Tagged Dawn of the Dead

Dystopia & Military Madness in Day of the Dead

Day of the Dead. 1985. Directed & Written by George A. Romero.
Starring Lori Cardille, Terry Alexander, Joseph Pilato, Jarlath Conroy, Anthony Dileo Jr., Richard Liberty, Sherman Howard, Gary Howard Klar, Ralph Marrero, John Amplas, Phillip G. Kellams, Taso N. Stavrakis, and Greg Nicotero. United Film Distribution Company (UFDC)/A Laurel Production/Dead Films Inc./Laurel-Day Inc. Rated R. 96 minutes.
Action/Horror/Thriller

★★★★★
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For me personally, though I love each of them and think they’re masterpieces of horror, George A. Romero’s Day of the Dead is my favourite of his first three major zombie films. The post-apocalyptic feel here is even stronger than in the previous Dawn of the Dead and I can’t get enough of it.
Romero dives into more sociopolitical issues again here, as he did with the other two Dead movies. This screenplay deals with the head-butting elements of science and military in a world ravaged by the zombie virus. Most of all, though, this movie really gets down to the nitty gritty, raw side of humanity – what we, as a species, would devolve into, regressing back to a primitive state once the zombie apocalypse begins. Through the military vs. scientist dilemma throughout Day of the Dead, this microcosm of the post-virus landscape in a bunker under the ground, we’re able to see how far humans will go, or better yet how far they can fall. Even further than that, as the good Dr. Logan says “they are us“: Romero tries to introduce a clear example of how zombies are still human, merely men and women reduced to a primitive, less active and intelligent state. So what interests me most throughout this fascinating zombie film is how the line between man/womankind and our primitive animalistic self seems to only be a thin one, a light veneer barely separating the two states.
Romero knows us, better than we’d like to admit.
day-of-the-dead-handsWhen zombies have overrun the world, a dozen people – government scientists and military – live in a bunker below the earth. The scientists, led by Dr. Logan (Richard Liberty) and Dr. Sarah Bowman (Lori Cardille), attempt to try and figure out how to battle the zombie virus itself. Although, Logan has some different and perhaps unorthodox ideas about the way to experiment in such things. The soldiers, now under command of Captain Henry Rhodes (Joseph Pilato) – a hotheaded and equally stubborn, violent man – do not approve of what the doctors are doing.
After the isolation of being underground starts to emotionally and mentally unhinge Private Miguel Salazar (Anthony Dileo Jr), the outside world of the living dead manages to break through, coming down below to meet the still-living.
And then, on that day, hell breaks loose.
DayoftheDead3The opening scene, to me, is one of the things I’ve always loved and found memorable about Day of the Dead. Not sure why, I suppose because there’s a creepy dream-like quality about it which sets the tone: this is going to be a nightmare. And it is, in the absolute correct sense of the word, in the right way a horror film ought to be a nightmarish experience.
Truly, this film is a haunting zombie horror. In my opinion the special makeup effects are best here. Savini gives us amazing gore to soak up. Greatest of all comes quickly, after we’re introduced to the man lovingly referred to as Dr. Frankenstein by the other scientists and the military men, Dr. Logan: a zombie on one of the operating tables leans over, ripping a strap from its arm, and reaching out its guts and innards fall out of the stomach’s cavity onto the floor, slopping in its own mess. Nasty bit! Even better, the dream imagery comes back – like the beginning scene – except much more brutal, and it emulates the zombie’s guts falling out: as Sarah lies in bed, she imagines seeing Miguel similarly lean over with his insides evacuating, then comes back to reality fast. These alone are worth the price of admission regarding special makeup effects. Savini really pulls out his big guns in this movie, taking away the comic book garishness(/awesomeness) from his Dawn of the Dead zombie work, replacing those qualities with equal excellence on top of dirty, disturbing and realistic blood. Not knocking his previous work for Romero, on the contrary – I love it (check here if you don’t believe me). There’s simply a better, more terrifying aspect to the special makeup effects here; while the cartoon-like essence in Dawn of the Dead came a subtle creepiness, here it’s an outright mortifying feeling Savini gives us. Thank you, Tom!
