Italians do it better.

And when I say "it," it should be obvious that I mean "make really weird zombie movies." I'm sure you all know the George Romero's Noun of the Dead franchise is just the tip of this putrefying-yet-animated iceberg, which is why you will be super stoked to hear of Zombo Italiano, the Museum of Arts and Design's Italian zombie film movement series showing now through the rest of July.  You can see the celebrated shark vs. zombie underwater fight scene in Zombie (known in Italy as Zombi 2), revisit eternal classics like Cemetery Man (easily the climax of Rupert Everett's career) and Dawn of the Dead, while discovering gems like Demons and Demons 2. The latter two films feature soundtracks sprinkled with artists from Dead Can Dance to Motley Crue.

Dawn of the Dead,  Zombie, and The Beyond will each be accompanied by a discussion of practical ways to survive and triumph in combat with the living dead, but I'm more excited about Let Sleeping Corpses Lie, The House By the Cemetery, and Demons 2, as they will be shown at 3 p.m. on Saturdays, providing blessed refuge from the killing heat. (Actually, I got an air conditioner last night. She is a winsome creature. I think I'll call her Cherise.) All other screenings are at 7 p.m.

Tickets are $10 but they are $7 for students with a valid ID or for anyone who shows up in zombie make-up. The series complements MAD's sweet acronym, uh, I mean, current exhibit "Dead or Alive: Nature Becomes Art". It also explores organic materials given strange second lives.

Zombie screens tonight, but you can watch this bitchin' Demons 2 original soundtrack megamix right now: