Original subtitles

Visceral Pictures presents a film so graphic, so shocking, that

this is the only scene we can legally show you.

Oh, shit.

I can't reach my gun.

In the film, the dead come back to feast on human flesh.

The dead get up and kill.

The people they kill get up and kill.

The only way to stop them, a bullet in the brain.

Eat blood, zombie clown!

Starring Chai Holstein.

Felix LeBlanc.

and Ingway Trevor Haven.

Tell me, Captain, what the hell do we do now?

We're going to teach them zombies how to die.

And then, eight years later, to the day, another poltergeist disturbance.

The meter peaked at 25, the highest recording ever of psi energy.

The catalytic energy signatures were the same, 12 cycles followed by 17 cycles.

In the Schwamm case, again, 12.

followed by 17 cycles. The Owens case, 12-17.

Now, my 12-17 hypothesis is the first stone block that the

theoretical foundation of parapsychology needs.

And I feel that very soon we will be able to prove that these phenomena are

real.

But we're working with Stone Age equipment.

Our department has the lowest annual budget of all the science departments,

and we're simply requesting a few thousand dollars more per year.

in order to be able to continue our experiments.

That's it.

Thank you very much.

I think we have this.

Let's not count our chickens. Oh, you know these people are so negative. If

anybody should be open to paranormal phenomena, it would be a theoretical

physicist. Yeah, but you know these people. Some theoretical physicists.

Remember who we're dealing with.

Mr. Jennings, first, let me say that that is the most convincing pro

-paranormal argument I've ever heard.

The similarities in energy signatures is remarkable.

But your study only examines five of the field investigations out of thousands

that must have been done.

That's not science. That's coincidence.

Look at it from our perspective.

Ghosts and boogeymen.

You'll have to make do with the budget you already have. You should be happy to

get that.

We're going to have to cut this short. Good day.

Don't. Uh, Professor Charbonneau.

Look, my decision is final.

But I just want to ask you one question.

I just want to know... You want to know why you talk about poltergeists and get

laughed at at the faculty lounge while I talk about multiple dimensions and have

the entire scientific community kneel at my feet, right?

Basically.

This is water. In any lab, at any time, two parts hydrogen, one part oxygen

makes water.

It's called scientific objectivity, the ability to repeat an experiment, add

infinitum, and get the exact same results.

When you can achieve objectivity with your apparitions, come back and we'll

talk. Until then, don't waste my time.

Ten minutes after three o'clock in the a.m.

Right now it's 47 degrees and clear skies above I'm Billy Hall

and I'll be playing smooth and hot jazz

Shit

Hello? Hello?

Um,

I'm having some car trouble outside.

It's not fair.

They want a super collider. Fine, here's $500 million.

We want a few thousand dollars, and you think the university is going to have to

shut down in order to get it? We knew the kind of resistance we'd face when we

got into the field. Oh, come on.

They treat us like we're parasites.

Kat Charbonneau is the problem. I mean, we're just a black spot in her otherwise

pristine science department.

Right. I mean, we're not scientists.

We're scientists with quotation marks.

Quacks out on the fringe.

You didn't say anything to her that you shouldn't have. No, I didn't even get a

word in, and nothing I could have said would have made any difference. I mean,

I could have said, Professor Charbonneau, I think you're an arrogant

bitch. Mr. Jennings, could I have a word with you?

I just want you to know that what I said back there, don't take it the wrong way.

I was just joking around.

This is Professor Gemangen of the Geoscience Department.

At 3.20 this morning, weather satellites reported gamma rays emitting from

somewhere in or around Englewood, Missouri.

At the same time, our seismographs recorded a quake at 7.2 on the Richter

scale. The epicenter was Englewood, Missouri.

Englewood?

I didn't see anything on the news this morning. That's because nothing

happened. The people we called in Inglewood reported not so much as a

tremor. Why are you telling me this? I'm not a geologist.

Because the energy signatures recorded by both seismograph and satellite

recorded 12 cycles followed by 17 cycles.