BEST DECAPITATION IN ANY FILM – EVER. My vote goes for a scene around the 1 hour 27 minute mark. A soldier is surprised from behind by a group of the living dead when they pin him down, each grabbing bits and pieces of his flesh, then tear his head off. My favourite part is his scream – as they start to pull the head off, neck separating from shoulders and sternum, his voice gets higher and higher until the vocal cords literally snap off, blood spurting, and the entire head is free. Amazing, amazing special effects here. Such beautiful practical work in the horror genre, really a crowning achievement as far as I’m concerned. And not just that: it’s nasty as all hell.
maxresdefaultHuman beings are shit. Romero knows this is at least partly true. One part of why I love the scientist vs. military conflict here is because each side is presented as having their faults or their wrongdoings; not every individual is bad, but neither whole side is presented as totally in the right. For instance, though the military men are all pretty much horrible human beings, except for Miguel (he’s just gone absolutely insane), the scientists are not all rosy and perfect either – Logan and his experiments are a little barbaric, mostly considering he’s opted not to tell the soldiers about using other dead soldiers for extra meat. So sure, the scientists are ultimately trying to do the right thing, in whatever way it can be accomplished. There’s still an unethical aspect to the way they’re going about the mission. What Romero does with this plot is show us how not all soldiers are culpable in the terrible actions of soldiers in general, just as not all scientists are working towards the greater good most scientists try and work towards achieving. Every side has their good souls, every side their bad. But the bad ones – man, does Romero ever show us how bad they can get when the going gets tough.
dod8Generally it’s the sense of isolation which gets to me about this Romero masterpiece – it has so much suspense and tension because of its setting, generally lending itself to an air of eeriness. Night of the Living Dead was located mostly in the farmhouse, so there is a real sense of tightness, the characters enclosed and withdrawing further into the house at times. Dawn of the Dead even dared to get a little more claustrophobic because even within the mall, once zombies started to overrun the place there was nowhere for the survivors to go, or at least limited options of where to start running. What’s devastatingly intense at times about Day of the Dead is the fact they’re all underground. Even with the helicopter up above and a way to fly off, there’s still a ton of zombies trying to get in. Plus, once Miguel does the unthinkable after his craziness reaches its peak, the zombies filter into the underground bunker. So it’s WAY WORSE than the mall in the previous movie because so far below ground there are less ways to escape than a huge building aboveground. Add to that all the human elements of Romero’s wonderfully written screenplay, you’ve got yourself a backload of tension and unnerving suspense happening on an almost constant basis.
day-of-the-dead DayoftheDead-2Another 5 star film from George A. Romero. I’m huge on his films in general, not just the zombie work. But god damn it if he doesn’t make the greatest possible use of the living dead, adding solid horror to solid writing concerning sociopolitical issues to create a unique brand of horror sub-genre storytelling. Not every last piece of his zombie movies are full of issues – some times it’s just great and vicious horror. Though, it’s hard to deny how well Romero captures the issues of the day. Moreover, still as I write this in 2015, the issues continue to stay relevant: we’re almost always living in an era where the brutality of the military and politicians with their want for war come up against more rational, scientific approaches to the world around us. Day of the Dead is a masterful horror film in general and one of the greatest zombie films ever made. Personally, it’s my favourite of Romero’s Dead series because there’s a wholly unique quality to it even above his others. If you’ve not yet seen this, please do so. Particularly if you are big into zombies – you’ll see a lot of this film’s influence in other more contemporary zombie movies, as well as The Walking Dead of course. And really, it is just a solid, effective work of horror well worth your undivided attention.

