Written and directed by Charlie Higson for the fourth book in
his best-selling teen zombie series ‘The Enemy’
Puffin Books’ most ambitious trailer ever ...
Fans
of ‘The Enemy’ by best-selling author Charlie Higson don’t have long to
wait for the new instalment in his cult zombie series. But before The Sacrifice,
the fourth book in the series, is published on 20th September 2012, it’s
horrifying world of zombie ‘sickos’ has been brought to life in a
spine-chilling trailer that will whet the appetite of fans new and old.
Please follow this link to see the trailer:
Written and directed by Charlie Higson
himself, this is the fourth in a series of trailers for the series and
is the most ambitious trailer Puffin has ever made for a book. Shot in
locations around London, including on the Millennium Bridge, the trailer
features young actors from Forest Hill School, South London and a cast
of zombie-sickos played by fans who entered a nationwide competition to
appear in the short film. They bring to life some of the scenes from
the new book and a give a taster of the action to come.
The trailer also introduces us to a
grotesque new character, ‘Wormwood’ or the ‘Green Man’, so called as his
entire body is covered in mould - an effect which took nearly a full
day in make-up.
‘The Enemy’ series is set in a
post-apocalyptic London after a mystery illness attacks everyone over
the age of fourteen. Some survive, but those that do face a more
terrifying fate – they turn into hideous zombies with an insatiable
appetite for human flesh. Children form gangs and attempt to survive in
an unrecognisable world where there are dangers around every corner.
Previous trailers for the series have had
more than 100,000 combined viewings on YouTube and have seen Charlie
Higson transforming into a decaying zombie; chilling footage of a
terrified boy posting a clip online of himself being attacked by
diseased adults; and, last year, a rotting zombie (with an uncanny
resemblance to Charlie Higson) breaking into a room full of terrified
children.
Filming for The Sacrifice trailer, Puffin’s most ambitious trailer to date, saw:
100 cups of tea and coffee drunk per day
90 hours of pre-production preparation
80 children auditioning for the cast
70 sandwiches consumed
60 members of cast and crew on set
50 litres of orange juice drunk
40 wardrobe items carefully damaged for zombie effect
30 hours of footage
20 litres of fake blood
10 hours in make-up for the Green Man
a 5am call time on the Millennium Bridge
2 days of filming
1 epic trailer!
Emily Cox, Head of Penguin Children's Marketing, said, 'This
is our most ambitious trailer to date. Capitalising on Charlie's
background and experience in TV, we have gone all out to create
something gripping and entertaining that we believe will capture the
(sick) imaginations of fans and new readers alike.'
Charlie Higson is a successful author,
actor, comedian and writer for television and radio. He wrote the
phenomenally successful 'Young Bond' series which has sold over a million
copies in the UK alone and been translated into over 24 languages. The
series comprises five novels, all of which entered the children’s
bestseller charts in the top five. The first novel in his bestselling
zombie-adventure series for teenagers, The Enemy, was published to critical acclaim in 2009. It was followed by The Dead (2010) and The Fear (2011). Charlie is a huge fan of horror films and books and even studied gothic literature at university.
After leaving university, Charlie formed a
band, The Higsons. He then became a decorator before turning to the
world of television and going into partnership Paul Whitehouse. His
television successes have included Saturday Live, the Harry Enfield
Television Programme, The Smell of Reeves and Mortimer, Shooting Stars,
Randall and Hopkirk Deceased, the film Suite 16, Swiss Toni and of
course, the Fast Show. They recently produced the award-winning spoof
radio series Down the Line (BBC Radio 4), in which they both performed
and which became the television comedy series Bellamy’s People (BBC 2).
Charlie is also a successful adult
novelist and has written four thrillers, King of the Ants (1992), Happy
Now (1993), Full Whack (1995) and Getting Rid of Mr Kitchen (1996).
Charlie lives in North London.
Source: Press Release
