Editorials
“Black Summer” – Why the Intense Zombie Series Deserves a Third Season on Netflix
What was once a promising landscape of streaming movies and television has now begun evolving and—some would argue—devolving. Companies are making cuts across the board including Netflix, who is notorious for cancelling their shows before they even have a chance to grow. Probably one of their best horror series to date has been “Black Summer,” a show that has shown immense promise but was at risk of cancellation from season one. The spiritual prequel to “Z Nation,” the John Hyams created horror drama proved to be a powerhouse of a zombie apocalypse series, spawning enough fan demand that it managed to earn a second season.
The well received second season came to an end on June 17, 2021. Since then it’s been virtual radio silence from Netflix and The Asylum on whether we’re ever going to see a third season, and much to fans’ horror, creator Hyams confirmed on Twitter that all hope of a third season seems dim at this point. Although Netflix hasn’t confirmed a cancellation, there also hasn’t been news of a renewal. This is heartbreaking not just as a zombie fan but as someone who, like a lot of other horror fans, had been invested in this particular universe. Season two’s finale ended on a big gaping question mark, allowing for all kinds of interpretations on the events that unfolded.
Mom Rose was left lifeless on an airport tarmac after a massive explosion, and daughter Anna was left waiting in a getaway car unsure of the condition of her mother; even more interesting was survivor Ooh “Sun” Kyungsun. She’d managed to not only find the mysterious airplane that all of the survivors were venturing toward, but she’d been whisked away by the pilot. The season two finale ended on uncertain terms, leaving fans to ask Netflix when or IF we’re ever going to get a third season. In a world saturated by zombie entertainment, “Black Summer” has managed to stand apart as a rollercoaster ride of pure adrenaline, compelling drama, and bloody zombie horror. And if there’s any horror series that deserves a third chapter, it’s this one.
In the fast-moving “Black Summer,” there’s no time for flashbacks, back stories, or even an explanation on what the virus is. The first episode starts with characters running and the running just never stops. “Black Summer” introduces a brand of infected that is not just quick, but is also ruthless, relentless and can re-animate in a heartbeat. In this world there’s no room for tearful goodbyes to a deceased loved one; you either stay and get attacked, or run like hell. To make things worse, they’re tough to beat. One episode from season one revolves entirely on a group of survivors sheltered in a diner trying to figure out how to take down ONE of the infected lurking outside. Despite outnumbering it, they spectacularly fail to bring it down. The freshman season managed to garner some great drama and conflicts, but also kept the pacing at a ten at all times.
There’s never any time to comprehend what’s unfolding because survival is the number one priority. And if you think “The Walking Dead” was big on killing off characters, “Black Summer” ups the ante by killing anyone and everyone without a hint of notice or foreshadowing. In one instance, an elderly woman is saved by a getaway car, prompting her to tearfully thank them and promise she’d repay their kindness. Only literal moments later the car crashes and she’s thrown head first through the windshield. “Black Summer” watches the carnage like a pseudo-documentary where the camera is almost always following the survivors – and most aren’t survivors for long.
The big showdown involving the survivors’ attempts to reach the stadium in season one is still one of the best scenes in any piece of zombie fiction. And season two is just outright lawless chaos and havoc that completely eliminates all hope as soon as it can. Season two kicks off with a gut punch to the viewer as we re-visit Lance. For those that don’t remember, Lance spent most of “Black Summer” season one running away from the dead, and barely escaped in the finale. When the season two premiere opens, Lance manages to grab a car and stops to help a couple in distress. In an instant he’s shot in the neck at point blank range and kicked out of the car. After some events lead to some speeding around and evading the dead, the new driver of the car slows down to a stop to collect himself, only to be interrupted by a now re-animated Lance who smashes through the car to lunge at him.
All bets are off from this point on because we stuck with Lance throughout the freshman season. We rooted for Lance. And in a split second he’s murdered, reduced to one of the millions of infected darting through the streets. He doesn’t die a heroic death. No one does in this world.
From there, “Black Summer” season two opts for something different by dropping us into a snowy wasteland where survival is even more difficult than ever. With dwindling resources left behind, scavengers are reliant on random supply drops from the military, which should be an indication of hope. But when everyone sets their sights on it, they’ll do anything to lay claim. This is where the hope all but fades out, as once again no one is safe, no one is spared, and no one is immune.
“Black Summer” season two outright explains without a hint of subtlety that, when everything crumbles, we’re all going to be at each other’s throats clawing for resources. It doesn’t matter if you’re friends, family, co-workers, or whatnot; when it comes down to it, many of us will resort to savagery and go to war, even if it’s for a ham sandwich or just a few more bullets. Whereas season one had society falling apart, season two finds mankind falling apart. Director John Hyams doesn’t hold back in depicting how ugly mankind is and will be when everything goes down. While many, many shows have shown the lows that we’re capable of in these situations, “Black Summer” approaches it at breakneck speed. It starts in high gear and rarely gears down.