Dawn of the Dead: Consumer Horror

Dawn of the Dead. 1978. Directed & Written by George A. Romero.
Starring David Emge, Ken Foree, Scott H. Reiniger, Gaylen Ross, David Crawford, David Early, Richard France, Howard Smith, Daniel Dietrich, Fred Baker, and James A. Baffico. A Laurel Group Production. Rated R. 127 minutes.
Horror

★★★★★
dawn-of-the-dead-1978George A. Romero started the modern zombie craze with his 1968 horror movie Night of the Living Dead. Ten years later, he came back swinging with Dawn of the Dead. Full of iconic moments, even iconic zombies themselves (see: Hare Krishna zombie), Romero gives us an even more nuanced, darker, and at times funny, bit of horror cinema.
A lot of people nowadays are hugely into the zombie sub-genre. For good reason, as these Dead films from Romero, including the ones after it, are a whole lot of horror fun. The reason why Dawn of the Dead is so celebrated and loved after all these years is because not only does it do a fine job creeping you the hell out, like Romero’s 1968 film, even more than that it again explores social issues. Soon as the characters in this movie make their way to a mall, hordes of zombies trying to get inside, you can tell there will be some kind of commentary on Romero’s part. Dawn of the Dead is written incredibly well, with good characters, dialogue and action, as well as the fact Goblin does the soundtrack, Dario Argento worked on the music/editing, and master of special effects Tom Savini supplied all the zombie nasty work. This is one damn good piece of zombie horror and it’s no wonder we’re still talking about it today as much as we do.
dd3After the dead reanimate and start to feast on the flesh of the living, a group of people hoping to survive make their way via helicopter to a large mall: Stephen “Flyboy” Andrews (David Emge) and Francine Parker (Gaylen Ross), along with two SWAT team members Peter Washington (Ken Foree) and Roger DeMarco (Scott Reiniger). Upon arrival, they try and set up camp finding a safe room to spend their nights, food for sustenance and any other various items they can manage to whisk away from the stores in the mall. Only problem is the zombies have filled up a nice majority of the shopping complex, so they’ve got to maneuver their way around the huge building efficiently, and quietly, as humanly possible.
But when Roger gets infected by the zombie virus, their situation changes. With the situation inside the mall getting worse with every passing day, the group is forced to confront other options; that is, if there are any left.
dawn-of-the-dead-zombiesOne of the most intriguing things about this movie is how Romero expands on the idea of a post-apocalyptic United States of America. During Night of the Living Dead, we do see a microcosm of the aftermath with all the sheriff’s boys out hunting ghouls and seeming to have a grand ole time, plus there are the news reports and all those aspects. However, with Dawn of the Dead this plot allows Romero to give us a bit bigger of a look at the post-zombie society. Big part of that is the mall itself.
When they first arrive, Francine questions why the reanimated corpses would be at the mall, to which Stephen replies “Memory of what they used to do; this was an important place in their lives“. Later on, as the group listens to a radio, a commentator talks about remembering past lives and how the actions of the zombies are merely them working out what they once used to do. The thing I find interesting, the social aspect of Romero’s screenplay, is how he chose the mall/shopping complex itself. It speaks volumes about human society just in the number of living dead wandering around the building and outside; it’s evident how involved we as humans are in consumerism already, but Romero – back in 1978 – was already on to the fact we’re creatures of habit, as well as creatures of leisure wanting to shamble our way into the mall, mindlessly picking away at the things inside (a.k.a “shopping”). So I think, again like his first zombie movie, this one can be considered relevant today, if not even more so than it was on its original release. The way we consume things as a society of people has gotten out of hand, especially now in the post-2000 world. Say what you want about Dawn of the Dead, or the films which follow it/the one preceding it, Romero infuses his horror with a ton of commentary. Not every last shot is done like this. Overall, though, you cannot deny Romero’s zombie films encapsulate social products of their time and even then they go on with their strength for years. I won’t be forgetting these films any time soon, if ever.
