could make him a lobo, one of the weapons of choice for zombie hunters everywhere.
posted by Evangeline at 1:23 PM on December 18, 2007

Nelsormensch: I think you mean Max Brooks.
posted by spec80 at 1:23 PM on December 18, 2007

This does not fit the bill for the gift you want to get, but make sure your friend knows about Dead Rising; it is a really fun zombie game for the Xbox 360. It's only about $30 now.
posted by jockc at 2:07 PM on December 18, 2007

If you're Fighting Zombies, don't settle for a regular crowbar or axe!

Get a Stanley Fatmax Xtreme Fubar

The ultimate in urban and suburban survival gear.
posted by Megafly at 6:59 PM on December 18, 2007