The Gilroy 06.25.08: Column of the Dead

Posted by Ben Quick on 06.25.2008

What's more fun than zombies?


For all the sub-genres of horror, for just about all of them, the idea is for the movie to be scary. All expect maybe one. The hallowed zombie genre, to me, has never been about being scary. The idea of a survival story being set amongst the living dead isn't a frightening concept. It's just awesome and fun. I might go as far as to say the zombie genre is my favorite among all in the horror spectrum. Whether it's Night of the Comet, 28 Weeks Later(I liked it better than Days) or Shaun of the Dead, zombie movies are always cool. Though, there will always be one man with whom the genre is identified with more than any other. George A. Romero has made five zombie movies in the last forty years. Those five movies have shaped the genre more than any other set ever has, or probably ever will. These are those five movies, and this is my column of the dead.



Night of the Living Dead

There were other movies that qualified as a zombie movie before Night of the Living Dead came out in 1968, but none of them really mattered after this one. The story of a group of people taking refuge in a farm house while zombies wait outside, hungry for their flesh; set the standard for what a zombie movie must be. The original Night of the Living Dead was brilliant in meshing characters of strength and those of weakness. It makes the viewer ask themselves "Which one would I be?" Would I be the guy fighting to get to the gas pump or the guy wanting to board up the cellar and hide? Romero's first venture into the world of the dead made the path ahead clear, while you have to some disgusting zombies as scenery, the true essence of the movie still has to be the humans.



Dawn of the Dead

Try as some might, some films should never be remade. There is no doubt to me that this 1978 original "zombie's go to the mall" flick of total awesomeness is one such movie. The comparison to the horrible James Gunn remake need not be made. The real debate is over which movie is the greatest zombie movie ever. Is it Night of the Living Dead or this film? I don't know. I tend prefer the former, but in terms of what is better, that's a debate you can have. Dawn of the Dead is a very similar story to Night of the Living Dead in that it involves a group of people trying to survive a zombie outbreak, but instead of hiding in a farm house, they choose an abandoned shopping mall. So, instead of the dreary confines of a rural farm house, these people get to have all the fun of having everything in the mall at their disposal. The only hiccup is that occasionally zombies like to shop too. Like I said, total awesomeness.



Day of the Dead

Night of the Living Dead, while not totally dated, is very much a 1960's movie. The same can be said about Dawn of the Dead with the 1970's. So, following suit, Day of the Dead with its 1985 release, is very much a 1980's film. The goofy, post-disco theme is in full gear for this round of zombie madness. It might have actually been my favorite part of the movie. Well, in what is probably the least viewed of all of Romero's five zombie films; we have a group of scientists and military personal trying to figure out some sort of solution to why the world is being overrun by the dead. The problem arises from when the answers are few and far between. In the best work Romero has done, his films pose questions. Whether it is social or political, generally his films present something beyond zombies. With Day of the Dead the question becomes whether might makes right or if science is the way. In the end, the only true winners are the zombies.



Land of the Dead

You know, I never thought I'd write tribute column to anything involving John Leguizamo. Well, maybe I was planning something involving Too Wong Foo, but oh well. Land of the Dead is the one movie I can't really praise. It lies somewhere in between Waterworld and the Thriller music video. It's by far the weakest of the five Romero films. Land of the Dead is simply a movie that doesn't know what it wants to be. Given this was Romero's return to the Zombie genre after a twenty year absence; I'll give him a break. Besides, he's starting to show some promise again. Speaking of...



Diary of the Dead

I was kind surprised and a little disappointed by how much no one really cared about this movie. This was The Departed of zombie films. You have the king of the genre making another zombie movie. This film has its flaws, no doubt. Still, I would've imagined seeing a little more excitement, especially from horror fans. The idea of that our culture is too involved in capturing the horror rather than finding a solution is a great commentary on the internet age, but I do have one big problem with the movie. In each of the other zombie films Romero has done he managed to understand one key component to the zombie genre. Location. Location. Location. The farm house, the shopping mall, a nuclear bunker or even the survival compound, all of the environments were huge in the story of all of his films. Diary of the Dead loses that aspect. The film does toy with a few locations that give a tease of promise for a zombie film. I would've loved to see a zombie movie take place in hospital or a huge mansion, but Diary of the Dead was all over the place. It never quite achieved the claustrophobic tension that is so needed for a good zombie movie. Then again, I'm excited for the sequel. Something must have gone right...

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The Diary of the Dead sequel is slated to be released in 2009. That's keeping pace for a new Romero Zombie film for every two years. For whatever reason, the guy is as motivated as ever to keep bring the dead back for more. Romero managed just three zombie films in over thirty years and now he's going to have released three in just four years. The films may not be as awesome as the first three, but hey I'll take what I can get. So should you!

Next week my column won't be so random. This time next week you'll be reading a column that was written with a purpose. Purpose being? Well, Will Smith is coming out with the much anticipated Hancock. So, what am I to do? I just have to write column about the guy, right? Until next week, I'll leave you with this -

"I think it's the duty of the comedian to find out where the line is drawn and cross it deliberately." - George Carlin