Now that doesn't mean that anything paranormal happened, but your theory

does seem to provide one possible explanation.

They pinpointed the exact location at the movie theater.

We spoke to the woman who owns the place and she has agreed to let us perform a

thorough investigation.

Sound interesting?

It sounds very interesting.

So tell me, why aren't you going?

Explain this.

Because I've only been on two field investigations. Compare that with how

many that you've been on.

Why don't you go?

A gigantic seismic reading with no earthquake, gamma rays, a 1217 energy

signature. What else can it be?

It's your theory.

You have to go.

Kyle, this is the physical evidence you've waited your whole life to get.

Believe it or not, I am really swamped right now. I mean, I have all this to

sift through, and I'm going to trade these. That's horseshit.

You can do this any time. What's really going on here?

Parapsychology is not like mathematics where you can work everything out on

paper.

We observe things that happen.

That happen out there.

In the real world.

But I don't think I've ever seen you out in the real world, Kyle.

You hide here or at the library.

If it was any place but Englewood.

Englewood is my hometown.

I haven't been back since I graduated high school.

Can you imagine the look on my old friends' faces when I tell them that I'm

a... Ghostbuster?

Well, if you're ashamed of what you do, maybe you should be in somebody else's

department rather than mine. McCall, that's not what I meant. Yes, it is.

You say you don't get any respect as a scientist.

And you're right.

Because paranormal phenomena are happening out there in the real world

and not in some book.

I need to get back to work.

Hi. Hi. I keep forgetting this is like the Denny's of doors. It's always open.

Oh.

I'm Kyle, the parapsychologist.

I'm Johnny, projectionist and comic relief. Your colleague's upstairs.

She was wondering if you were going to be here or not.

I never met a real-life Ghostbuster before.

Could I, um... Do we get free drinks?

Yeah, Coke?

Yeah, that's great.

Johnny, did you have a fair amount of theaters adding ten more screens?

I mean, why would people drive all the way out?

Lynn.

Kyle.

You're the ghost guy?

And I'm confused.

You two know each other?

Lincoln High School.

I hope you can figure out what's going on.

Actually, I'm a little bit spooked. And I can't afford to close the theater for

more than one night.

I'm supposed to be opening a new movie tonight. Why are you a little bit

spooked? Well, Dr.

Charbonneau called me this morning and woke me up, asking me if anything was

wrong with the theater.

Well, we don't open until 5, so I hadn't been here yet.

And then she's talking about gamma rays and earthquakes, so I rushed right over

here. Did anything happen?

Well, only this.

I don't know much about projectors. Are you saying it did this by itself?

I put this film together last night.

but I did not thread it through the machine.

And I came here this morning, and it was like this.

About an hour ran through, looks like, and then it snapped.

Uh, well, could another employee have done it? No, Johnny and I are the only

ones that work here. Somebody broke in and did it. The alarm wasn't set off.

Well, they came through the roof and down through the attic and down here.

Have you checked that?

Uh, no. I was about to go do that.

That still wouldn't explain the seismic disturbances or the gamma rays, would

it?

Could I get some help bringing this equipment into the auditorium?

Leave that there. I want to analyze that.

I brought some equipment of my own.

What, an Ouija board?

They were going to tear this place down.

I couldn't let them do that.

This was my favorite place when I was little. When I was about nine, I think I

probably already told you this story.

My dad brought me here to see Jaws.

The house was packed.

You know that part where the guy's head pops out of the hole in the boat?

700 people jumped in their seats.

I do remember that. You and horror movies.

Yeah. Well, I guess a movie theater is the one place where it's socially

acceptable to be scared.

Acceptable? People will actually pay six bucks for it.

That isn't a case of motor oil. Those are sensitive scientific instruments.

Boy, you're not kidding.

I know you don't think it's paranormal, but what do you think it is?

I have my own ideas.

We still have to place the remote sensors.

Johnny, this way.

You know, I think she really needs to get laid.

Check, one, two, three. Can anyone hear me down there?

