Four days left until season 4 of The Walking Dead begins. On this second day of the countdown we’re going to revisit a short webseries originally covered by Carrie last year in her article New Indie Web Series: Universal Dead.
Universal Dead tosses out the tired “zombie virus” trope and instead uses physics to try and explain the behavior of the undead. It actually answers some questions I’ve had about how zombies can eat and eat with no discernible metabolic processes, most notably digestion, in play.
The series was originally 3 episodes long, and has since been incorporated into a single 15-minute short film. The goal was to eventually create a feature film or at least more episodes and the ending will have you wanting more, but as of this writing nothing more has come of it. It’s unfortunate, since it has such a unique premise and big-name talent like DB Sweeney, Gary Graham, and our beloved Doug Jones starring in it.
Plot Outline
Planet Earth is ravaged by a strange disease that turns people into mindless murderers. As civilization struggles to survive, a small team of US Navy SEALs must protect a doctor from the Center for Disease Control on a mission to evaluate the claims of an erratic scientist who may have discovered the secret to mankind’s salvation.
WARNING: The video does contain some strong language, so consider yourself warned if you have sensitive ears.
Universal Dead Official Website
Universal Dead on Facebook
Remember: The Walking Dead returns Sunday, October 13 at 9/8c only on AMC.
Senior Editor for Three If By Space. Tom first became interested in science fiction & science as a very young child thanks to his parents. His earliest memories of enjoying scifi were sitting with his dad watching first-run episodes of the original Star Trek. Although a fan of nearly all forms of scripted television, Tom’s preferences skew heavily toward hard science fiction.
