living dead

Movie Night [Day of the Dead]: Shaun of the Dead

Dr. K2 Comments

The Day of the Dead (or Dia de los Muertos) is a traditional Latin American holiday on which, every November 1st, the lives of deceased loved ones are celebrated with food, drink, parties, and a great deal of masquerade involving the calacas and calaveras (skeletons and skulls). For me, this seems like the perfect excuse to look back on the long-running and ever-changing zombie genre that was largely popularised by director George A. Romero, which I devoted a great deal of my PhD thesis towards and which has often been used as a parallel to various aspects of society and culture.  

Released: 25 October 2004
Director: Edgar Wright
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Budget: $6.1 million
Stars: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Kate Ashfield, Lucy Davis, Dylan Moran, Penelope Wilton, and Bill Nighy

The Plot:
Perennial loser Shaun (Pegg) is easily swayed from adult responsibilities by his oafish best friend, Ed (Frost). After Liz (Ashfield) ends their relationship, he resolves to win her back but awakens to find Crouch End under siege from a sudden zombie outbreak!

The Background:
Zombies have had a long and varied history in cinema. Originally, films like White Zombie (Halperin, 1932) depicted them more as voodoo slaves but director George A. Romero (who famously avoided the term “zombie”) popularised them as shambling, flesh-hungry corpses in Night of the Living Dead (Romero, 1968). This inspired an entire sub-genre of horror, particular in the sequel, Dawn of the Dead (ibid, 1978), widely regarded as one of the best and most influential zombie films ever made. Specifically, Romero and Dawn of the Dead were a key influence on long-time friends and collaborators Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg putting together this “rom-zom-com” after filming a precursor to the film as a gag for their sit-com Spaced (1999 to 2001). Wright believed so strongly in the project that he turned down further television work as he shopped the concept around before Working Title Films agreed to finance it and production could begin. Both were also huge fans of the Resident Evil videogames (Capcom/Various, 1996 to present) and liked the idea of setting a zombie outbreak in London, where people lack the heavy ordinance typically seen in American films, and focusing on two layabouts who are the last to know about the outbreak. The cast included not just long-time friends Pegg and Frost but many popular British comedians, the filmmakers were inundated with volunteers to fill in as extra zombies, and the film was littered with pop culture references and nods to prominent zombie and horror films. Shaun of the Dead’s $30 million worldwide gross made it a big hit upon release and this was reflected in the unanimous praise that accompanied the film. The film was heralded as an instant classic and its success ensured that Wright, Pegg, and Frost would reunite for other collaborations in the loosely-connected “Three Flavours Cornetto” trilogy.

The Review:
I was a bit late to the Spaced party; I didn’t watch the series until some time after seeing Shaun of the Dead, and I don’t think I saw that until a former friend of mine recommended it to me. One watch and I was instantly hooked and have been a fan of Pegg, Frost, and Wright ever since. The trio (and even two-group combinations of the group) have such a knack for crafting funny, believable, and incredibly relatable characters and stories even when things step into the fantastical and chaotic. As a Brit myself, I appreciate how they take the quaint, ordinary everyday mundanity of life in this little country of ours and satirise it, comment upon it and use it to show just how preposterous our nation can be at times. My love for zombie films may have dwindled over the years (watching and researching them non-stop for an entire year will do that to you) but I know which ones I like and count amongst the best, and Shaun of the Dead is definitely in the top-tier because of how wonderfully it utilises the shambling ghouls as figures of both horror and ridicule.

Shaun is at a crossroads in life where he’s not ready for adulthood, making for the unlikeliest of heroes.

As the title suggests, Shaun of the Dead is the story of Shaun, a twenty-nine-year-old manchild who lives in London and works in an electronics shop. Directionless and largely lethargic, he has fallen into an easy routine involving work, play, and simply hanging out at his local pub, the Winchester Tavern. As something of a manchild myself, I find Shaun’s attitude and predicament largely relatable. He has little to no job satisfaction, is still clinging to his more youthful days as a university student, and is generally just surviving his way through a humdrum existence. However, Shaun recognises that he is at an impasse even before Liz breaks up with him. He wants to do better and to do right by her, but is also fiercely loyal to Ed and can’t quite give up the carefree oaf’s influence on his life. Consequently, Shaun is a man who others see as having great potential but who lets himself get held back by excuses and by his friend. He only resolves to turn his life around after Liz is forced to break up with him, and he only comes to showcase his potential as an unlikely hero after he realises that London is in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. Even then, Shaun is largely making it all up as he goes along; his primary motivation is to get Liz and his mum, Barbara (Wilton), to safety. However, while he has lofty and noble intentions, he does make a bit of a balls-up of it along the way.

Though Liz breaks up with Shaun, she supports his plan to get everyone to safety and believes in him.

After Shaun fails to live up to his promise of trying to do better by her, and having finally had enough of his lackadaisical attitude, Liz is forced to break up with him to avoid being dragged into a sad, pointless existence where she wastes away at the Winchester rather than being out there and living life to the fullest. She doesn’t do this lightly; it’s clear that she’s very in love with Shaun and has a great deal of patience for, and belief in, him but she can only take so much of the same old routine day in and day out, night after night. Even after they’ve broken up, Liz still has a lot of faith in Shaun. She goes along with his plan to get everyone to safety, defends him from criticism regarding his plan (because, after all, at least he has a plan and is trying to do something helpful and proactive), and is generally very loving and supportive while also being level-headed, pragmatic, and calm even as flesh-eating zombies shuffle through the streets. Liz believes in Shaun’s potential to be and do better; all she wants is for him to grow up a little, sort his life out, and take charge of his own destiny rather than settling for a tedious existence that is beneath him. Shaun is thus fully aware that she’s the best and most positive influence of his life and continually puts himself in very real danger in order to win her back and keep her safe.

Perpetual manchild Ed is blamed for holding Shaun back but always has his back no matter what.

