DAY
OF THE DEAD (1985)Director: George Romero
Anchor Bay Entertainment
DAY
OF THE DEAD (1985)For me, DAY OF THE DEAD is one of the most underrated of all 80s horror films. It's an apocalyptic tale of tensions mounting amidst a futile situation that's not pretty.
While DAWN OF THE DEAD was cool at first, it ultimately ran overlong and became redundant; a well-aimed shot in a zombie's forehead can only carry a story so far. The zombie makeup in that over-praised gorefest was far from convincing, and the motorcycle gang was far scarier than the zombies, who were mainly played for suckers (one gets his wallet ripped off, another gets a pie in the face).
What mostly makes DAY OF THE DEAD superior to DAWN is in the character development and story changes. While fans find the inhabitants of DAY's underground complex obnoxious, these are still strong characterizations, be they likable or not. Certainly the Jamaican helicopter pilot is quite likable in the story, and Lori Cardille's heroine came before Sigourney Weaver in ALIENS (1986) and Linda Hamilton in TERMINATOR 2 (1991) (I'm not counting the first films).
As the movie begins, Cardille and a handful of other survivors are seeking refuge underground in a bunker after the flesh-eating ghouls have overtaken the humans above. It's not a pleasant environment below, as the stress and frustrations escalate between the small group members: the self appointed military captain (played despicably by Joe Pilato), his foul-mouthed henchman, and a few other screaming soldiers with a lot of growing up to do.
Meanwhile, Dr. Logan (nicknamed "Frankenstein") is trying to find another way out of the mess they're all in. He experiments on zombie specimens provided to him by the trigger-happy army at random, and reasons that if they can't kill all of the predators, they can at least try to find out what drives them and possibly domesticate them.
Richard Liberty is wonderfully outlandish as "Frankenstein," and the most luck he has is with a docile zombie nicknamed "Bub." Chained safely to a laboratory wall, Bub is a living dead guinea pig with traces of his former human life still apparent beneath his rotting surface. He remembers elements of his past life, like reading, shaving, and listening to music. It's a very primitive start at rehabilitation, but one that the doctor is positive about.
Unfortunately, it isn't long before chaos ensues, and the zombies find their way underground. The makeup on the creatures is the best in the trilogy, and gorehounds shouldn't be disappointed at some of the carnage.
Jumping ahead somewhat, I must say that I love the traditional "happy ending" that the film leaves us with. It's a shred of hope as three of our nicer characters make it to a secluded island and prepare to start all over again. It's all going to be okay...at least for a while.
Anchor Bay's DVD are seldom if ever a letdown, but some people I've talked to would like to see another version of it someday. Aside from grain here and there (more in the darker scenes) I think it looks pretty good, with strong colors. There is some artifacting if you look for it, but for now it's acceptable.
For me, a second version would be mostly desirable for more "behind the scenes" material. While we are given some cool stuff on side two with production footage, I can't help but feel there is more to be shared. Since I never owned a laserdisc player I'm not positive, but I think that the footage was more substantial on the LD release.
A theatrical trailer is included as well. It gave me a real shock when I first saw it in the movies back in 1985. Along with RE-ANIMATOR (also '85), DAY OF THE DEAD just might be one of the last decent horror films of the 20th century. (Joe Lozowsky)