Just when you thought all the blood had been drained from the zombie genre and there was no meaty morsel left to chew, along comes "Zombieland."

True, it's not for anyone with a queasy stomach, but it has bite, humor, social commentary and the unlikely but synergistic pairing of Woody Harrelson and Jesse Eisenberg as two of the last survivors in America or what has become Zombieland.

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'Zombieland'

3 stars = Good
Ratings explained

• Starring: Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg.
• Rating: R by the Motion Picture Association of America for horror violence/gore and language.

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Harrelson's character, calling himself Tallahassee after his hometown, is brash, fearless and dying for a Twinkie. Eisenberg, as the social misfit with the moniker Columbus, has managed to elude zombies by holing up in his Texas apartment, giving in to his fears and phobias and amassing a lengthy list of do's and don'ts.

First rule is the importance of cardio, because you obviously need to outrun the zombies. Second is the "Double Tap," which means shooting a zombie one more time, just in case.

The improbable traveling companions come upon a young woman (Emma Stone) and her 12-year-old sister (Abigail Breslin), who act as friends and foes as they look for a safe haven, a place where the tween once was happy and ... Twinkies. Harrelson's character is jonesing for a Twinkie and not just any Hostess snack food will do.

Director Ruben Fleischer's "Zombieland" owes its DNA to horrormeister George Romero, who invented the genre, although the screenplay by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick tilts more toward comedy than horror.

Fleischer considers it "Midnight Run" with zombies and it's closer to "Shaun of the Dead" than "Dawn of the Dead," but there's an undertow about living in social isolation and the peril and pleasure of friendships and makeshift families.

The writing is witty -- taking full advantage of a celebrity in a small role and dropping in current references such as "Facebook status updates" -- the comic chemistry strong and the pacing brisk.

Putting a gun in Breslin's hands isn't as outrageous as it sounds considering that she suggests "12 is the new 20" and it's kill or be killed. Harrelson wears his wild-man role like a custom-fit suit, and Stone ("Ghosts of Girlfriends Past," "Superbad") rocks some serious survivalist attitude and eye makeup.

Eisenberg, oddly, finds himself as another virginal misfit in a movie featuring an amusement park. He shot "Adventureland" at Kennywood and appears in "Zombieland," where the Wild Adventures Water & Theme Park in Valdosta, Ga., plays a park outside of Los Angeles.

Like its frightening and funny forerunners, "Zombieland" deals with the undead in a surprisingly delightful way.

PG Blog: POPi goes to "Zombieland" -- http://community.post-gazette.com/blogs/popi/archive/2009/09/30/zombieland-worth-the-risk-for-a-weak-stomach.aspx

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