If Shaun is a manchild, then Ed is literally a child trapped in a man’s body. The quintessential slob, Ed is a jobless mooch who spends his days playing videogames, smoking fags and drinking beer, and selling a bit of weed on the side. He’s the definition of a moocher, living rent free at Shaun’s place and constantly encourages him to just “chill out” and waste their evenings at the Winchester. While others despair of Ed’s vulgar, unruly behaviour and demeanour, Shaun is fiercely loyal to his childhood friend and enjoys his company. He doesn’t see Ed as a drain or as holding him back, and simply enjoy having his best friend around because he’s fun to be around. In Ed’s defence, he does remind Shaun that he has to go to work and so can’t play videogames all morning, arranges for a lock-in so the two of them can have a few drinks and he can cheer Shaun up with his unique style of humour and crudeness after Liz dumps Shaun, and follows his friend’s lead without question when the zombie apocalypse hits. It’s Ed’s idea to head to the safety and familiarity of the Winchester, a plan that others (even Shaun) initially scoff at but actually has a lot of theoretical logic behind it (the pub has food and drink to sustain them and the windows, entrances, and exits could have been barricaded and boarded up to give them a decent chance at survival if the group was a little more competent). However, these flashes of unique brilliance are offset by Ed’s lack of urgency about everything. Ed sees the entire escapade as an adventure, one that gives him the chance to drive a Jaguar at high speeds and spend the day in the pub, which eventually aggravates even Shaun but the friendship and love between the two remains steadfast. The result is one of the most entertaining, and poignant, aspects of the entire film since they’re both incredibly devoted (and besotted) with each other.

Neither Pete or David much approve of Shaun and Ed’s antics, while Dianne’s mainly a mediator.

Contrasting Ed’s cheerful and apathetic attitude is Pete (Peter Serafinowicz), Shaun and Ed’s more responsible and strict roommate. Like Liz, Pete sees that Ed is a drain not just on Shaun but both of their lives (he doesn’t work, doesn’t tidy the house, and is generally slobbish and selfish) but, unlike Liz, Pete is far more direct in his dislike of Ed and his approach to get Shaun to grow up and take control of his life. Pete’s harsh, but he’s absolutely right, and his outburst is the final kick up the ass Shaun needs to resolve to turn things around, but Pete sadly falls victim to the zombie outbreak before this comes to fruition. Shaun faces similar criticism from Liz’s friend and roommate, David (Moran), who is dating Liz’s other friend and roommate, Dianne (Davis). Despite this, it’s pretty clear that David has feelings for Liz and he remains highly critical of both Shaun and Ed. While Shaun doesn’t agree with Pete’s assessment of Ed’s character, he acts a mediator between the two, but the same can’t be said of his relationship with David. The two have a mutual dislike of each other, which only exacerbates as David constantly berates and criticises Shaun’s plan for survival. This all comes to a head when Barbara reveals she’s been bitten and turns, leading to David almost killing Shaun with a rifle. Dianne is much calmer and more patient of the entire situation, but it’s clear that she’s on the verge of completely losing it at any moment. She proves herself adaptable and integral by putting her acting training to good use so they can comically stumble through the zombie hoards, and eventually snaps when David’s abrasive attitude reaches boiling point.

Everyday life is so dull, especially in Britain, that we’re already mindless zombies.

One of the fantastic things about Shaun of the Dead is how it depicts zombies. Zombies technically exist before the flesh-eaters even start walking the Earth as the opening credits show how Londoners are trapped in a lethargic cycle of sleepwalking their way through menial jobs and boring routines, and even Shaun resembles a shuffling ghoul when he drags himself out of bed in the morning. Nowhere is the depiction of the monotony of everyday life more prominent than in the parallel sequences that follow Shaun from his house and to the corner shop. Shaun is so blinded to what’s going on around him, and takes his life for granted so much, that he doesn’t even notice that things are wildly amiss the second time around. To him, it’s just another day in Crouch End, and he barely notices that the living dead are increasing around him until a blood-soaked ghoul wanders into his back garden. If you’ve seen a Romero film before, the zombies of Shaun of the Dead will be instantly recognisable to you. They’re the classic depiction of the living dead, being walking, bloodied corpses who attack the living on sight, ripping and tearing at their flesh until they’re satisfied and then turning their victims into shambling ghouls soon after. Though slow, they’re incredibly durable and dangerous in large groups, easily overwhelm their victims and can only being put down for good following heavy trauma or destruction of their heads. This proves difficult for the film’s protagonists as firearms aren’t easy to come by in the United Kingdom, meaning that Shaun largely relies on a cricket bat and other improvised weapons (such as vinyl records) before being stunned to find the rifle behind the bar is actually functional (though he’s naturally a “rubbish” shot).

The Nitty-Gritty:
Considering Shaun’s background as a DJ and his former youth spent in clubs and raving, it’s very fitting that Shaun of the Dead makes great use of music. The Specials’ “Ghost Town”, the Blue Wrath’s “I, Monster”, and Kerkraft 400’s “Zombie Nation” are all used to great effect as background music over scenes of life before the zombie outbreak, which only further emphasises the theme of ordinary, everyday life and media consumption turning us into zombies even before the outbreak sweeps the nation. Of course, the most memorable use of music is the fantastic use of Queen’s “Don’t Stop Me Now” when Shaun, Ed, and Liz attack the zombified owner, John (Steve Emerson), which perfectly parallels one of the most upbeat songs every performed with a scene of extreme, if ludicrous, violence.

Sight gags, repetition, and clever use of camera and editing all add to the film’s humour.

One of the most impressive, entertaining, and memorable aspects of Shaun of the Dead (and Edgar Wright films in general) is the unique and unexpected use of camera movements and jump cuts for comedic effect. Wright makes even mundane tasks like peeing and getting dressed for work appear exciting and humorous by filming them like action sequences and utilises a fun snap-cut to instantly turn night to day as Shaun passes out in the kitchen. Wright and Pegg’s writing is absolutely top-notch; the characters fun and relatable, while being vulnerable and desperately trying to adapt to the horrific events happening around them as best they can. The comedy is often based on repetition, references, and foreshadowing; Shaun’s plan to kill Philip and get to the Winchester, Ed’s suggestion to get drunk basically describes the events of the zombie outbreak the next day, and his videogame antics come back into play when defending the Winchester. Pete screams at Ed to “Go and live in the shed!”, which ends up happening in the epilogue, the tracking shot of Shaun’s morning perfectly captures how ignorant he is to the events happening around him, and when he flicks through  the TV channels, all the different sound bites perfectly describe what’s going on in a fun little moment.

