Walking dead come to life on the dance floor

Gaunt, bloody zombies won’t be seen eating human flesh in a dark room this Friday, but instead dancing around to live music at the Zombie Ball.

Kurly Tlapoyawa, owner of local video store Burning Paradise, said Friday’s ball at Burt’s Tiki Lounge will kick off a zombie weekend celebrating the video store’s seven years in business.

The Horror Film Boot Camp continues the bloody celebration throughout the weekend, followed by a screening of “REPO! The Genetic Opera” Saturday at the Guild Cinema, where director Darren Lynn Bousman will answer questions from the audience.
Two teachers from the Horror Film Boot Camp will be at the Zombie Ball to promote the event, including Bousman, director of horror movies like “Saw II” through “Saw IV,” and Spooky Dan Walker, a visual effects artist who worked on the second and third “Final Destination” films and “Slither.”

Tlapoyawa said this is the third year Burning Paradise has used the zombie theme for its anniversary.
“Two years ago we did a zombie crawl through Nob Hill, and a year after that we did a zombie prom at the Launch Pad,” Tlapoyawa said.

The zombies’ outfits are creatively designed to add to the mystique of the event, Tlapoyawa said.
“For the zombie crawl, we had a Jesus zombie that I thought was pretty cool,” he said. “They use a lot of liquid latex, fake blood and makeup. They go to Goodwill or wherever for the clothes and destroy them and bloody them up.”
Ashlee Ek, Burt’s Tiki Lounge booking manager, said she expects a large, gory turnout.
“People love dressing up like zombies,” Ek said.

The bands featured at Friday’s Zombie Ball are Dead on Point 5, Sabertooth Cavity, Caustic Lye, Jay Walker and the Pedestrians.

Zombies are a common theme throughout the video store, Tlapoyawa said, and came from a zombie movie he produced. Tlapoyawa said he played the lead character in “The Stink of Flesh,” a zombie movie filmed in New Mexico.
“It became a big cult hit,” he said. “It’s played in theaters all over the world and was recently voted one of the top 5 horror films ever made.”

Burning Paradise supports local filmmakers by selling their films in the store, as well as other movies shot in New Mexico. Tlapoyawa said the store carries new-release titles but specializes in carrying independent and foreign films, along with rare and underground films.

In addition to having fun, the store is hosting the event to connect with the community, Tlapoyawa said.
“It’s a way of doing something cool for everybody,” he said. “Everybody always complains that there’s nothing cool to do in Albuquerque, so we create interesting things to do.”

Community members should come out not just for a night of fun, but also to support Burning Paradise, Ek said.
“I think it’s cool to support local businesses,” she said. “Burning Paradise is a cool little place, and you don’t get to dress up like a zombie all the time, so that’s fun.”

For more info about the Horror Film Boot Camp, visit HorrorFilmBootCamp.com.