Don't be alarmed if you see flesh-hungry zombies roaming Austin this weekend. They're probably part of a bizarre independent film under production.
Z: The Zombie Musical has been shooting in and around Austin since June 2005. This low-budget flick is 90 minutes of singing and dancing zombies.
"These are not the usual zombies you've seen before. They talk and they sing and dance,” director John McLean said.
The cast all have day jobs, so filming has been on the weekends and late weeknights. On Friday, the lobby of the Alamo Drafthouse in North Austin doubled as a dressing room, and even the lead actress doubled as a makeup artist.
"We all do everything; it's a group effort,” actress Hanna Hardin said.
Just a few blocks away, McLean made the most with his shoestring budget. Shooting in the Ponds Springs Cemetery doesn’t cost a thing.
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Z: The Zombie Musical
News 8 Austin's Victor Diaz reports from North Austin.
 
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"We don't have any power so we’re using headlights, but actually it has a nice gloomy feel to it," McLean said.
Z is just a much a musical as it is a zombie comedy. The big numbers include dozens of dancing zombies and the producers take great pride in the soundtrack.
"All of the songs are excellent. It's been compared to the Rocky Horror show, and honestly I think it's a better score," co-producer Dan Eggleston said.
Even if the zombie musical doesn't become the next indie cult classic, the production team is still confident they'll find an audience somewhere.
"It's got a kind of a built-in interest factor already because everybody loves zombie movies. This is just another comic side of the zombie genre," McLean said.
Production on Z: The Zombie Musical should wrap in about a month. McLean plans to enter the movie in the Austin Film Festival.