Gore is used sparingly, but to great effect and heavily influenced by the likes of George Romero.

Fittingly, the film also contains a number of references and call-backs to popular zombie films. There’s a couple of nods towards Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead films (Raimi, 1981 to 1992) with Shaun referring to an “Ash” who is under the weather and his gasp of “Join us” when he first sees the zombified Pete. Fittingly, it’s Romero who has the most impact on the film; as in Romero’s movies, no definitive explanation is given for the zombie outbreak (the radio hints at a space probe crash, the newspaper headlines offer many different explanations, and the news reports that reports of “rage infected monkeys” are greatly exaggerated). As is often the case, finding the cause for the outbreak is largely inconsequential to actually surviving the chaos. The characters also discourage the use of a “ridiculous” term like zombies, a word never actually used in Romero’s films, and Ed directly quotes Night of the Living Dead with his declaration of “We’re coming to get you Barbara!” Perhaps the most striking and memorable homage to Romero is in David’s gruesome and gory death as he is literally torn to pieces by zombies in exactly the same way as Captain Henry Rhodes (Joseph Pilato) in Day of the Dead (Romero, 1985). Indeed, the film’s use of gore owes a lot to Romero and other “splatter horror” zombie films of the seventies and eighties. The film uses gore and blood sparingly but to great effect, delivering disturbingly mutilated zombies and such fun and disgusting moments as blood spurting from characters’ wounds, a zombie girl sickeningly pulling up after being impaled in Shaun’s garden, and Dianne leaping into the zombie hoard while brandishing her boyfriend’s severed limb!

Shaun is heartbroken when the outbreak forces him to kill his mother and even his stern stepdad.

As great as all of this gore is, a central aspect of the film, and Shaun’s character, is his strained relationship with his stepdad, Philip (Nighy), a stern and harsh patriarchal figure who Shaun resents for his condescending and disapproving attitude. Philip is the very embodiment of an overbearing authority figure and has long been a thorn in Shaun’s side as nothing he ever does, or has done, has ever been good enough for his would-be father figure. This is the exact opposite of his loving relationship with his mother, an eccentric and doting woman who just wants everyone to get along and doesn’t want to cause a fuss. This ranges from little things like being more concerned about making sandwiches for Shaun when he comes to rescue her, to hiding the bite she received from the others so as not to worry her beloved son. Having suffered two pretty horrific bites during their escape, Philip ultimately succumbs to his wounds and dies but, before turning, finally buries the hatchet with his step-son in a truly emotional scene. Philip admits that he also saw great potential in Shaun and did the best he could to push him to achieve that, but struggled as Shaun was already a pre-teen when they first met but, with his father-figure dying in his arms, Shaun finally puts his issues with his stepdad to rest. However, he’s absolutely heartbroken to find that his mum has also been bitten and leaps to her defence when David moves to execute her before she can turn. This causes the tensions between the two, and the entire group, to finally boil over and not only makes a traumatic moment even worse for Shaun but spells disaster for their makeshift fortification.

Shaun and Liz are the sole survivors but the country quickly recovers from the zombie outbreak.

Although Shaun bravely attempts to lead the zombie hoard away to cover his friends’ escape into the Winchester, they eventually find their way back to the pub, and the group fails to properly check and secure their stronghold for any resident evils. Thanks to David recklessly breaking a window so they can get inside rather than wait for Shaun to lead them to the back entrance, the zombies inevitably lay siege to the pub. After being bitten by Pete and other zombies, Ed is left bleeding out and doomed while Shaun and Liz find themselves trapped in the pub’s basement. After briefly considering killing themselves, they realise that they can make an escape using the keg lift, but Ed volunteers to stay behind rather than slow them down. In another of the film’s more poignant and moving moments, Shaun and Ed bid a heartfelt and tearful goodbye to each other and Shaun and Liz prepare to fight their way to safety on the infested streets…only to be suddenly saved at the last minute by the British military, led to them by Shaun’s friend and far more capable survivor, Yvonne (Jessica Stevenson). In this regard, the film veers away from the traditionally bleak endings of Romero’s films to give the couple a definitive and happy ending. In the aftermath, the film perfectly encapsulates how the UK recovered from “Z-Day” by turning the whole thing into a media circus: zombies appear on talk shows and gameshows, they are easily domesticated for menial work, and the entire event is largely glossed over as “just one of those things”. Crucially, Liz and Shaun find a happy medium where they go-exist as a slightly more adventurous (Shaun now takes two sugars in his tea!) couple while still having a regular routine. In many ways, Liz takes Ed’s place as Shaun’s best friend and most prominent influence, but she’s also fully supportive of him still spending time with his old friend, who is chained up in the shed so that the two can still enjoy videogames.

