Scary Movies

TUE 9/28
There’s an elemental thing folks learn from horror films: To kill a zombie, shoot it in the head. Lauren Burdolski, an aficionado of the undead who earned a master’s degree for studying the horror-film genre, suggests that Hollywood zombies, whose heads are ripe for the splaying, actually are a rotting, stiff-legged metaphor for rampant consumerism. (Which is not to say that people should really be shot in the face for shopping at Old Navy or buried alive for installing PlayStations in their cars.)

Wicked-scary analysis of horror flicks is the centerpiece of Burdolski’s 5-week Communiversity class Reflections of Society in the Horror Genre. Burdolski’s aim is for attendees to acknowledge that, as essayist Robin Wood puts it, the genre is really about the struggle for recognition of all that is repressed and oppressed by civilization.

The class might not reveal the true meaning behind contemporary evils like excess cologne, ass cleavage or low-carb diets, but with the help of films such as The Shining and Dawn of the Dead, Burdolski will help students connect what she calls the “terrifying experience of everyday life” to its celluloid representations. The class begins at 7 p.m. Tuesday; call 816-235-1448. —Scott Hartley

Tug Vote
Pick a team already.

SUN 9/26
According to Missouri’s loudmouthed lineup of political gasbags, George W. Bush is gonna ride the Show-Me Express right back into the White House. But ours is a peculiar state, a big block controlled by a schizo populous. The balance between urban liberals, rural conservatives and suburban fence sitters is a delicate one — here, the “every vote counts” jabber is more serious than a Dick Cheney heart attack. So we’re heading down to the Freedom Fountain Amphitheater (3700 Blue Parkway) from 1 to 8 p.m. Sunday for a rockin’ rally called Get the Vote Out. In terms of entertainment, there’s Freedom Now, a tribute to Bob Marley, and plenty of folks with protruding neck veins shouting into microphones (amusing in an unintentional way). Supposedly it’s a bipartisan affair, but the event’s coordinators are calling for a pre-emptive strike against racism, sexism, greed, deceit, power and homophobia, which doesn’t exactly scream “Four more years!” The event is free; for more information, call 816-753-6365 or 816-678-3898. By Joe Miller

Words to Live On
Authors abound in the Show-Me State.

SAT 9/25
From its title, we’d guess Daniel Woodrell’s Woe to Live On is about the tortured life of the writer. Actually, the novel’s topic isn’t so dark; it’s only about the brutal Civil War conflicts between Missouri and Kansas. Woodrell and other area writers appear from 9:30 a.m to 4 p.m. Saturday at the Central Library (14 West Tenth Street) for the Missouri Association of the Book’s Show Me Authors event. They’ll talk about fiction, poetry, writing bestsellers and converting books to film — Woodrell’s domain, given that Woe to Live On hit the big screen as Ride With the Devil. At a separate luncheon, one Kansas City writer gets the Thorpe Menn Award. Call 816-701-3400. — Jason Harper

Romantic Rehabilitation

SAT 9/25
Dinner-N-Dialogue‘s gatherings usually consist of straight black guys talking about their feelings amid soft lighting, floating candles and rose petals. Male panelists lead discussions about why men cheat and what to do when anger replaces communication. But from 3 to 6 p.m. Saturday at Bodyworks Phase II (8625 Troost), the ladies lead the debate, providing a glimpse into the gears of the female mind. Tickets are $20; call 816-547-6828 or see www.dinnerndialogue.com. — Annie Fischer