Tagarchief: Night of the Living Dead

King of the Zombies is Dead (Permanently)

Posted on by Jeppe Kleijngeld

George A. Romero, one of my favorite filmmakers, has died after a short battle with lung cancer, Indiewire reports. Almost singlehandedly responsible for the zombie genre in its current form, Romero directed ‘Night of the Living Dead’ and its many sequels, most notably the consumerism allegory ‘Dawn of the Dead’ – my favorite horror film of all time.

Romero (born 1940, New York), who resided in Pittsburgh, made his feature debut with ‘Night of the Living Dead’. It was a low budget zombie movie that was both groundbreaking and shocking in its time. Quickly, it became a major horror classic. He then directed some smaller, personal films in which he often combined horror and social commentary. In 1978 he topped the success of ‘Night’ with his brilliant follow-up ‘Dawn of the Dead’.

In the eighties his career stagnated a bit when he created the third part in his zombie series ‘Day of the Dead’. It was a failure both commercially and critically. In 2005 Romero made a small comeback with ‘Land of the Dead’. Other noticeable films he made are ‘Martin’ (a vampire flick) and ‘the Crazies’ (an outbreak film).

To honor the master, I hereby re-publish my review of ‘Day of the Dead’ which he considered his favorite film.

Dear George, may you – as opposed to your favorite characters – rest in peace.

#####################

Day of the Dead (1985, USA)

08-05-2008 – by Jeppe Kleyngeld

Director: George A. Romero
Written by: George A. Romero
Cast: Lori Cardille, Terry Alexander, Joe Pilato, Jarlath Conroy

Running Time: 102 mins.

In George Andrew Romero’s NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1968) the dead had been resurrected and started a crisis. In DAWN OF THE DEAD (1978), the zombies were taking the upper hand. In 1985’s DAY OF THE DEAD, there are barely any humans left. A small group of survivors consisting of soldiers, scientists and civilians, are holed up in a military complex with hundreds of flesh-eaters roaming around on the outside.

There has been a time leap since DAWN, so the zombies are slowly decomposing and are looking greyer and greener than in the previous ‘Dead’ movies. The different groups living in the claustrophobic complex are each dealing with the situation in their own way. The scientists are searching for a way to ‘control’ the zombies, while the soldiers want to wipe them all out. The few civilians on the other hand, just want to enjoy the time they have left. Lack of any prospects starts to create tension in the group. Especially with the psychopathic Captain Rhodes (Joe Polito) who commands the small military force. Not before long, their infighting leads to a final clash with the zombies. Romero shows us once again that humans are a greater danger to themselves than any outside threat.

Romero called DAY his favourite entry in the series, even though it was derided by critics upon release. Today the film has got more of a cult status. And justly so. As a film basically showing total apocalypse, it succeeds brilliantly. Only problem is that it’s pretty depressing. From Dr. ‘Frankenstein’ Logan conducting gruesome experiments on zombies in his underground lab to the unpleasant characters: it all contributes in making this film pretty hard to sit through. In DAWN, the shopping mall location lend itself well for some inventive humor. The funniest thing about DAY is the ‘intelligent’ zombie Bub who even utters some dialogue in the film (A..llli….ciaaaa…).

In short, Romero’s golden touch, the fantastic special make-up effects by Tom Savini and the dark atmosphere make this a must-see for horror fans. The successful military satire is another good reason to see this. However, dejected types might be better off not watching this. Like the other ‘Dead’ films its concept may well be brilliant, but it is still a nasty and depressive movie. Twenty years later Romero would continue his series with LAND OF THE DEAD.

Zombie Flesh Eaters

Posted on by Jeppe Kleijngeld

OT: Zombi 2

Director: Lucio Fulci
Written by: Elisa Briganti
Cast: Tisa Farrow, Ian McCulloch, Richard Johnson, Al Cliver

Year / Country: 1979, Italy
Running Time: 91 mins.

Sun, sea and zombies in Lucio Fulci’s unofficial sequel to George A. Romero’s Dawn of the Dead, which is weird considering that was a sequel itself (to Night of the Living Dead). Also, this film has nothing to do with Dawn. Well, it’s about zombies obviously and it pretty much kicks ass as well.

A seemingly abandoned sailboat is found in the New York harbor with a zombie on board (zombies are called ‘zombies’ in this flick. Cool huh?). A reporter and the daughter of the missing boat owner head for the Atlantic to find out what happened. Along with two friendly sailors they meet in St. Thomas, they head out for the supposedly cursed island Matool. Already underway they stumble upon a zombie who is fighting a shark underwater. This is a spectacular scene: classic stuff!