The Summary:
I tend to avoid reviewing comedies. I find trying to explain why something is funny a bit difficult at times since comedy is subjective and maybe not everyone will appreciate or fully understand some of the gags a film or why others find them so amusing. However, it’s an absolute pleasure to revisit Shaun of the Dead and to talk about it in detail as it’s legitimately one of my favourite horror, comedy, and zombie films of all time. Being a Brit, I totally relate to the depiction of our society and just how boring and dull everyday life can be, and having worked in retail for eleven years I can attest that it is one of the most soul-destroying jobs out there where you’re often encouraged to be little ore than mindless automatons…or zombies. I also fully relate to Shaun’s plight; he’s at that difficult crossroads where he’s not ready to become a fully-fledged adult, and it’s easy to fall back on hold habits and creature comforts at that time of life. I can totally buy the idea that he wants to do better but just isn’t sure how and is quite awkward in his attempts to do so because it’s such a big step for him. Toss in some entertaining and innovative camera movements and shots, jump cuts, and a fantastic use of music, and you’re already in line for a pretty entertaining romantic comedy but the addition of gory, voracious zombies only adds to the film’s appeal. It’s a true love letter to zombie maestro George Romero, but made all the more ridiculous and enjoyable because it’s set in London, of all places, and the characters are all so incredulous to the chaos happening around them. Consequently, there’s loads here for horror and zombie fans to enjoy but the film is peppered with surprisingly emotional moments as well, not to mention the perfectly executed comedy and character beats and the hilarious use of foreshadowing and repetition throughout that ensures every gag gets a fun payoff and characters are seen as both competent and incompetent when it comes to adapting to the sudden zombie apocalypse. Overall, this is a thoroughly enjoyable movie from start to finish and may still be the best of Wright, Pegg, and Frost’s “trilogy” of movies for just how expertly it juggles all of its different tones, characters, and themes, and I honestly couldn’t recommend it more to both die-hard fans and newcomers to the genre.

My Rating:

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Fantastic

Are you a fan of Shaun of the Dead? Did you enjoy the references and call-backs to other zombie films in the movie, especially the works of George Romero? Were you able to relate to the characters and, if so, which was your favourite and why? Are you a fan of Wright, Pegg, and Frost and their unique style of filmmaking and comedy? What do you think caused the zombie outbreak and how do you think you would react in such a scenario? What is your favourite zombie film and what do you think of the genre in general? How are you celebrating the Day of the Dead today? Whatever your thoughts on Shaun of the Dead, and zombie films in general, feel free to leave a comment below.

Movie Night [Day of the Dead]: Night of the Living Dead (1968)

Dr. K2 Comments

The Day of the Dead (or Dia de los Muertos) is a traditional Latin American holiday on which, every November 1st, the lives of deceased loved ones are celebrated with food, drink, parties, and a great deal of masquerade involving the calacas and calaveras (skeletons and skulls). For me, this seems like the perfect excuse to look back on the long-running and ever-changing zombie genre that was largely popularised by director George A. Romero, which I devoted a great deal of my PhD thesis towards and which has often been used as a parallel to various aspects of society and culture.  

Released: 1 October 1968
Director: George A. Romero
Distributor: Continental Distributing
Budget: $114,000 to 125,000
Stars: Duane Jones, Judith O’Dea, Karl Hardman, Marilyn Eastman, and Kyra Schon

The Plot:
When the recently deceased suddenly return to life, traumatised Barbra (O’Dea) takes shelter in a farmhouse alongside pragmatic Ben (Jones) and antagonistic Harry Cooper (Hardman). With tensions rising and the walking dead closing in, the group struggles to survive, co-exist, and make sense of this strange phenomenon.

The Background:
Ever since the 1930s, zombies have appeared in movies in one form or another, either as mindless slaves, voracious cannibals, or in their most famous form: the shambling undead. After growing bored with directing television commercials, George A. Romero and his friends, John Russo and Russell Steiner, decided to capitalise on growing trends for more bizarre content and produce a horror movie. Initially conceived of as a horror comedy about adolescent aliens, it was Russo who decided the creatures being flesh-eating reanimated corpses, which Romero infused with heavy inspiration from the macabre revolutionary themes of I Am Legend (Matheson, 1954) and its first screen adaptation, The Last Man on Earth (Salkow and Ragona, 1964). Although the role of Ben was written as a Caucasian, Duane Jones impressed Romero in his audition and the script was revised based on his input; his casting and portrayal inspired numerous racial readings and made the film surprisingly progressive for the time. The low-budget impacted the options available to the filmmakers; chocolate syrup, entrails from butcher shops, and simple make-up effects brought the gore and ghouls to gruesome life and, while simplistic by today’s standards, proved shocking and outrageous at the time. Despite the controversy it caused, Night of the Living Dead was a massive hit with its box office gross of over $30 million; although critics dismissed it at the time, Night of the Living Dead has since been regarded as a horror classic, one of the best of its era, and it was preserved in the National Film Registry in 1999. The film was not only followed by subsequent sequels (both official and unofficial) and (thanks to an agreement between Romero and Russo) a similarly-named adjacent series) that expanded and refined the zombie concept, but heavily influenced the portrayal of zombies for decades. Remade in 1990 to recoup some profit after legal issues saw the original become public domain, Night of the Living Dead is also the most remade film in history.

The Review:
When I decided to spend a year of my PhD discussing the original Resident Evil movies (Various, 2002 to 2016), I found myself deeply entrenched in the rich and lengthy lore of zombie cinema, tracking their origins as voodoo slaves in White Zombie (Halperin, 1932), their vampire-like depiction in I Am Legend and the first of its many adaptations, The Last Man on Earth, and, of course, charting the history of Romero’s genre-defining depiction of the living dead. I found that zombies are one of the most enduring horror creatures not just in cinema, but in mainstream media; they’ve been as persistent as they appear in movies, changing from shambling ghouls to rage-filled savages, and continue to be popular inclusions in horror media thanks to how versatile they are. Honestly, though, this kind of research and in-depth exposure to zombie cinema kind of ruined my appreciation for zombie movies; many are low-budget, derivative affairs or simply repeat the same lessons established by Romero decades ago, meaning it can be hard to find quality zombie movies. Although well renowned as the grandfather of this sub-genre of horror, Romero’s first effort in bringing zombies to un-life is fraught with issues, ranging from the obvious low budget and stilted performances to inconsistences in the portrayal and behaviour of the titular living dead as these aspects wouldn’t be refined until the far more visually and philosophically interesting (but, blasphemously, still quite tedious, in my opinion) sequel. I also feel compelled to specify here that I’m looking at the black and white original rather than the many different re-releases or the bastardised colour version, simply to give my thoughts on Romero’s original vision as depicted so controversially decades ago.