Hello? I can hear you. All right. This thing is so cool. I really love it. The

headset's awesome. I tell you what, can you turn that camera around so I can see

the projector?

Roger that, Houston.

What movie is that, anyway?

Z is for zombie.

Sounds like a real winner.

Guys, I can't really get a good shot from here. She needs to get a wide-angle

lens on that camera.

Um... Tell Johnny to pull back and... Wait, wait.

Here.

Johnny, pull back and get into the storage closet. If you get the camera in

there, you should be able to get a wide enough shot.

It won't open.

What?

It's locked.

There is no lock on the door.

Well, then I won't budge. If you want to come up here and try it yourself, you're

very welcome to. Wait, wait.

Johnny, just turn that camera around and give me a shot of the closet door.

Oh, I get it.

Excuse me, Mr. Ghost.

Could you please open the door for us?

McCall, we've set up our workstation down by the movie screen in the

auditorium. An interesting note, the owner of the theater is Lynn Meredith,

who I used to go to high school with.

Maybe coming back to Englewood wasn't such a bad idea after all.

Not a thing.

When will you just accept the fact that what you're looking for is

scientifically impossible?

You know, people have been recording evidence of the paranormal for over a

hundred years.

Evidence?

Oh, you mean the creaking doors and the cold spots that are always found to have

a natural cause.

No, I'm talking about the miraculous appearance of a woman in 19th century

clothing in a photograph that I took in front of a house. Or the sound of a...

Baby crying in an attic that I and my partners heard on an investigation once

How can you ignore all that and the experiences of millions of other people

throughout history? It's easy Because I know that most people are stupid Not

stupid intellectually lazy Something unexplained happens science could

provide the answer but the average person doesn't know the math or the

physics So to explain the anomaly they look for something that provides an easy

answer superstition or religion

Look maybe you are smarter than the rest of us here smarter than me But I

don't pretend to know the answers to everything and things happen in the

universe that science can't explain Maybe never will be able to explain

That scares you doesn't

I'm reading something.

I'm reading the same thing.

It could be interference, radio frequency, cognition sparking,

electromagnetic disturbance. I know, I know. I'm checking for that.

No, it's something else.

I think one's playing a little trick on us.

So do I.

I'm gonna go find out.

Wait.

Take this.

And see what's wrong with that camera.

What's the energy signature?

It's still processing.

It's gotta be Lynn.

Doing what?

Um... You didn't just start the projector now?

No.

Where were you just now?

I was in the bathroom.

Didn't Johnny start it?

Kyle. 12 cycles.

17 cycles.

Johnny? Johnny?

Johnny's up there?

Well, tell her to come down. I would. I think she's turned her headset off.

Johnny?

No, she switched off.

Meter steady.

Still in the safe area.

The energy level is increasing.

Not on mine.

Shit.

Hey guys, is this on? Can you hear me?

Can you hear me down there?

Johnny.

Guys, is the meter reading anything?

I found this reel of... Johnny, listen.

Just get out of there. Right now.

I don't know what it looked like. I really didn't have time to look at its

face. Okay, okay. And you said you saw a real film?

Yes. I gotta go up there.

I'm going home, Johnny. There's no doubt now that something paranormal is

happening. A psi energy reading of 40 is higher than anything that's ever been

recorded. Forget it.

I'm out of here. Look, it's been a long night.

Maybe we should call it quits for tonight.

And then tomorrow morning you can bring in your colleagues.

I don't have any place to stay.

You can crash at my place.

I'll take the couch.

You're welcome, too.

Uh, check, please?

Johnny, Johnny, wait.

What? Only an idiot would stay around for this. We're gonna leave, okay?

Just wait for me.

I'm going out of here.

We're leaving.

We don't have the right equipment to investigate this properly.

Look, if we come back tomorrow... By tomorrow, this whole thing could be over

with. Right now.

I need a scientist.

to monitor the computers while I go upstairs.

This better be real.

I'll see him.

Cass?

Anything?

Zero.

It's so much as twitches. Understood.

Wait, remember.

