Those of us who love fairy tales know the form is infinitely adaptable, a genre ripe for adaptations and parodies. It is in this spirit that Bob McLain offers his version of ‘Snow White,” presenting the fairy tale as a zombie horror story that pokes a bit of fun at the 1937 Disney film.
“Snow White and the Seven Dead Dwarves” is part literary mashup in the style of Seth Grahame-Smith’s “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies” and part George Romero gore fest. It is less interested in zombies as social commentary than in sending up Disney’s film. With that in mind, the story is bloody good fun if not always in good taste – although the story’s zombies should probably be the judge of good taste.
Because the novella is short, and the only spoilers I like are the undead’s rotting flesh, I’ll try to keep details to a minimum.
Oh, the Horror! Zombies Meet Disney’s “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”
Although it looks somewhat back to the Grimm Brothers’ fairy tale, McLain’s version is organized to skewer the Disney film. Rather than a blow-by-blow re-telling, the story quickly establishes its interest in scenes of zombie-induced danger and mayhem.
The Queen’s intentions toward Snow White quickly take an insatiable turn. Becoming a zombie just confirms she is a wicked stepmother, rather than causes it. But the transformation, as with her disguise as a Hag in other versions, underscores she is rotten to the core.
Zombification here is relatively unexplained, much like magic in fairy tales. Since this novella is part of a longer, soon-to-be-published work on the larger Disney universe, the full version will hopefully explain the zombies’ origins.
But The Queen’s not the sole, or even primary, baddie. McLain quickly turns readers’ expectations for a “good triumphs over evil” tale into an all-out action story in which characters’ primary motivation is survival. And blood. And brains.
McLain’s “Snow White” Zombie Fairy Tale – Beauty Meets Brains?
After The Queen’s transformation, zombies are created the usual way – by zombies not finishing their meals. The Huntsman, Snow White and the Prince soon join the undead party and they’re in the mood for a little snack. What better meal, then, than the seven bite-sized dwarfs?
It doesn’t take long for the carnage to get underway. The dwarfs are the tale’s reluctant protagonists: some might call them heroes; some might call them bait. McLain provides each dwarf with a bit of back story (as he does, to some degree, with other characters). With such detailed histories, it almost seems a pity the story is so focused on their fight for survival.
But such are the genre’s demands. There’s just enough of the dwarfs’ lives that we root for their survival. So much for us wanting Snow White to live happily ever after, at least not with her appetite for changed from blood-red apples to red-blooded dwarfs.
Well, that’s not entirely true. What zombie-genre fans also hope for is clever scenes of mayhem and munchies. That’s what McLain offers when the dwarfs are pursued by the others in a style halfway between the classic, slow-moving zombies and quicker-paced versions.
Snow White’s behavior is particularly fun. Zombiefication transfers her strong desires for the love of a good man into a love for a good man’s flesh, and she demonstrates a voracious appetite for the role.
Readers will recognize the many references to the Disney film, from re-named dwarfs to familiar scenes. Those with an appreciation for the fairy tale’s subtext may also chuckle at McLain’s nods to intersections between horror, humor and various hungers of the flesh.
Sampling the Brain Behind “Snow White and the Seven Dead Dwarves”
As a fan of fairy-tale retellings, Disney parodies and the zombie genre, I recommend sampling “Snow White and the Seven Dead Dwarves” as an appetizer for Bob McLain’s future work. It’s a quick, pulpy read on the Kindle, at a budget-friendly $2.99. You can check out some of McLain’s other work at Disney Dispatch, a fan site that he owns and operates.
A word of warning, though, for those with vivid imaginations and sensitive stomachs. McLain does not spare the blood-and-guts sequences. The story might be a tad too much for some readers, especially younger ones.
Disclosure: I received a copy of “Snow White and the Seven Dead Dwarfs” from the author for purposes of writing this review. The opinions expressed are my own, and no financial compensation was received or offered in exchange for this review.
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