Unlike Ben, who takes charge as a resourceful leader, Barbra is little more than a traumatised mouse.

We open with Barbra and her brother, Johnny (Russell Streiner), reaching the end of a regular 200-mile round trip to place a wreath on their father’s grave at the behest of their mother. Johnny, exasperated at regularly having to waste his days commemorating a man he barely even remembers, just wants to get back home and stop throwing away good money for sentiment. While Barbra is happy to make the trip and thinks fondly of her father, Johnny has no time for lingering and amuses himself by teasing Barbra since she’s still scared by cemeteries. Indeed, Barbra’s previous resolve in chastising Johnny’s attitude falters when he starts bullying her, but they’re both horrified when a strange, shambling man (Bill Hinzman) suddenly attacks them. Although Johnny bravely (if awkwardly) tries to fight the man off, he ends up bashed into a gravestone, leaving Barbra fleeing in terror. After…somehow…crashing her car, Barbra is forced to take refuge in a nearby farmhouse; though she arms herself with a knife, she’s unable to call for help due to mysterious interference on the line but, luckily, Ben shows up and immediately takes charge. If you’re hoping for a strong, capable female lead then you’re out of luck, Barbra is so crippled by fear that’s practically catatonic, sleepwalking through the rest of the film and completely giving into despair while Ben is forthright and bravely tackles the ghouls with a tyre iron. Although he’s just as scared as her, his thoughts are on practical matters such as food, lights, and arming himself with a rifle; Barbra’s distressed state aggravates him, but he keeps his cool and puts her to work helping to secure the house against further attacks to await rescue. Eloquent, intelligent, and charismatic, Ben hides his fear and confusion behind productive tasks and narrating his observations and the horrors he’s seen aloud, something he’s forced to do since Barbra too shocked to be much conversation. When Barbra descends into hysteria, so desperate to save Johnny that she almost runs out into further danger, Ben’s forced to physically subdue her to keep her calm, allowing him to finish fortifying the house and glean insight into the crisis from a radio broadcast.

Tensions rise between the survivors, who are faced with a clash of ego and the undead.

Considering it takes Ben some time (presumably a couple of hours) to finish fortifying the house, it comes as a surprise to both them and the audience when other survivors emerge from the cellar. Naturally, Ben is incensed to learn that Harry, his wife and daughter, Helen (Eastman) and Karen (Schon), and lovers Tom (Keith Wayne) and Judy (Judith Ridley), chose to hide rather than investigate the screaming and commotion. Ben’s natural instinct is to help people, no matter the danger, whereas Harry reasoned it wasn’t worth risking their lives and their safety helping others. Having witnessed the strength and tenacity of the ghouls, Harry is adamant that they’re all safer in the cellar, regardless of the fortifications, and both make valid arguments since the cellar allows them to better fend off attacks, but the house gives them a fighting chance and more escape routes. Tom does his best to play peacekeeper, but Harry stubbornly refuses to listen to reason, primarily due to fear, his shame at feeling said fear, and a deep-seated need to protect his family. Although the ghouls briefly breaking through the windows seems to prove Harry’s point, he’s aggrieved when Ben refuses to share any of the upstairs food or resources; it seems Harry wants it both ways, but Ben firmly draws a line and delivers a stern ultimatum: “You can be the boss down there. I’m boss up here”, enraging the overprotective and stubborn father. Taking his chances upstairs, Tom has the anxious and caring Judy join them while Harry barricades himself and his family downstairs out of a pig-headed fixation on being “right”. Weary of his bullish ways, Helen echoes Ben’s remarks about Harry’s shortsightedness, which cuts them and their sick daughter off from information and potential rescue. Like Tom, she emphasises co-operation and compromise, allowing them to trade places with Judy to learn more about the crisis, though he continues to rile Ben up with his antagonistic and cynical attitude. Helen is encouraged by news of rescue centres nearby and Ben devises a plan to hold off the ghouls with flaming torches so they can refuel his truck and get medical help for Karen, but the plan goes horribly awry, resulting in Tom and Judy’s fiery deaths, and Ben unloads his rage onto Harry when he refuses to let him back into the house, leading to the two tussling for the rifle.

Night established and popularised many of the characteristics of zombie media.

In their first appearance, Romero’s living dead are noticeably different to what we’d see in his sequels and subsequent zombie media. The first thing to note, of course, is that the living dead are never referred to as “zombies”; this term would be as fastidiously avoided and mocked as Romero’s opinions on running zombie variants, meaning the living dead have more in common with Matheson’s interpretation of vampires than the brain-devouring zombie of mainstream imagination. Consequently, the living dead are referred to as anything but zombies; described as “ghouls”, “things”, “them”, and “assassins”, the living dead are also noticeably less gruesome than in later movies, potentially because the zombie outbreak is so recent and the undead so freshly turned. Similarly, Romero avoids explaining the sudden return of the living dead; a news report speculates radiation from an exploding space probe, but divine will is also implied (Johnny mocks Barbra’s prayer and admits to no longer attending church, and is the first to die). The zombie outbreak is treated as a sudden and confusing attack, almost like an epidemic; at first, characters ignore or mock the signs but they’re soon relying on radio broadcasts for scant information and how to combat the voracious ghouls. Night of the Living Dead establishes the basic rules of the undead: for whatever reason, the recently-deceased return in a near-mindless state, driven only by the need to consume human flesh. Rather than infecting people, their bites simply expedite the deaths of their victims; because of radiation from the Venus prove, anyone who dies will then reanimate with a taste for murder and cannibalism. Though slow and shambling and driven back by fire, the ghouls are incredibly persistent and dangerous in large groups; they can only be permanently put down with a blow to the head, destroying their brain, or removing the head entirely, and people are encouraged to forgo proper funeral procedures and immolate the corpses as soon as possible. Unlike most iterations of zombies, however, the ghouls are decidedly less monstrous here; many are more like entranced slaves or crazed maniacs, meaning they can use tools or rocks where brute strength fails and young Karen even uses a trowel to stab her mother to death rather than going for the jugular as you might expect.

