In 1978 George Romero released a film that sent shockwaves through the modern cinema. At the time I was only 7 years old. The film's staying power however, hung around a few years as a "midnight film" at a local theater. My brother was able to see it on the big screen. Through hushed conversations between his friends I heard things like "zombies", "shopping mall", and "the guy gets ripped open and eaten by the zombies!". The film in question? Dawn Of The Dead.
By the time the VCR started to become more of a household commodity, our family had a membership at the local video store. When I was 14, I got my first dose of Romero's zombies when I rented Night Of The Living Dead. Instantly I was engrossed by the grainy black & white film and the honesty of the actors. "They're coming to get you Barbara!" still makes me smile with giddy delight whenever I see this classic. I was also surprised at the "eating" scene of the film. I had never seen this kind of gore in a black & white film. Tame by today's standards, it still set me back a bit at the time I saw it. As I got older I started to realize the impact of the film. The "hero" of the film was a black man, not the status quo of the time. The tension between the characters of "Ben" and "Mr. Cooper" represented some of the racial tension that society suffered then and unfortunatley now. The film also showcased the visual style of Romero. In one scene, Ben hits a zombie with a tire iron. As the zombie puts his face in his hands and backs away, Romero lets the audience see the multitude of other zombies that are starting to assemble in front of the house. What was a few moments ago, a couple of zombies, has escalated to a horde of the walking dead, thus making the characters situation a more unescapable one.
Most of the film takes place in a shopping mall. The mindless zombies roaming around the place much like shoppers do now. An "instinct" that brought them to a place that had "impotance" in their lives. I think Romero's message here was that society was becoming more like herds of cattle being controlled by advertisers and businessmen. Much like people today are so engrossed by the media. The film plays out more like a morbid comedy at times, showing the viewer what kind of idiots we are. No one can get along and everyone is for themselves instead of pulling together and solving the problem at hand.
The bloodletting is an added feature. It is well done and is not used to drive the film. Although the stomach turning scenes of cannibalism is what seemed to draw people to the film. But I think Romero might have intended this. Draw your viewers in by the fact that the film is a gorefest and show them that there is more to it. There is a message to find in the film other than a high splatter factor.
In 1985, Romero made a sequel to Dawn Of The Dead. Day Of The Dead was introduced to horror fans. The film lacks the political and socialogical undertones that ran rampant in his 2 previous "Dead" films. Set in a military bunker in Florida, the film moves along rather slowly but still creates alot of tension between the macho soldiers and the brainy scientists who are working on a solution to the walking dead problem. The head scientist "Dr. Logan" referred to as "Frankenstein" by his collegues and antagonists, has a cracked view in which suggests that the zombies can be disciplined and taught to behave. The soldiers(a skeleton crew) believe that a bullet to the head is the only solution. Once tensions reach their peak, all hell breaks loose. Human communication breaks down completely and the soldiers plan to leave, with or without their scientific counterparts. The last 20 minutes of the film roll out like a bloody ballet. Again Tom Savini provides the most realistic FX in horror films. Plenty of head shots and one unlucky soul gets ripped completely in half. It's still a good film but it didn't have the impact that Night or Dawn had.
George Romero will always be known for his Dead Trilogy. These films are also some of his best work. He has worked on many films. Creepshow and The Dark Half were both in conjuction with horror author Stephen King. Monkey Shines was a dissapointing outing. However Romero's collaboration with Dario Argento for the film Two Evil Eyes was a wonderfull piece of horror celluloid. This was Romero's second film with Argento. Dario was the producer of Dawn Of The Dead. Romero's latest film is entitled Bruiser. I havn't seen it yet. But it concerns a man who one day wakes to find that his face is now a smooth white, featureless mask. Freed by this newfound anonymity, he then seeks revenge on all who have wronged him. Sounds like Romero is back! I cant wait to see it.
Romero's films are readily available to the public. Except for maybe his very early work after Night Of The Living Dead, but they are all worth checking out.
When I popped Dawn Of The Dead into the VCR, I was immediately drawn in to the situation at hand. The zombie problem was never resolved in the first film, it only escalated to a more dire situation. Again the actors were honest in their talents which made their characters more interesting and likable.
The on screen violence had also escalated as well, due mostly to the fantastic FX provided by Tom Savini. The exploding head in the swat team assault sequence is my favorite. Romero let the blood and intestines flow this time around. But Dawn Of The Dead is more than a gore showcase, it also had some messages for the viewer.
Romero's other works had some political & socialogical overtones as well. In his 1973 film The Crazies, Romero pulls no punches as a virus turns a small town into a haven for murder. The drinking water is contaminated by a biological military weapon...ooops! Of course the military moves in to quarintine the town and of course creates a shroud of mystery and paranoia. It's a great film that gives you that "trust no one" feeling. Plenty of disturbing imagery as well, especially the grandmother with the knitting needles. Romero also delivers the blood and shocks that were to be trademarks in his later films. It's a film that's definitly worth checking out!
Night Of the Living Dead(1968)
There's Always Vanilla(1972)
Season Of The Witch(1973)
The Crazies(1973)
Martin(1978)
Dawn Of The Dead(1979)
Knightriders(1981)
Creepshow(1982)
Day Of The Dead(1985)
Monkey Shines(1988)
Two Evil Eyes(1989)
The Dark Half(1992)
Bruiser(1999)