 Dawn-Of-The-Dead-1978-Flick-Minutedawn06I have to talk about Tom Savini. As someone whose love for horror grew out of older films intent on using practical makeup effects, before CGI ruled the industry, Savini is one of my personal gods. Honestly, even the first three films he worked on show off his immense talent – from his uncredited work on Bob Clark’s Dead of Night and putting his hands into the loose Ed Gein inspired Deranged, to doing fun stuff on Romero’s 1977 unusual yet awesome vampire flick Martin, to the stellar makeup/special effects he did in this film. I won’t go through the man’s entire filmography, but I’m just trying to show you how immediately Savini made an impression on the horror movie industry. In fact, Romero wanted him to work on the original ’68 Dead film. Unfortunately at the time Savini was called off to war; he actually applied some of the nastiness he saw during the Vietnam war as a combat photographer to the special effects/makeup he did in films. Luckily, they got together for this movie and did  a ton of bloody, fun horror work.
The look of the zombies alone is great. There’s a satirical part in how they look, as they’re all zombies yet representative of our own zombie-like qualities as humans. So while I’ve seen some horror fans wonder why the zombies are blue-ish coloured, I think there’s a wickedly dark comedic edge to their look. At the same time, they’re still fucking terrifying! Not just that, the head shots and the flesh eating and all that rotten business works well. Most of all, it’s the blood itself I find so wonderful. There’s nothing like a good looking bit of blood on camera and something about the blood in Dawn of the Dead is at once cartoon-ish and simultaneously nauseating: its rich red makes it appear almost like paint, like comic book blood, and the thick texture of it seeping out of chests/heads/et cetera has a visceral, raw essence which is kind of gross. Needless to say, without boring you too much to death on my thoughts about the effects overall, without Tom Savini this would not at all be the same type of horror film. Furthermore, I’d venture to say the zombie sub-genre wouldn’t be as rich and magical in terms of effects if Savini hadn’t done such good work with Romero here. This movie has influenced so many filmmakers and endlessly captivated the minds of legions of horror fanatics, and will continue to until the end of time.
 dawnofthedead3 draft_lens21649007module169844112photo_ee321358980351f4a352aIt’s hard to say anything that’s not been said before concerning Dawn of the Dead. One thing is for sure, though, George A. Romero is the man who gave us modern zombies and this film is an intense piece of horror cinema which dives further into the zombie lore he created in 1968, as well as touches on aspects of human nature from friendship in close quarters to a reflection of our inherent consumerism as people in the 20th century. 5 stars, right through the roof and to the sky!
As I said in my review of Romero’s first zombie feature, Day of the Dead is actually my personal favourite. All the same, each of the three first films in his Dead series are perfect in my mind and neither are technically better than the others, at least that’s how I see it; I just prefer Day over the others, something more apocalyptic and foreboding about its plot.
Regardless, Dawn of the Dead constantly affects me, it always entertains and I love the two-disc DVD set this came in, which I ordered a few years back now. Lots of fun features on the release, as well. If you’re a fan it’s worth the cash. If you’ve not seen this: smarten up and watch it for Halloween.

