Shadow Zone: The Undead Express

This movie first appeared on cable television and is a story based on a series of books by J. R. Black. The actual author was Roy Sallows, the J.R. Black was a pen-name for the series. The books themselves were written by several authors, all under the fake Black name to make them more eerie for the kids. By having many authors, it also made it easier to rush out several titles within a short time. There were quite a few of these juvenile level paperbacks and they were planned as competition against the then popular Goosebumps series, which also found dramatic adaptation, albeit on commercial television. However, the Undead Express was the only film made based on the Shadow Zone series. It is obviously from the goul's commentary, that there were supposed to be other adaptations, but none were ever made. Hopes that the series would take off failed to materialize and the principals lost interest.

Those without premium cable would not have seen it and it has been difficult to come by as a recording. I had to purchase a used copy as I could not find a new one available, particularly in the DVD format. It is a kid film, but some of us like horror movies without nudity, sexually explicit scenes, and vulgar language. The physical corruption of the dying vampires is a bit gross, but I suspect that kids who like such films will find it rather cool.