On the island, the struggle for survival really begins. The horror starts with the infamous eye splinter scene, another classic moment, but perhaps not so brutal if you see it coming. From then on it is kill or be killed for the main characters. Fulci is not known for delivering a subtle underlying message. Neither is he specialized in directing actors to towering heights. No, he is a man of the gore. And he does what he does best with this movie.

Compared to Romero’s classic to which this is supposedly a sequel, it is done in a more low budget style. There are fewer zombies and it certainly misses the intellectual layer. But, the tropical location is almost as cool as Dawn’s shopping mall, the make-up and special effects are far out, and the music adds to a creepy atmosphere. This might just be Fulci’s best film. Definitely a must see for zombie aficionados.

Rating:

Biography: Lucio Fulci (1927, Rome – 1996, Rome) originally studied medicine but quickly turned to filmmaking instead. He started his film career with directing comedies, musicals and spaghetti westerns. Later he turned to Italian shock horror films and made a name for himself as the goriest director ever. His international career came off the ground in 1979 when he directed Zombi 2, an unofficial sequel to George A. Romero’s Dawn of the Dead, which had been released in Italy under the title Zombies. Fulci died from diabetes in 1996.

Filmography (a selection): The Thieves (1959) / The Jukebox Kids (1959) / Getting Away with It the Italian Way (1962) / The Strange Type (1963) / The Maniacs (1964) / 002 Operation Moon (1965) / How We Stole the Atomic Bomb (1967) / The Conspiracy of Torture (1969) / A Lizard in a Woman’s Skin (1971) / Don’t Torture Donald Duck (1972) / White Fang (1973) / Challenge to White Fang (1974) / Four of the Apocalypse (1975) / Silver Saddle (1978) / Zombi 2 (1979) / City of the Living Dead (1980) / The Beyond (1981) / The New York Ripper (1982) / Evil Eye (1982) / The New Gladiators (1984) / Dangerous Obsession (1986) / Zombi 3 (1988) / Demonia (1990) / Door to Silence (1991)

Day of the Dead

Posted on by Jeppe Kleijngeld

Director: George A. Romero
Written by: George A. Romero
Cast: Lori Cardille, Terry Alexander, Joe Pilato, Jarlath Conroy

Year / Country: 1985, USA
Running Time: 102 mins.

In George Andrew Romero’s Night of the Living Dead (1968) the dead were resurrected and started a crisis. In Dawn of the Dead (1978), the zombies were taking the upper hand. Now in 1985’s Day of the Dead, there are barely any humans left. A small group of survivors consisting of soldiers, scientists and civilians, are holed up in a military complex with hundreds of flesh-eaters roaming around on the outside.

There has been a time leap since Dawn, so the zombies are slowly decomposing and are looking more gray and green than in the previous ‘Dead’ movies. The different groups living in the claustrophobic complex are each dealing with the situation in their own way. The scientists are searching for a way to ‘control’ the zombies, while the soldiers want to wipe them all out. The few civilians on the other hand, just want to enjoy the time they have left.

The lack of any prospects starts to create tension within the group. Especially with the psychopathic Captain Rhodes (Joe Polito) who commands the small military force. Before long, their infighting leads to a final clash with the zombies. Romero shows us once again that humans are a greater danger to themselves than any outside threat.

Romero called Day of the Dead his favorite entry in the series, even though it was derided by critics upon release. Today the film got more of a cult status. And justly so. As a film basically showing total apocalypse, it succeeds brilliantly. The only problem is that it’s pretty depressing. From Dr. ‘Frankenstein’ Logan conducting gruesome experiments on zombies in his underground lab to the unpleasant characters: it all contributes to making this film pretty hard to sit through. In Dawn, the shopping mall location lended itself well for some inventive humor. The funniest thing about Day is the ‘intelligent’ zombie Bub who even utters some dialogue in the film (A..llli….ciaaaa…).

Romero’s golden touch, the fantastic special make-up effects by Tom Savini and the dark atmosphere make this a must-see for horror fans. The successful military satire is another good reason to see Day of the Dead. However, dejected types might be better off not watching this. Like the other ‘Dead’ films its concept may well be brilliant, but it is still a nasty and depressive movie. Twenty years later Romero would continue his series with Land of the Dead.