Nightmare City: Birth of the Running Dead

Nightmare City. 1980. Directed by Umberto Lenzi. Screenplay by Tony Corti, Jose Luis Delgado, & Piero Regnoli.
Starring Hugo Stiglitz, Laura Trotter, Maria Rosaria Omaggio, Francisco Rabal, Sonia Viviani, Eduardo Fajardo, Stefania D’Amario, Ugo Bologna, Sara Franchetti, Manuel Zarzo, Tom Felleghy, and Mel Ferrer. Dialchi Film/Lotus Films/Televicine S.A de C.V.
Rated R. 92 minutes.
Horror

★★★★
affiche-l-avion-de-l-apocalypse-nightmare-city-1980-1 If you loved Zack Snyder’s Dawn of the Dead remake with its fast moving zombies, then if you’ve not seen the Umberto Lenzi cult classic zombie-horror movie Nightmare City, do yourself a favour and track it down. Lenzi is most famous among horror hounds perhaps for his 1980 Eaten Alive! or the following year’s Cannibal Ferox, maybe even back to 1972 with his film The Man From Deep River, as they’re often touted as being big powerhouses in the cannibal sub-genre of horror. Then of course there’s a ton of other stuff like Seven Bloodstained Orchids, Knife of Ice, Orgasmo (a.k.a Paranoia for U.S release), Nightmare Beach (one of the stars in this one being Michael Parks who Quentin Tarantino and Kevin Smith have recently cast in their work over the past decade), and others.
However, many of the biggest zombie fans will certainly rave about Nightmare City as some of his best horror work. As far as I’m concerned, it’s up there with the best of them. From nasty zombie makeup effects, to the fast paced movements of the infected themselves, to the frenetic energy of the movie, this one is highly memorable in a sub-genre of horror that nowadays, thanks to The Walking Dead especially, has become almost commonplace. This will remain a genuine, bonafide cult classic because it rises above the mediocrity of so many other zombie movies by being both serious and a lot of fun in terms of its nasty horror.
Screen Shot 2015-10-13 at 6.41.04 PM Screen Shot 2015-10-13 at 6.41.47 PMAs an American news reporter, Dean Miller (Hugo Stiglitz), waits at an airport to interview a scientist concerning recent accidents at a nuclear plant, a mysterious plane lands urgently. When the doors come open, a mass of infected human beings run out onto the tarmac; they immediately begin to maim and murder anyone/everyone in their path, killing the military guards stationed outside. Miller finds himself up against General Murchison (Mel Ferrer) who will not let him leak this information to the general public, instead keeping them in the dark. So while everything devolves into insanity outside, Miller heads off to try and locate his wife Anna (Laura Trotter) at the hospital. There’s no telling if any of them will survive, or if anything will be left standing once the epidemic is over. If it’s ever over.
Screen Shot 2015-10-13 at 6.42.06 PMSo this is not a traditional zombie film, for the purists out there, it’s more of a radiation-infection film. Which is fine, I could care less how a movie like this is described. What matters is the horror, as well as the fact Lenzi does take his shots at the military and armed forces, and war in general. In the same way George A. Romero instilled his own zombie films with sociopolitical messages/themes, I definitely feel Lenzi is making his own statements here about the military, their efficiency, even their intentions.
Most of all, though, it’s the infected, the zombies – the whatever – which ultimately matter. The plot and story are all there, nothing too complex yet it isn’t just throwaway nonsense like some underdeveloped horror movies. But the horror, the effects, those aspects are the main attraction, which is something Lenzi understands.
Right from the very beginning, as Miller (Stiglitz) witnesses the unmarked plane land, its doors opening to reveal crazed masses of infected people, bloodthirsty and maniacal, the movie really starts with a punch. There are throat cuttings and other vile special makeup effects gags right within the first 10 minutes, so it’s easy to see from the get-go how insanely fun Lenzi intends on getting with the rest of the film.
One of my favourite moments is when the infected people make their way into the hospital – they barge in on a surgery, kill the doctor, then one feeds on the open surgical wound while another goes for the IV bottle half-filled with blood. It’s just this real macabre little scene I find awesome yet unsettling. A hospital is the perfect place for these nasties – they need blood to sustain them – and at the same time, for non-infected normal people, the hospital is one of their most vulnerable safe havens. So many sick and old people, others injured, it’s like an ultimate feeding ground for these infected, zombie-like predators, these bloodlusting beasts.
Screen Shot 2015-10-13 at 6.42.37 PM Screen Shot 2015-10-13 at 6.44.01 PMThere’s also plenty of human drama. It’s not all scene after scene of zombie mayhem. A hugely interesting part of any good infected/zombie(/whatever) film is the way humanity is affected, how the population react and how they either fall apart or band together, and so on. There are a few good scenes in this regard. Mixed in amongst the terror and the bloody mess are moments where we’re able to get at least a kernel of character from the cast of survivors, all holed up in their own various ways to try and outlast the epidemic. Not that this film is loaded down with a throbbing supply of characterization, but it’s also not Lenzi just throwing buckets of blood at the camera, sending zombie after zombie into the frame constantly. There’s a lot of that, too. Although he does a fine job including the human element, so as not to get lost in horror makeup and effects. Some zombie movies really get caught up trying to make the zombies everything (and yes they are to a certain extent), they almost forget about the characters and the actors playing them, letting too much fall to the wayside for it to end up a great piece of work. While Lenzi could have done more, certainly, he did pretty well. Enough to make things interesting, plus the characters aren’t all hateable like so many modern horror movies, you actually care about them when they’re slaughtered by the infected.
Screen Shot 2015-10-13 at 6.44.35 PM Screen Shot 2015-10-13 at 6.45.56 PMAll in, Umberto Lenzi’s cult classic Nightmare City is a solid 4 out of 5 star horror movie, especially in the zombie/infected sub-genre. If someone says they’re a big zombie buff and haven’t even heard of this one, be sure to promptly correct them; they are not a buff if they don’t know about this Lenzi flick. You may not be a huge fan of it, though, I’m firm in my belief this is a proper classic. Might have taken awhile for it to find the following of which it is deserving, but that doesn’t make it any less awesome.
When in need this is a perfect flick for any time you need the zombie fix, especially fitting around Halloween season.