FilmConnect is an antenna for psi energy.

That could be the source.

Wait.

It's off the scale.

Wait, wait, stop.

Cass?

It doesn't make sense. It's back to zero.

Just be careful.

Nitrate film.

Very old.

No soundtrack.

Silent film.

McCall.

We found that reel of film that Johnny saw up in the attic.

Lynn says that it's an old reel of silent film.

I guess since this movie theater was built back in the 20s, who knows? It

could have been up in that attic for that long.

In any case, after Z is for Zombie runs through the projector, she wants to put

that old silent film through the projector and see what it is.

I'm kind of curious to... Whoa.

Do you have, like, any plumbing back there behind the screen or a

leaky roof or something?

No.

Oh my god.

I'm gone.

I'm nothing.

Not that door. It doesn't work.

The emergency exit!

That's it. We're trapped. There's no other way out. No.

We may be stuck here.

McCall, some sort of energy field has surrounded the entire building, and

we're definitely trapped inside.

And the door to the projection booth is locked.

Not wanting to risk something more dangerous than raindrops coming out of

the movie screen, we're blocking the doors to the auditorium and moving out

into the lobby.

Johnny's keeping a lookout for any passersby that could get help, but...

Englewood is pretty dead at 1 o'clock in the morning. Okay, it starts here and

gets a little stronger here.

That's when the projector came on, right? Right.

It stays that way for 2 minutes and 4 seconds, then, wow, stays there for 23

seconds. That's when Johnny saw her apparition.

It's a full 16 minutes before this.

This energy signature's all wrong. This doesn't conform to my theory. It just

goes from zero to off the scale.

and then cuts off five seconds later just as fast.

You must have some idea of what's going on. You bring in all this equipment and

you say, I have my own ideas. Well, what are your own ideas?

I don't think you would understand what I'm talking about.

Okay, as simple as possible.

Let's just say hypothetically that the universe we live in is just one of an

infinite number of universes.

This is not a novel concept.

I believe that at certain times, in specific places, two universes may

intersect. And when this happens, it's usually mistaken for a seismic

disturbance. Unfortunately, when no earth tremors are recorded at the center

of the disturbance, it's usually just chalked up to equipment malfunction or a

false reading.

So, given that, it could logically follow that your horror film is reality

in another universe.

Lynn, I know what it is. Yeah? It's a real change.

What? How do you know that?

Film ships us in reels.

And you have to splice the reels together to make a film. And where the

two reels connect, that's a reel change.

And they happen every 15 to 18 minutes, so that's gotta be what it is. Oh yeah,

that must be it.

Johnny!

Johnny, wait!

Okay, there's going to be another real change right now.

This is a videotape of the movie.

Here comes the first real change.

You can always tell when one's coming up, because you can see a dot flash

twice on the upper right-hand side of the screen.

See? That was the first dot.

Here comes the second one, and boom! The spike hit right here on this shot.

Now this shot is five seconds long.

The shot I threw the headset into is seven seconds long.

If you remember, the first spike lasted five seconds, and the second one lasted

seven seconds.

The first shot after a real change is a doorway, and it closes as soon as

there's a cut to the next camera angle. Do any of the upcoming doorways have

anything that's going to come out? That's the first thing I checked.

There's four more of them, and they're all safe.

This is incredible.

Now we need to find a way to get out.

I think we should stay and study this.

Me and us?

Well, you said that we were safe and we're stuck in here anyway.

Yeah, stuck.

But the way this night's gone, who knows what's going to happen next.

Yeah, but tell her. If all of this is really happening, which I don't know,

then we should try to get out of here.

Really?

But in order to do that, we have to know what's going on.

Which means we have to study it. Wrong.

All right, how about this?

Cass and I will study the energy spikes with our equipment.

Oh, man. And you, listen to me, and you can try to figure a way out.

Is that acceptable?

That's acceptable.

All right.

But if you do find a way into the booth...

Just let the film run so that we do have those four doorways to study. It's the

only way we can get repeatable results.

