“Then stay…but remember, the House of Black and White is not a home for orphans. All men must serve beneath this roof. Valar Dohaeris is how we say it here. Remain if you will, but know that we shall require your obedience. At all times and in all things. If you cannot obey, you must depart.”

Valar Morghulis..

1. Does it matter if others see it as a copy – Kevin Smith himself will state what and who he copied. There are so many thinks this type of story could fit under – worry more about your voice than your message for the time being. The message of many films (especially early films by a director) get lost. Worry about your voice – that will carry you through all your future projects.

2. If you are looking at a retelling – doesn’t this go against trying to find your own message? You may have a unique take, but that still won’t truly be something that will be your message – you can still put your voice into it.

3. I have a similar idea for a short story (granted your premise is very very short) – I do think we will take it into two completely different directions.

4. Go low budget and raw – I would also render the whole thing in black and white to give it a grittier feel. During the rendering introduce film artifacts to give it a little more grit – and don’t do high def – I would use standard def and upscale it to high def to just add a touch more grit. Fast zombies or slow zombies?