Day Of The Dead

Day Of The Dead

Night Of The Living Dead smoothly combines terror and realism, Dawn Of The Dead plays chicken with humor and horror, and Day Of The Dead represents Romero’s most grim vision, souping up cold war nihilism with as yet unsurpassed gore. It’s not a movie to approach lightly, but may well be the most fully realized of Romero’s zombie epics, despite being severly truncated by budgetary restraints.

A small band of humans alight whirlybird-style in a Florida resort town. Their only greeting is a stumbling horde of ravenous, decaying townies. For anyone who’s felt the sting of a loco local with an attitude that’s comprised of resentment towards tourist dollars, this is where Romero’s realism kicks in. Feeling the heat, the crew rushes back to their underground sanctuary, a soul-sucking limestone cavern that’s easily defendable but rife with instant cabin fever.

It’s here where the dynamic between the few military survivors and the small scientific research team sharing the cavern unfolds. Dr. Logan and friends want to study the zombies in hopes of finnding a cure or something. The marines offer help and protection, but are increasingly disenchanted with the surfeit of results, becoming more stir-crazy and violent. Inevitably, bodies are torn to shreds and devoured. There is scant hope.

Romero’s script comes from a time when the doomsday clock was set at 11:55, and mutually-assured nuclear annhilation was an inevitability. To wit: in Day Of The Dead, it’s not a matter of if the zombies will eat you, but when. There are no real heroes in this movie. The scientific crew is just as likely to accidentally unleash their gut-munching lab rats as the marines are to kill someone with (un)friendly fire. Dr. Logan has completely lost touch with reality; in the end his one contribution is creating the pet-like, lovable zombie Bub.

Ambiguity reigns supreme, with the final 30 minutes of the movie giving way to an orgy of blasted brains, spouting head wounds, shredded skin and tendons and bodies torn apart like bloody sacks of flesh and organs.

Day Of The Dead creates a complete world of ultra-realism and hopeless nihilism, which is what makes it so special to the gorehound’s heart. Would Romero’s original epic screenplay have been as effective? Video Sewer thinks the lean, mean attitude of Day Of The Dead gives it the effectiveness of a quick kidney-punch. It will send you into the daylight blinking and dazed.

DVD
Anchor Bay gives Day Of The Dead the royal treatment. While it’s not the 4-disk Ultimate Edition Dawn spawned, it’s still two high-quality disks of gory adulation. Two commentary tracks accompany the usual theatrical and TV trailers, along with a 40-minute documentary, 30-minutes of effects maestro Tom Savini’s behind the scenes footage, a radio interview with Richard Liberty, (who played Dr. Logan) an eight-minute promotional reel for the limestone caves where Day was shot, numerous production stills, posters, photos of memerobilia, a DVD-Rom accesible copy of Romero’s legendary original screenplay, a loving little fanboy booklet defining the joys of this evil gore-fest, and still more.