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Kickstopper: “Zombies in the Meadowlands”

The Meadowlands, polluted rivers,  MetLife Stadium, and the use of Medieval Times as a fort: What more could you want in a zombie flick?

 

Chase Hoffberger

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Posted on Apr 23, 2012   Updated on Jun 2, 2021, 6:10 pm CDT

Etsy has Regretsy. Pinterest has WTF, Pinterest? Now the Daily Dot is proud to present Kickstopper, a series highlighting the most bombastic and absurd projects seeking support through the popular crowdfunding platform, Kickstarter.

How polluted are the rivers in northern New Jersey? Dirty enough to spawn the largest zombie outbreak since Night of the Living Dead.

That’s the story behind independent filmmakers Steven Meitzler and Chris Slekniewicz’s new monster flick Zombies in the Meadowlands, a Kickstarter hopeful set along the banks of the toxic Passaic River.

“New Jersey’s known for their polluted rivers,” Meitzler plotted to the Daily Dot.

“You can’t really eat the fish in those rivers, but there are a couple of fisherman that make there that make the mistake of eating the fish. That gets them infested with the virus. Nobody knows that the fish are carrying the virus until everybody starts eating the fish and then they break out into zombies.”

Picture Tony Soprano standing front and center on the set of “Thriller.” Meitzler and Slenkiewicz want to shoot the film in the fall when football’s New York Giants and Jets have nearby MetLife Stadium packed.

“They got 80,000 zombies there every weekend anyway, you know?” Slenkiewicz said.

Sounds a little outrageous, right? There’s more.

Meitzler and Slenkiewicz want to set the good guys in Medieval Times, a popular Lyndhurst, N.J., theme park that offers jousting, flag bearing, and turkey legs.

“They have to go to Medieval Times to get the armor to keep themselves safe,” Meitzler explained.

The Meadowlands, unhealthy eaters, a slew of polluted rivers, MetLife Stadium, and the use of Medieval Times as a fort: New Jersey really is the best.

The money Meitzler and Slenkiewicz hope to raise on the project: $500,000, a lofty goal when you consider that the biggest pledge reward is set at $30. With 24 days left, the two have yet to raise a dime.

“99 percent of the people that I have talked to about it love the idea,” Slenkiewisz said. “They’re lining up to be zombies.”

Kickstarter: Zombies at the Meadowlands

  • Location: Rutherford, NJ
  • Summary: Two independent filmmakers want to make a New Jersey zombie flick.
  • Goal: $500,000
  • Amount raised as of press time: $0
  • Days Left: 24
  • Best Buy: For $30, backers get copies of Meitzler and Slenkiewicz’s first two films, Jersey Beach: Vagabond Style and The Idol of Hollywould.

Photo via Kickstarter

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*First Published: Apr 23, 2012, 12:22 pm CDT