Two hydrogens and one oxygen makes water.

What?

It's you guys with them PhDs. You're responsible.

You started all this.

It's not my fault. It's the military.

They exploited my work. Oh, military's military.

They needed you guys. You guys had to come up with the ideas, the plans.

That's right.

Blame us.

What?

This mad scientist thing is getting really old.

Well, sci-fi and horror has always been a paranoid reaction to science and

technology. I know, but just once, I'd like to see a movie where we are the

good guys.

What? You said we.

Are you calling me a scientist?

Coming up on another reel change.

I want to check something out.

Okay, I'm going to push the broom through the screen.

That answers that question.

Wait.

I think I can tell you from exactly where the energy is emanating.

Projection booth.

That old reel of film?

Yeah, but look.

Energy's being tapped into from something else.

Are you saying that a Z is for zombie that's haunted?

What about the thing I saw in the attic upstairs? What about the reel of film?

Well, let's talk about the reel of film.

I mean, as far as I can tell, it's simply a reservoir of psi energy.

I mean, certain kinds of films seem to attract it, like my infrared film.

And according to the computer, something inside Z is for Zombie is tapping into

that and expending it probably to do everything that's been going on, right?

Something inside the movie?

What?

I don't know. Does anybody inside your movie have psychic powers?

No, nobody.

Any monsters with supernatural abilities? No, just...

Zombies who walk around and look for people to eat.

Zombies, how creative.

Shit! I could have been killed. You know,

my kid sister could have made that shot.

Well, I thought I saw... What?

I thought I saw a movie theater.

He saw us. He shot the gun and the bullet. That wasn't a real change. Why

did that happen?

I don't know.

No, I don't like you.

But stay frosty, man. We need all the help we can get.

It's a splice.

It's the one I made that one night, remember?

You mean, when the film breaks and you tape it back together.

That's a doorway, too.

So it's not just on a real change.

Are there any other upcoming splices?

Yeah, there's that one I made today.

I had to take a frame out.

Wait, I think I...

Oh my god.

What is it?

Okay, this is it.

A dozen zombies will pour right out of the screen.

One is enough.

When does this happen?

In about 23 minutes.

Goddamn point of view shots.

We've got to shut off the projector.

No, this is not good.

Nothing's happening.

Not at all. I mean, it's not working.

We gotta cut it with something.

Can we shut off the power? Where are the circuit breakers? The circuit breakers

are in the projection booth. We can't shut off the projector.

We're trapped in here. I can't believe we're going to die because some guy in a

bad zombie movie forgot to lock a door.

I can go into the movie. What?

The headset went in. I can make it in. You're crazy. Let's just barricade the

doors and wait for the film to end. And what are we going to do with a whole

horde of zombies?

I don't know. Call the cops and wait for them to take care of them. What if one

of them should get out and bite someone? I am not going to take that chance.

When the next doorway comes, I can go in and shut down the... You can't do it.

I'll go. All the zombies... I'll go.

It's my job.

McCall, in Z is for Zombie, there's a gigantic underground complex that's

about to be overrun by the living dead.

A dozen or so of these zombies find a doorway that leads to a stairway.

They climb three floors up the stairway to ground level.

and open a door they pour through the doorway into the camera and out of the

movie screen into our movie theater which is obviously not good for us i

have to go in and stop this from happening how easy that door has a lock

but the only person with the keys is captain dunhill what i'm supposed to do

is wait by the door for a few minutes until he comes up the stairs and out the

door then i have him lock the door with his keys he locks the door goes on his

way and then I wait around for another few minutes for the movie screen to open

up on that splice. Then I jump back through into the movie theater, and

everything's fine.

Sounds easy, right? Well, there's a few risks involved.

First thing, when I go into the movie, I'll appear in the lower level of that

underground complex, full of zombies.

So I need to avoid any of these zombies and quickly find the stairway, which

leads up to ground level and safety.

Second thing, the dimensional doorway that I have to jump back through... It's

the last one that happens before the movie ends.