The Nitty-Gritty:
There’s a certain classic charm to revisiting the old black and white horrors of yesteryear; everything has a distinctly old-timey and almost gothic atmosphere, which is only extenuated by the greyscale visuals. Yes, it does make some of the night-time action difficult to make out and it’s not for everyone, but I always appreciate this era of cinema as it evokes feelings of nostalgia and appreciation for these filmmakers, who did the best they could on a limited budget and with the technology of the time and, in many cases, pioneered filmmaking effects that we still see in cinema to this day. Even in this first tentative outing for the living dead, Romero positions the ghouls as social commentary; their mindless, savage, almost primal nature explicitly reflects the dichotomy between the survivors, particularly Ben and Harry, who constantly butt heads. There’s a startling message related to this through the simple depiction of the ghouls co-existing and even working together, despite being incapable of communication, to problem solve and better devour their prey; in contrast, the survivors are equally unable to communicate due to fear, tension, and ego and absolutely incapable of working together for these same reasons. It’s these emotional responses that see other survivors uniting against their monstrous foes as a paranoid, trigger-happy mob that’s as inhuman as the ghouls they target, creating a thematic parallel that begs the question who the real monsters are, us or “them”? Naturally, you can read into this even further thanks to Ben being a Black man; though the most level-headed and practical, he’s met with suspicion (even from Barbra, initially) and hostility, which opens itself up to racial prejudice due to his skin colour and Harry’s overly aggressive demeanour, and the ghouls are also framed as being this unknowable threat not unlike  foreign invader that “normal” folk struggle to understand and fight back against with extreme prejudice.

Despite surviving the horrifying night, Ben is callously shot dead as humanity blindly fights back.

Although Johnny’s death is disappointingly lame and bloodless, the suddenness and brutality of is where the true horror lies; still, Night of the Living Dead contains a fair amount of gore, including a partially mangled (presumably eaten) corpse in the farmhouse, some rudimentary decomposition effects, a surprising amount of flaming bodes, and sickening scenes of ghouls feasting on Tom and Judy’s entrails and chargrilled flesh. Still, Night of the Living Dead focuses more on tension and both internal and external threats. Although Harry covers their exit with Molotov cocktails, he takes advantage of the situation to claim dominion over the entire house. Unsurprisingly, given they’ve been measuring dicks the entire time, Ben fights him for control of the only gun, resulting in Harry being fatally shot due to his hubris. Having succumbed to her injuries, Karen reanimates and feasts on her father’s body before stabbing her mother to death. As she and the other ghouls close in, Barbra finally snaps out of her stupor, only to be dragged into the writhing masses by Johnny, and this irony is quickly followed by Ben, the sole survivor, being forced to take refuge in the cellar when his barricades fail. After putting down the reanimated Harry (which seems as much out of spite as it for survival) and Helen, Ben waits it out and survives the night; since the ghouls go down pretty easily when you have the right weapons, the danger seems to be mostly contained by the authorities and gun-toting locals, who pick the living dead off with ease. When they come to dispatch the ghouls near the farmhouse, Ben emerges from the cellar, attracted to the gunfire, but his caution proves his undoing; since he’s skulking around in the darkness, he’s mistaken for a ghoul and promptly executed on the spot. As the credits play, his body (and those of all the characters, ghouls and human alike) is dispassionately dumped onto a bonfire and burned in one of the bleakest endings in all of horror cinema.

The Summary:
There’s a reason Night of the Living Dead is considered a horror classic and the forefather of zombie media. A low-budget affair that made the most of its resources, the film is a bleak mediation on humanity; simple ideas such as co-operating, coming together in a crisis, and working together to overcome an aggressive foe are present and resonate even to this day, where we’re more likely to turn against each other than set aside our differences. Although not as explicit as in his later movies, the ghouls are clearly utilised as an allegory for these matters, and various others; the fear and inevitability of death, the danger of the unknown, the savage nature of man are all valid readings of Night of the Living Dead.  It’s also incredibly progressive in terms of Black representation; Ben is a keen, intelligent, and proactive survivor haunted by what he’s seen but determined to help others and make a fighting stand until rescue comes. While he can be as abrasive as Harry, his stubborn demeanour comes from a place of logic and reason and he’s constantly trying to increase their chances of survival, only to be met with pig-headed resistance. Harry might be an asshole, but you can see where he’s coming from; he’s scared and wants to protect his family, even if it means sacrificing others. Sadly, Helen (and women in general) don’t fare quite as well; portrayed as meek and generally useless, women just kind of get in the way or are oppressed and bossed about rather than contributing anything meaningful, though this does allow discussions about gender equality and machismo. Night of the Living Dead also established many of the “rules” for zombie cinema; although its ghouls aren’t as monstrous as later zombies and are more like entranced slaves, there’s a mystery and a danger to them when they gather in large numbers against vulnerable victims. However, it’s true that the film hasn’t aged very well; the performances and some themes are questionable, and there have been better zombie movies made since (by Romero himself, no less) that both overshadow this one and expose its flaws, though it remains recommended viewing for any fans of the genre, for sure,

My Rating:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Pretty Good

Do you consider Night of the Living Dead a classic of the genre? Were you surprised to see a Black man take such a proactive role? What did you think to the tension and rivalry between Ben and Harry? How did you interpret the ghouls and what did you think to their characterisation here? What do you think caused the zombie outbreak and how do you think you would react in such a scenario? What is your favourite zombie film and what do you think of the genre in general? How are you celebrating the Day of the Dead today? Whatever your thoughts on Night of the Living Dead, and zombie films in general, feel free to leave a comment below or leave your thoughts on my social media, and check out my other zombie content across the site.

