By Dave B.

​The second season of Netflix’s Kingdom picks up right where the first season’s intense cliffhanger ended. The zombies have developed the ability to function in the daylight and attack in force before the Prince and his comrades have had time to establish their defenses. Meanwhile, the Queen’s heinous plan to guarantee secure the throne progresses, paving the way for a three-sided showdown between the Prince, the Queen, and the Undead.

By Dave B.

​In Anna and the Apocalypse (2018, currently on Amazon Prime), Anna is having a having a tough day. Besides the standard difficulties associated with being a high school student, Anna faces an uncertain post-graduation future. To make matters worse, the zombie apocalypse is about to start, forcing Anna and her friends to battle their way through legions of the undead in an attempt to reach the safe haven of their school. Along the way, the group confronts the uncertainties that are associated with growing up and occasionally break out into musical numbers as they face myriad dangers and heartbreaks.

By Dave B.

In Black Summer (Netflix), the prequel to the cult hit Z Nation, a group of survivors struggle to make it from the outskirts of an unnamed major city to a downtown where they will find evacuation to a safe haven. As they make their journey, they encounter increasingly dangerous situations as society crumbles around them. Are the bonds that they forge during this crisis durable enough to survive the challenges that they face? Or will they turn on each other when their individual survival seems most threatened?

By Dave B.

In the third season of Santa Clarita Diet (Netflix) the Hammond clan finds themselves dealing with the aftermath of their numerous close calls with exposure and death in Season Two. As Shelia and Joel prepare for their new business venture, their daughter Abby and her best friend Eric attempt to stay out of prison after carrying out a terrorist attack on a nearby fracking operation. The Knights of Serbia close in on the undead as zombies begin to proliferate in Santa Clarita and a Serbian military scientist is determined to profit from the budding epidemic. Will the Hammonds be able to remain alive, free, and hidden from exposure, all while keeping the undead Sheila fed? Maybe, if a new cult devoted to worshipping her doesn’t announce the “miracle” of her resurrection to the world.

By Dave B.

Famine sweeps the land. Nobles conspire for the throne against the Crown Prince. And the King is dead. But then he isn’t. That’s the backdrop of the Korean drama, Kingdom (Netflix). As usurpers consolidate their control of the kingdom, the Crown Prince is forbidden to see his ailing father and flees, seeking answers as to how to heal the King and allies with which to save himself. What the Crown Prince discovers on his journey will shake not only the foundations of power in his kingdom, but also threaten the very existence of his country.

By Dave B.

In The Night Eats the World (2018, currently on Amazon Prime) Sam, a young introverted musician, unwillingly attends a party in a Paris apartment. After passing out in a secluded back room, he wakes to find the apartment a bloody shambles. As he opens the front door to leave, he’s attacked by some of the former partygoers who are covered in blood and appear crazed. Sam quickly realizes that the zombie apocalypse has occurred while he slept and springs into action securing the building and gathering supplies for himself. But isolation begins to take its toll on him and his decision-making becomes increasingly erratic. Sam must find a way out of his fortress, before his mind proves a more dangerous foe to him than the hordes of undead Parisians that infest the streets of the City of Lights.

By Dave B.

​It’s that time of year when bloggers, reviewers, and fans make their “Best” and “Worst” lists. My lists are going to be a bit different for a few reasons. Firstly, because they aren’t individually exclusive to television, movies, nor entertainment that came out in 2018. Also, instead of necessarily being the movies/programs that I rated the highest, these are the ones that best hit the nexus between quality and enjoyment for me (as there can be some difference between respecting a work of art and actually liking it). Lastly, this list is inclusive of what I watched for the first time this year, irrespective of format or medium. Click the titles to see where you can stream them. So, without further ado, here’s my 2018 Top 5 Horror/Thriller list:

By Dave B.

The Rezort  (2015, currently on Netflix) takes place 10 years after the outbreak of a zombie virus and the ensuing war against the undead killed over two billion people. Zombies no longer exist anywhere in the world except on one small Pacific island where a company has set up a luxury resort with a $1,000,000,000 security system. At this resort, people from all over the world can rest, relax, and kill as many zombies as they want to. Predictably, through a combination of malice, ineptitude, and naivety the security system is damaged and all hell breaks loose.

By Dave B.

​In The Last Days on Mars (2013, currently on Hulu), an international team of astronauts make an historic finding hours before they're scheduled to begin their journey back to Earth: microbial life on Mars. However, this joyous discovery quickly turns into a nightmare as the lifeforms infect and alter the crew, killing and then reviving them and turning them into dangerous creatures hellbent on consuming their comrades.

By Dave B.

​If you ask most television fans to name the most creative and unique shows on TV, a lot will name Legion. Some lesser amount may name Dirk Gently. But often overlooked (unfairly I might add) is a show that preceded them both: Z Nation (Syfy, also currently on Netflix). It campily infuses the post-apocalypse zombie genre with humor, horror, and a psychedelic sensibility that is unlike anything else you’re likely to come across.