Good For Your Blood

The irony, that is. Dozens of starry-eyed dreamers queued up at the Frank Erwin Center on Thursday, Aug. 25, in hope of having their lifelong dreams of cathode notoriety eviscerated before noon, only to discover themselves caught up in George A. Romero's idea of a good time. A zombie flash mob – organized by UT Radio-Television-Film grad student Nick Muntean, via Craigslist Austin – descended on the initially perplexed crowd in full undead effect, shuffling like the wind and drooling, literally, over the chance for a (very) light brunch of brains and heavily bustiered bustlines. Alas, the necromantic hoard ended up leaving with empty tummies, as American Idol producers had already gotten wind of the prank and immediately co-opted it for their hit show, corralling the sanguine exsanguinators into a surreal and vaguely disquieting photo-op while doling out release forms like guts from a chum bucket. It remains to be seen which group was creepier, although the zombies, who had red on them, were rumored to be dead and "all messed up."