Zombie Adjacent: Miracle Mile

Like convincing yourself that the twenty you picked up off the ground actually did fall out of your own pocket, there are many extra-zombie movies that still ring true with our innate love of the zombie. As opposed to our other regular feature "Not Zombie," these movies are not overt attempts at co-opting the zombie mythos. They can be romances, high school morality plays, comedies, even musicals, but regardless of genre, there will always be two commonalities.

A.) First, there can be no zombie. Any inclusion of zombie in any way, shape or form would immediately trigger the application of the Zombie Canon. Tested in those fires, there are necessarily few that can come through purified.

B.) Second, the cathartic effect of the movie or other work must connect with the zombie touchstones of appocalypse, impromptu community, binary clarity, and accumulated atrophy. Often, these movies will have audiences well outside the typical spectrum of the zombie, which is why we should take note. They are the gateway drug to the zombie.

Miracle Mile

Ingredients: On the surface, Miracle Mile (released 1984?) comes across as a love story cut short by nuclear holocaust, but look past the Michael Mann-esque neon composition, and you will find no less than 3 of the 4 zombie touchstones — a ragtag ensemble of unlikelies, the sure-footed drumbeat of appocalypse, and a finale that will ignite all of your warm fuzzies for zombie doom.

Serves: Friends and loved ones with a bent for vignette-style naturalism but are still suckers for the "big idea." Also, ’80s freaks.

Goes well with: Return of the Living Dead