Rating:

Biography: George A. Romero (1940, New York), who lived in Pittsburgh, made his feature debut with Night of the Living Dead. It was a low budget zombie movie that was both groundbreaking and shocking in its time. Quickly, it became a major horror classic. He then directed some smaller, personal films in which he often combined horror and social commentary. In 1978 he topped the success of Night of the Living Dead with his brilliant follow-up Dawn of the Dead. In the eighties his career stagnated a bit when he created the third part in his zombie series Day of the Dead. It was a failure both commercially and critically. In 2005 Romero made a small comeback with Land of the Dead. Romero died in 2017.

Filmography (a selection): Night of the Living Dead (1968) / There’s Always Vanilla (1971) / Season of the Witch (1972) / The Winners (1973, TV episodes) / The Crazies (1973) / O.J. Simpson: Juice on the Loose (1974, TV doc) / Martin (1977) / Dawn of the Dead (1978) / Knightriders (1981) / Creepshow (1982) / Day of the Dead (1985) / Monkey Shines (1988) / Two Evil Eyes (1990) [with Dario Argento] / The Dark Half (1993) / Bruiser (2000) / Land of the Dead (2005) / Diary of the Dead (2007) / Survival of the Dead (2009)

Night of the Living Dead

Posted on by Jeppe Kleijngeld

Director: George A. Romero
Written by: John A. Russo, George A. Romero
Cast: Duane Jones, Judith O’Dea, Karl Hardman, Marilyn Eastman

Year / Country: 1968, USA
Running Time: 96 mins.

Director George A. Romero, who would dedicate most of his film career to making zombie movies, lays much of the groundwork right here. His feature debut would become an example of how to make a low budget horror movie; unknown actors, one central location and elements of social satire that appeal to the more intellectual viewer.

John and Barbra are visiting a graveyard where their father is buried, when John notices a strange phenomenon in the sky. Soon after they are attacked by a living dead man. Barbra manages to flee to a seemingly deserted farmhouse, leaving the annoying John behind as a zombie snack. In the farmhouse, Barbra soon gets company from both the living and the dead.

A possible explanation for the catastrophe is radiation that was released as a result from a NASA operation whereby a satellite was blown into bits. Romero’s message comes to the surface: not only are humans the cause of the major crisis, they are unable to deal with it once it’s there.

What works so well about this concept is the notion of crisis that erupts once the zombies are there. Their insatiable lust for human flesh and their large numbers make them a major threat. However, they are not nearly as scary as humans can be; narrow-minded, cruel and incapable of collaboration. A crisis of this scope would undoubtedly destroy us all.

There are many other elements that Romero would repeat and elaborate on in the zombie sequels that would follow. These include a lot of infighting among the ethnically mixed group of survivors, many panicky TV- and radio broadcasts, and quite a lot of graphic violence. Certainly considering the time in which this film was released.

Then there is the unexpected twist at the end that contributes to Night of the Living Dead’s status as a groundbreaking classic. The only thing I found lacking was the humour that its sequels contained. However this is still a film that is as tense as it is relevant. Maybe even more so in present times than back in 68’.

Rating:

Biography: George A. Romero (1940, New York), who lived in Pittsburgh, made his feature debut with Night of the Living Dead. It was a low budget zombie movie that was both groundbreaking and shocking in its time. Quickly, it became a major horror classic. He then directed some smaller, personal films in which he often combined horror and social commentary. In 1978 he topped the success of Night of the Living Dead with his brilliant follow-up Dawn of the Dead. In the eighties his career stagnated a bit when he created the third part in his zombie series Day of the Dead. It was a failure both commercially and critically. It is more appreciated nowadays. In a recent feature by Empire – The 25 Best Zombie Movies Of All Time – it is ranked second only after Dawn of the Dead. In 2005 Romero made a small comeback with Land of the Dead. He died in 2017.

Filmography (a selection): Night of the Living Dead (1968) / There’s Always Vanilla (1971) / Season of the Witch (1972) / The Winners (1973, TV episodes) / The Crazies (1973) / O.J. Simpson: Juice on the Loose (1974, TV doc) / Martin (1977) / Dawn of the Dead (1978) / Knightriders (1981) / Creepshow (1982) / Day of the Dead (1985) / Monkey Shines (1988) / Two Evil Eyes (1990) [with Dario Argento] / The Dark Half (1993) / Bruiser (2000) / Land of the Dead (2005) / Diary of the Dead (2007) / Survival of the Dead (2009)