With “Black Summer” virtually left on the bubble, fans are still somewhat left hanging and hoping there’s some sort of confirmation. The zombie series has so much potential to continue to raise the bar for the sub-genre and continue exploring the devolving of mankind. This is a series that deserves to go out on its own terms, or at the very least complete its entire arc. Unfortunately, that notion has become a luxury that TV junkies just aren’t afforded anymore.
Maybe we just have to be loud enough for Netflix to hear us.
“Black Summer” Season 3. We’re begging you, Netflix. Please?
It’s been 75 years since The Thing From Another World first warned us to “watch the skies”, and filmgoers have done just that by showing up to multiple instances of extraterrestrial contact on the big screen. This makes sense, as a recent CBS news poll estimated that 63% of Americans believe in intelligent life on other planets, and the ongoing disclosure movement aims to raise that number with each passing day.
With Steven Spielberg’s Disclosure Day leaving many genre fans hungry for more alien footage (preferably of the spooky variety), today I’d like to share a list recommending six underrated alien invasion thrillers for your viewing pleasure. After all, regardless of whether or not you believe that we’re alone in the universe, it can be fun to dream about the worst-case scenario if our cosmic neighbors ever decide to visit.
For the purposes of this list, we’ll be focusing on lesser-known invasion stories rather than the popular extraterrestrials of franchises like Alien and Close Encounters of the Third (or even Fourth) Kind. That being said, don’t forget to comment below with your own alien favorites if you think we missed a particularly thrilling movie.
While it won’t be featured in this article, I’d highly recommend checking out Dean Alioto’s UFO Abduction/The McPherson Tape if you’re up for some ufology-inspired found footage thrills.
With that out of the way, onto the list!
6. The Arrival (1996)
Not to be confused with Denis Villeneuve’s Academy Award-winning Amy Adams vehicle about learning to communicate peacefully with extraterrestrial life, David Twohy’s The Arrival is a much more straightforward (but no less entertaining) genre romp where Charlie Sheen faces a global conspiracy involving hostile alien invaders.
It’s not exactly up there with Close Encounters or even Independence Day, but Twohy’s conspiratorial thriller plays out like an exceptionally fun episode of The X-Files that I’d recommend to sci-fi/horror fans who don’t mind a little bit of wonky CGI and 90s excess alongside their alien thrills.
5. Extraterrestrial (2014)
The Vicious Brothers made a name for themselves with the success of 2011’s Grave Encounters, but that was far from the Canadian duo’s only collaboration. And while it’s not exactly a fan favorite, I always point out 2014’s Extraterrestrial as one of their most underrated projects simply because I agree with the filmmakers’ opinion that there aren’t enough ‘cool alien abduction movies’ out there.
Admittedly, the majority of the picture functions like a run-of-the-mill creature feature with paper-thin characters and familiar horror tropes, but I’d argue that the cosmically-terrifying final act elevates the experience to new and memorable heights. The movie also boasts great performances by both Michael Ironside and Emily Perkins – a combination that more than makes up for the occasionally janky CGI.
4. Alien Raiders (2008)
Director Ben Rock has gone on record lamenting how his John-Carpenter-inspired creature feature was forcefully renamed from Supermarket to the painfully obvious Alien Raiders (a change which likely resulted in many potential viewers skipping out on the experience), but the new title doesn’t change the fact that this single-location thriller is something of a hidden gem.
Taking place entirely within a supermarket, Alien Raiders tells the story of an ensemble of customers and employees who are taken hostage by a group of armed men looking for something far more dangerous than an easy payout. I won’t get into details in order to avoid spoiling the experience, but I’d highly recommend this criminally underseen flick to fans of John Carpenter and the Resident Evil games.
3. Phoenix Forgotten (2017)
You’d think that a Ridley-Scott-produced retelling of one of the most infamous real-life UFO sightings of all time would have a bigger following, but I rarely see Justin Barber’s Found Footage period piece brought up during discussions about extraterrestrial-focused horror movies.
This is a huge shame, as Phoenix Forgotten is just as spooky as it is convincing, with this well-researched dive into the Phoenix Lights incident benefiting from surprisingly believable special effects as well as an appropriately horrific finale.
2. Communion (1989)
I wouldn’t blame you for disregarding Whitley Strieber’s controversial book about his alleged close encounter as sensationalist slop, but I’d argue that Phillipe Mora’s 1989 adaptation of these events is much better than the source material. After all, the movie works as a standalone piece of speculative fiction while also benefiting from an incredible performance by the one and only Christopher Walken!
Mora’s take on Communion may not be particularly scary, but the film is still an unforgettable character study regardless of whether or not the abduction really happened. Not only that, but the flick also paved the way for plenty of future sci-fi stories where the extraterrestrial invaders aren’t as evil as they initially appear.
1. Altered (2006)
Originally envisioned as a Sam Raimi-style horror-comedy titled Probed, Eduardo Sánchez (of The Blair Witch Project fame) eventually realized that it would be much more interesting to turn the film into a serious exploration of the emotional aftermath of a traumatic abduction incident.
That’s how we got Altered, a clever inversion of the standard abduction narrative that follows a group of troubled friends as they capture and experiment on an alien in order to enact revenge for their own abduction years prior.
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