Movie Night [Day of the Dead]: Dawn of the Dead (2004): The Director’s Cut

Dr. K1 Comment

The Day of the Dead (or Dia de los Muertos) is a traditional Latin American holiday on which, every November 1st, the lives of deceased loved ones are celebrated with food, drink, parties, and a great deal of masquerade involving the calacas and calaveras (skeletons and skulls). For me, this seems like the perfect excuse to look back on the long-running and ever-changing zombie genre that was largely popularised by director George A. Romero, which I devoted a great deal of my PhD thesis towards and which has often been used as a parallel to various aspects of society and culture.  

Released: 25 October 2004
Originally Released: 19 March 2004
Director: Zack Snyder
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Budget: $26 million
Stars: Sarah Polley, Jake Weber, Ving Rhames, Mekhi Phifer, Ty Burrell, Lindy Booth, and Michael Kelly

The Plot:
When the world inexplicably descends into chaos and bloodshed following a sudden zombie outbreak, a handful of survivors are driven into the local shopping mall.

The Background:
Ever since White Zombie (Halperin, 1932), zombies have long been a staple of horror cinema but their status as reanimated corpses who incessantly feed on the flesh of the living was popularised by director George A. Romero (despite Romero’s films avoiding the term “zombie”) in Night of the Living Dead (Romero, 1968). Not only did Night of the Living Dead inspire a vast sub-genre of horror works, the first of its five sequels, Dawn of the Dead (ibid, 1978), is largely considered one of the best and most influential zombie films of all time. Plans for a remake of Romero’s classic allegory for consumerism began with producer Eric Newman, who acquired the rights to the film and aimed to reimagine it for a younger, modern audience. The remake was written by James Gunn and marked Zack Snyder’s directorial debut, and separated itself from the original by increasing the speed and ferocity of its flesh-eating ghouls. While many often decry remakes, many of the most popular and iconic films are remakes and Dawn of the Dead proved to be a commercial success by grossing over $100 million at the box office. Though some regarded the film unfavourably upon release, an extended director’s cut was released on DVD later that same year and the remake earned some notable cult success and is often regarded as being just as good as the original.

The Review:
Like any good, self-respecting zombie film, Dawn of the Dead offers the merest glimpse of life before the outbreak before everything mysteriously and hideously goes to hell. Ana Clark (Polley) is an underappreciated and overworked nurse who, fatigued by her long hours, is more concerned with going home to her husband, Louis (Louis Ferreira), and her nice, normal suburban life than worrying about bite victims being admitted to the intensive care unit and emergency news bulletins.

Ana wakes up to find her normal, everyday suburban life has descended into violence and chaos.

As a result, when she awakens the next day, Ana is horrified to find that a local neighbourhood girl, Vivian (Hannah Lochner) has become a rabid, animalistic cannibal; she viciously attacks Louis, taking a chunk out of his neck and, though Ana tries to stop the geyser of blood, she’s unable to get through to the hospital and Louis chokes to death on his own blood…only to immediately return to life and attack her! Distraught and running on pure adrenaline, Ana is able to scramble her way out of the house…only to find her peaceful little neighbourhood has descended into violence and anarchy; fires rage all over the area, car crashes, explosions, and wrecks are everywhere, and the equally desperate and terrified victims of these animalistic zombies pose just as much of a threat as the undead.

Rhames delivers a solid performance as the surprisingly complex Kenneth.

Stunned by a car crash and overwhelmed by shock and fear, Ana is little more than a zombie herself when she comes across the shotgun-toting Kenneth Hall (Rhames); a big, sombre man who is just looking to reunite with his brother. Although he joins up with the main group of survivors, Michael (Weber), Andre (Phifer), and his pregnant wife, Luda (Inna Korobkina), and accompanies them to the nearby mall (which offers a modicum of protection from the rabid undead and a whole host of creature comforts to sustain them), he initially wishes only to check on his brother but quickly realises that no one is coming to help them and that they must work together to survive. Of all the characters in the film, Kenneth is easily my favourite; an intimidating figure with a no-nonsense attitude and a deep, gravelly voice, Rhames is great in the role and is much more than mere muscle as his character has a real depth of emotion and a significant arc where he comes to view his fellow survivors as his surrogate family.

Michael plays peacemaker and offers logical, practical solutions to keep everyone safe.

However, the mall is currently claimed as sanctuary by three security guards – C.J. (Kelly), Bart (Michael Barry), and Terry (Kevin Zegers) – who aggressive oppose the taking in of additional bodies and a reluctant, frosty truce is force between the two groups Michael, a former television salesman, attempts to keep the peace and bring some kind of organisation to the group; he’s not looking to give orders or be a leader but merely comes up with logical suggestions for the others, which are generally adhered to for their practicality. Kenneth, at first, stoically rebukes him and he’s able to appeal to C.J.’s ego and sway him into helping them by coming up with good ideas and attributing them to him, thus positioning him as a paper leader. Constantly adaptable and something of a father figure, Michael becomes close with Ana but their attempts at romance are hampered by the greater problems facing the group. Though lacking in formal training and physical stature, Michael is pretty handy in a tight spot and, thanks to his will to survive and adaptability, is able to kill his fair share of zombies when the moment calls for it and is the first to actively stand up to C.J. during a tense confrontation on the roof.

C.J. goes from a stubborn antagonist to a pivotal ally willing to risk his life to get others to safety.

C.J. is, initially, the film’s secondary antagonist after the zombies; ruled by his fear of the undead and paranoia, he stubbornly holds on to his fragile authority and begrudgingly assists the other survivors on the understanding that they will leave the mall as soon as possible, even locking them up to keep them from stealing stuff. While Bart has a perverse fascination with the undead and follows C.J.’s orders to the letter, Terry is far more reluctant but, while C.J. is a hard-ass when the others first encounter him, he eventually becomes a trusted and valuable ally, covering their escape, putting himself at risk to save others, and even sacrificing himself so that the others can escape. While an obnoxious and detestable character when he’s first introduced, C.J. became another favourite of mine through his redemptive arc; after being decked my Michael and humbled by being locked up with Bart, his attitude shifts noticeably and he becomes a pivotal ally in the film’s chaotic third act. Soon, the group is joined by a number of other survivors: Andy (Bruce Bohne) is trapped on the roof of his gun shop across the road and slowly starving to death and communicates with the main protagonists using writing, leading to a brief bit of entertainment amidst the chaos where he plays chess with Kenneth and they shoot zombies who resemble celebrities. A truckload of other survivors upset C.J. when they crash into the mall, which brings a diverse quasi-society to the mall and, with the zombies kept at bay, the survivors begin to bond, with Terry and Nicole (Booth) sparking up a mutual attraction and Steve Markus (Burrell) acting as a tertiary antagonist with his pessimistic and cynical attitude. The others are little more than shellshocked cannon fodder who exist to share stories of their lives before the world fell apart, stories of their experiences of the outbreak, and fall victim to zombie bites and attacks.

