Town of the Living Dead

At first glance, Town of the Living Dead appears to be yet another entry in the "mocking Southern people" reality genre typified by Duck Dynasty. Indeed, the camera seems to relish whenever Tina Teeter lets loose with a countrified turn of speech, and shots linger on Jasper's, shall we say, modest downtown and its citizens in a way that seems sardonic. But Town of the Living Dead transcends its underpinnings by offering a clear-eyed look at the circles of hell endured by those who attempt to make an independent, low-budget film. Shots are sabotaged by dynamite that goes off too soon, extras who want to take smoke breaks, and a declined credit card that won't allow Ware and Teeter to buy dummy heads and ketchup for a special-effects shot.

All that pain, of course, makes for entertaining drama. But, more than that, it's instructive for teens who watch zombie movies or shows or who have their own filmmaking aspirations to see how shots are put together and how effects are accomplished, as well as how many things can go wrong even when everyone is trying his or her best. Town's very best gimmick is that after viewers see a shot go completely awry and the filmmakers make compromises just to get something on film, we're then allowed to see the completed segment in the film. It's a wonderful tool for media literacy and a cool payoff for viewers that makes this show more than a guilty pleasure.