A meme for the month of October originally created here. The topic is about anything related to halloween. This includes books, movies, television, scary places, and anything else spooky!... And today this one is all about the five films in the "Dead" series: Night, Dawn, Day, Land, and Diary of the Dead.
Movie: Night of the Living Dead
Actor(s): Duane Jones, Judith O'Dea, Karl Hardman, Marilyn Eastman, Keith Wayne
Director: George A. Romero
Writers: George A. Romero, John A. Russo
Language: English
Genre(s): Horror, Suspense, Thriller
Theatrical Release: October 1st, 1968
DVD Release: May 15, 2001
"A group of people hide from bloodthirsty zombies in a farmhouse." - IMDB
This is one of those movies that have changed horror movies forever. It is the staple diet for any horror movie fanatic. Romero set the bar than any other film maker to the point that many directors try to live up to his standard of movie making. I remember seeing this movie when I was just a child. My father bought it on a DVD-Rom version for the computer back in 1998. I was only in the 6th grade, but this movie changed my life, for the better. It is the one movie I praise because it's more than just a horror/thriller flick. Romero was also about hidden meanings to his "Dead" films. Each one had a different message. This film's message was about the fear people had of certain things in the 1960's (i.e. - segregation and such).
Movie: Dawn of the Dead
Actor(s): David Emge, Ken Foree, Scott Reiniger, Gaylen Ross
Director: George A. Romero
Writers: George A. Romero
Language: English
Genre(s): Horror, Thriller
Theatrical Release: September 2nd, 1978
DVD Release: October 28, 1997
"Following an ever-growing epidemic of zombies that have risen from the dead, two Philadelphia SWAT team members, a traffic reporter, and his television-executive girlfriend seek refuge in a secluded shopping mall." - IMDB
I have to say this is one of my top five favorite horror films of all time! The 2004 remake doesn't even compare to how amazing this movie truly is! There was something about the way the music sounded to the scary scenes to the look that make-up artist Tom Savini did, that makes it a true classic. Romero took, not only the zombie genre, but the horror genre to new heights. I remember the first time i saw this movie. my father recorded it over Easter back in 2000. We all came home and it was on a vhs tape. I was so excited but kind of freaked out at the end. My reasons because it had gotten dark by the time i finished watching it and didn't turn on the lights in the room haha. The hidden meaning in this film was about consumerism. How people just kept on buying stuff and going to the mall. Hence why he choose for the survives to hide out in a mall. I could go on forever as to why I love this film, but I'll just say this: If you haven't seen this film, then you have no clue as to the magnitude that so many horror fanatics love about this film, including myself!
Day of the Dead
Actor(s): Lori Cardille, Terry Alexander, Joseph Pilato, Richard Liberty
Director: George A. Romero
Writers: George A. Romero
Language: English
Genre(s): Horror, Thriller
Theatrical Release: July 19, 1985
DVD Release: August 19th, 2003
"A small group of military officers and scientists dwell in an underground bunker as the world above is overrun by zombies." - IMDB
I was very much disappointed when they made that remake a few years back. They made those zombies crawl on walls, spew out something vial, and jump!? It was just something beyond what Romero created and a disgrace to the series. This is why I strongly promote zombie fans to watch this version. Not only is is actually a little scary, but it really makes you think too. His hidden meaning for "Day" was politically geared. How we became forgetful about certain things involving the military and such, but in a way saying how we treated out soldiers and such; more so our veterans he was pointing out. This film is a great one and should be at least watched by any horror fan once. A good reason why: the idea in how the scientist is trying to train a zombie how to communicate and learn things again, to humanize them a little. One of the more interesting arcs of the movie.
Movie: Land of the Dead
Actor(s): Simon Baker, Dennis Hopper, Asia Argento, Robert Joy, John Leguizamo
Director: George A. Romero
Writers: George A. Romero
Language: English
Genre(s): Horror, Thriller
Theatrical Release: June 18, 2005
DVD Release: August 30th, 2009
"The living dead have taken over the world, and the last humans live in a walled city to protect themselves as they come to grips with the situation." - IMDB
This movie either people love it or hate it. I loved it, but not as much as "Dawn of the Dead". This was the final chapter in the series before he went back and restarted it again in a new direction with "Diary". The movie had some very well known names in the film industry, including Dennis Hopper and John Leguizamo. I do love the behind the scenes stuff on this dvd, mostly because Aisa Argento talks about her father, Dario Argento, an original horror movie trendsetter in the horror genre. He did a lot of Italian based horror flicks, but a few that are very well known in America too. Anyway, the movie is a great one for those that have seen the first three in the series. Mostly because it wraps up the story in how it most likely would look like if zombies overrun the world, how the rich decided to deal with it, and how resourceful people became in fighting back to surviving out on the streets. It was interesting none the less, but this is one of his most gory films these days from the "Dead" series. I wouldn't recommend it to those that get spooked easily by blood and guts.
Diary of the Dead
Actor(s): Shawn Roberts, Joshua Close, Michelle Morgan, Joe Dinicol
Director: George A. Romero
Writers: George A. Romero
Language: English
Genre(s): Horror, Thriller
Theatrical Release: February 15, 2008
DVD Release: May 20th, 2008
"A group of young film students run into real-life zombies while filming a horror movie of their own." - IMDB
I loved this film. Some would disagree, but there was something about this movie that sparked that same feeling I got seeing "Night of the Living Dead". This movie is something Romero decided to do, just go back to the beginning but more as a story being told from the characters in the film. One of the smartest things he did. I do love how realistic the emotions seem to be in how basic the needs go with them in such a crisis of this situation in the modern era. I did enjoy seeing how they started to not enjoy having no cell phones or internet working, just one of the many things that added some surrealism to the movie. I just got this on DVD from
Swap A DVD (kind of like Paperback Swap, but for DVD's) and I've seen this movie many times, but it was something I had to own as well. It is currently these days being shown on AMC's "Fear Fest" (you can probably go to AMCTV.com or see if it's on from October 16th-31st). This is just one of those movies that stays very true to the zombie genre, but is more about the experience the characters have that I loved!