The Nitty-Gritty:
As in Romero’s original films, there is no explanation given for the zombie outbreak and the word “zombie” is never used; newscasters and governmental and scientific minds are baffled by the sudden outbreak and the closest we get to an explanation for the horrific events that unfold is from a televangelist (Ken Foree in a welcome cameo) who believes that “when there is no more room in Hell, the dead shall walk the Earth”. Like most zombie films, the cause and prevention of the outbreak takes a backseat as the survivors concentrate mainly on just that: survival.

Zombies are fast, aggressive, and dangerous monsters driven purely by instinct and hunger.

Like the Infected in 28 Days Later (Boyle, 2002), the undead in Dawn of the Dead are fast-moving, aggressive, and animalistic creatures; although the source of the outbreak is unknown, the virus is transmitted through bites: a single bite will kill the victim and then almost immediately reanimate them into a near-mindless cannibals. The only way to stop the zombies is to shoot them in or otherwise destroy their head; anything less results in them relentlessly pursuing their prey or becoming what is known as a “Twitcher” (where they simply thrash around in manic spasms). The zombies work purely on instinct, seeking out warm, fresh meat and guided by vestiges of memory to places they frequented in life, such as the mall, though they show no signs of intelligence or problem solving and simply throw themselves ceaselessly at their victims until they succeed or fall down. Even a single zombie poses a significant threat thanks to their incredible speed, strength, and ferocity but they are even more dangerous in large groups, where they resemble little more than a sea of blood-stained, mangled corpses bent on feasting on living flesh.

The threat of a zombie’s bite is the source of much tragedy and suffering for the few survivors.

The inevitability of death from a zombie bite is a source of great tension and tragedy in the film; when Ana first theorises on the bite being the source of the infection, Michael pragmatically decides that it is best for any amongst them who have been bitten to be immediately executed, which brings him into brief conflict with Ana. Ultimately, he chooses not to kill Frank (Matt Frewer) in cold blood and instead allows him to die peacefully and be put out of his undead misery by Kenneth. Similarly, the revelation and horror of the bite’s potency drives Andre into a deep denial; he starts to brush off offers for help from Ana and the others and his obsessive desire to keep Luda safe, even when she’s succumbed to her infection, leads to his death when he desperately tries to keep his little monster baby from harm. While the original film was largely an allegory for consumerism and greed and held a mirror up to a society that was already a form of brainwashed zombies thanks to advertising and excess, the remake is more concerned with the survivors indulging in excess once they establish a delicate, makeshift society.

The remake is more action-packed and gruesome than the original but no less allegorical.

Tensions, paranoia, and fear are high because of the gruesome events unfolding around them but, with C.J. and Bart locked up and isolated from the group, the remaining survivors quickly bond and share their life stories and experiences. Eventually, C.J. becomes a part of the group when Bart is attacked and helps them to fortify a couple of buses to take them away from the mall when they realise that it’s just a matter of time before more of the zombies breach their defences. This is, primarily, where Dawn of the Dead separates itself from the original (for the better, in my opinion): it’s much more action-packed, the pace is much faster, and the gore is far more ghastly (Bart, for example, is attacked by a zombie that’s missing its legs and scrambles along an overhead pipe!) Nowhere is this seen more in their desperate escape from the mall in their spruced-up vehicles, which, for all their efforts, are nearly toppled over by the zombie hoards and one is easily overturned by the presence of a single zombie. Tension definitely ramps up when the group leaves the safety of the mall as, exposed out in the open, they are constantly at risk even when no zombies are around and, in the film’s last frantic minutes, they lose more of their group in their escape than they arguably would have if they had stayed put and tried to fortify the mall.

The Summary:
I’ve watched a lot of zombie films in my time; I’ve seen all of George A. Romero’s movies and researched the genre, and the concept, extensively for my PhD. However, as much as I respect and admire his influence on the genre, I can’t say that I’m really that big a fan of his films; yet, while I feel that they haven’t really aged all that well, the allegorical messages and subliminal horror of his zombie films remains as relevant as ever (if not more so given the state of the world these days), it’s just let down a bit by the pacing. As a result, I am a big fan of the Dawn of the Dead remake; it’s grittier, much more action-packed, and the effects are far more convincing and horrific. While zombie purists may decry the faster, more aggressive zombies, I actually much prefer it since it makes for a much more frightening and formidable creature; plus, they do shamble and shuffle along when converging on the mall and only explode in a burst of speed and ferocity when flesh is nearby. Best of all, the film retains Romero’s trademark bleak undertones not just in Andre’s macabre fate but also the conclusion of the film, which sees characters both beloved and obnoxious giving their lives so that the few that remain can survive only for them to meet what appears to be a horrific end during the end credits.

My Rating:

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Great Stuff

Are you a fan of Zack Snyder’s Dawn of the Dead? How do you think it compares to the original and other zombie movies? Do you like fast-moving, aggressive zombies or do you prefer the traditional, shambling, more allegorical depiction of the undead? What do you think caused the zombie outbreak and how do you think you would react in such a scenario? Which of the characters was your favourite and which death affected you the most, if any? What is your favourite zombie film and what do you think of the genre in general? How are you celebrating the Day of the Dead today? Whatever your thoughts on Dawn of the Dead, and zombie films in general, feel free to leave a comment down below.