So if I should miss it, then I miss it, and I'm stuck in the movie forever.

I'm either doing something very brave or very stupid.

It's only movie.

Just a personal note on this thing.

If I make it out of this movie alive, I want to ask Lynn

out to dinner or something.

If I have the guts to do this, I can at least do that.

That's it.

Check the ceiling.

Hello? Hello?

What's going on?

That wasn't supposed to happen.

That wasn't supposed to happen.

He was the main character.

This changes the whole movie.

I guess the camera doesn't know that.

Hello? Hello?

I, uh... I know there's no chance in hell that anybody's going to hear me on

this thing, but, uh... Ah, the hell with this.

Kyle?

Kyle?

Lynn?

Is that you?

This is great!

Are you alright?

Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. I'm just, uh...

Waiting here by the door, waiting for Dunhill to come up and give me the keys,

I... Listen, the plot is changing.

Our hero is now a zombie.

How the hell did that happen?

I don't know.

He's supposed to pick up this gun that he finds and kill everyone, but the gun

wasn't there, and I don't know why, and now he's a zombie and he's supposed to

save everyone.

Where is Dunhill now?

I don't know. The screen is still following the old plot, so right now I

don't see anybody.

How much time did the reel change?

Only about 12 minutes.

All right, I'm, uh... I'm gonna go down and get him.

Be careful.

If you run across any zombies, what you want to do is shoot them in the head. If

you destroy the brain, you destroy the zombie. It's the only way to kill them.

Well, I can't aim for anything, but I'll try.

Looks like, uh, Dunhill is leaving a trail here.

I'm gonna follow it.

So, uh, before I came in and screwed up the movie, how did it really

end?

Well, Brody's in the alley trying to save Dunhill from the zombies, only when

he shoots at the zombie, he tags Dunhill and kills him. And then he just feels so

guilty, he waits around in the alley until the zombies eat him.

The end.

Wow. Yeah, that sounds real uplifting.

Well, the trail just sort of ends here.

I don't exactly know where to go.

Hello?

Kyle?

Kyle?

Lynn?

Can you hear me?

I can't hear anything. He's not there.

What the fuck?

Thank you.

Lynn, can you hear me?

Kyle?

I've got the keys. I'm coming back.

Well, they've already made it to the stairs. The whole place is crawling with

them.

What do I do?

Go down the hall in front of you. If they make it to the elevator, you can

still make it to the top.

Elevator?

Which way, right or left?

Take a left.

Wait a minute. It's the right hallway.

What?

I thought you said the left hallway. It's the right hallway. I'm sorry.

Right hallway.

All right.

Look, the meter's at zero.

Kyle! The energy in the projection booth has dropped to zero.

I don't know.

When? Uh, I think the batteries are dying on this.

Come on

Come

on

There he is.

Hurry.

Shit!

I almost thought you were one of those things.

Boy, I almost shot you.

Here are your keys. Wait. I'm kind of waiting for... These are Captain

Dunhill's keys. Right, right.

Did you lock this door? Yes, I did. This has got to stay unlocked.

No, no, no, no, no. No, my captain is down there. Don't unlock the door. I've

got to unlock this door. This has got to stay... Don't unlock the... Hey!

Everybody's on me today.

Jesus.

You've got to think. There must be something we can do.

No.

An interesting note.

The owner of the theater is Lynn Meredith, who I used to go to high

school with.

Coming back to Inglewood wasn't such a bad idea after all.

Can you make a splice? Well, the film's still running.

No.

Wait, wait. If we back some film off the platter and then splice it together,

yeah, we could splice it together. I just need some help.

I'm going in to get him.

Let's go.

Okay, just hold this down and keep this moving.

If we screw this up, we won't have another chance.

Hurry!

Got it. Should have a good 15 seconds.

She won't have to go in.

What? Why not?

You'll find out.

Shoes never fit right anyway.

Just one thing right now, okay?

Next movie you play.

No zombies, okay?

Okay.

A drama.

Right. Fine. Just two people sitting in a room talking. Okay. For 90 minutes.