Originally Posted By FiveBearRugs So this is recently become one of my favourite movies...or one of my favourite obsession movies, take your pick. Has anyone else here seen it before? Any favorite moments?
Originally Posted By Inspector 57 <<Any favorite moments?>> Seeing the closing credits. Oh, wait. That was just the beginning of the horror for me. Long story... My senior year in college I went to a movie at which was shown a preview of "Dawn of the Dead." It scared the hell out of me. I became plagued by zombie nightmares. They were terrifying, and they didn't let up. When the film was released, I decided that I needed to face my fear head-on. I rounded up a high school friend and we went to see it. Big mistake. First of all, I was so terrified in the theater that I thought I was going to have a heart attack. I wanted to get up and leave, but: (a) I knew that if I stood up I'd puke; and (b) I knew that I should sit and endure the torture to get to the happy ending. Of course, there's no happy ending. Seeing the movie did change things for me. The nightmares went away. Instead, I became afraid of zombies during the day. I spend that whole summer paranoid that I would be attacked and eaten alive by the living dead. Whoa. Displaced anxiety much? Fortunately, it eventually resolved. And, fortunately, I've repressed/forgotten most of the film. I do still have a "favorite" moment from it, though. (WARNING: GRAPHIC.) The National Guard is trying to rescue the survivors of an infested inner-city tenement building. It's chaos inside. Zombies are everywhere, and they're not quite as easy to differentiate from the living as they were in "Night of the Living Dead." The soldiers are easy to distinguish from the residents though. It's not just their uniforms and equipment. It's also that they're white and the residents are black. A guardsman sees a zombie husband heading back to get his living wife. The soldier desperately attempts to save her. She rebuffs his help because she doesn't trust the white guy who represents "the man". So she takes her husband into her arms. He bites out a chunk of her neck. The movie's frenzied opening scene in that building was brilliant. The chaos and violence really LIM'd the audience into the Anxiety Zone and set up the horror to come. And the skillful overlay of the racism theme clued you into the fact that this wasn't just a mindless monster movie.
Originally Posted By Fe Maiden This was one of my favorite films growing up. It's been a many years since I saw it last.
Originally Posted By DVC_dad How do they "become" zombies to begin with? I guess I'll have to watch it. I have never seen ANY zombie movie.
Originally Posted By BrnardM The joy of this movie is that we really get to spend some time with the characters so that they really mean something to us. We get to see what they're up against and root for them all the way. Watching them make the mall their own is really a pleasure, though we the audience know that it can't last. The strength of the film is revealed here, because in the mall we see that the movie isn't really about zombies. That's what makes this one the best.
Originally Posted By DVC_dad Ok BrnardM, thats it, Im getting this one and watching it. Was it recently remade or is there just one version? I saw on Amazon some talk about different versions, but I was just comfused. For me, the old school horror movies trump ALL of the modern day remakes big time. Perhaps the most compelling is comparing the modern remake of The Omen to the originals...pffft the rough cut, edgy, non-tech'ie originals are so much better. That whole rotating 666 symbol in the new 06/06/06 version sucked. I mean even the old school Star Wars are just so "classic." What all old school horror films have been remade since say 1995'ish?
Originally Posted By DVC_dad And also I'd like to go on record as claiming to be a huge "closet fan" of the Alien series. I have the coolest 9 DVD boxed Quadrilogy set and I make a point to watch it once a year. Ok back to topic, about Dawn of the Dead, is it a sequal to Night of the Living Dead? How does all that fit together with the remake or is there a remake?
Originally Posted By wonderingalice DVC Dad... It was caused by radioactivity - at least in "Night of The Living Dead" it was, so I'm assuming it was the same thing for "Dawn..." I've only seen DOTD once (it was WAY gorier than NOTLD) - when it first came out in theaters. But I've seen NOTLD... dozens and dozens of times from when I was 12 and saw it in a theater through tons of viewings on "Double Shock Theatre with the Vegas Vampire," then on VHS and then DVD. Love it! Favorite line from friends watching with me..."Look! There's the naked one!" *LMAO*
Originally Posted By wonderingalice Oops... Meant to say that "Dawn..." was way gorier because it was in color. (But ya'll knew that. ;-)
Originally Posted By Inspector 57 <<Ok back to topic, about Dawn of the Dead, is it a sequal to Night of the Living Dead? How does all that fit together with the remake or is there a remake?>> <<DVC Dad... It was caused by radioactivity - at least in "Night of The Living Dead" it was, so I'm assuming it was the same thing for "Dawn...">> Yes, DVC_dad, DOTD is a sequel to NOTLD. In 1968's Night of the Living Dead, a satellite returns to earth and the radiation it carries causes the newly dead to become re-animated as zombies who crave human flesh. "Night" occurs at the beginning of this phenomenon. "Dawn" occurs ten years later, and the plague has continued. The undead now outnumber the living. Both films have been re-made. My understanding is that the 1990 remake of "Night" is very faithful, but it's in color and is a bit more graphic. The 2004 remake of "Dawn" (1978) features the same basic premise but entirely different characters.
Originally Posted By Inspector 57 <<And also I'd like to go on record as claiming to be a huge "closet fan" of the Alien series. I have the coolest 9 DVD boxed Quadrilogy set and I make a point to watch it once a year.>> Man, I LOVE that series! Each of those films is so different from the others and so enjoyable in its own right. I'm going to have to see if I can rent the extra stuff that comes in that 9-DVD box!
Originally Posted By Inspector 57 <<...is it a sequel...>> Oh. And after "Night of the Living Dead" and "Dawn of the Dead" comes the third in the series, "Day of the Dead." Not surprisingly, I haven't seen it.
Originally Posted By FiveBearRugs "Day of the Dead" was the least popular of the trilogy, yet it was George A. Romero's favorite. I rented it a few weeks ago and found it pretty boring, save for the ending. The zombies' appearance is pretty much a cameo. The film takes place in an underground military bunker. The dead have completely taken over the earth (the zombie-to-human ratio is like 400,000:1 or something like that). There's about a dozen humans living in the bunker: the military, who want to destroy the zombies; the scientists, who want to study them and reverse the zombie process; and two guys who are completely neutral and just want to live out their final days on Earth in luxury. The theme of the film is not so much the zombies, but more of scientists vs. militia. There are a few nods to both "Night" and "Dawn", and this movie was famous for the domesticated zombie Bub (he's on the cover of the DVD). From what I've read, "Night" was supposed to be a look at the turbulent 60s, with Ben (the African-American) lead in the MLK Jr./Malcolm X role, and the zombies as capitalists. "Dawn" was a satire on consumerism and materialism, which perhaps was a foreshadowing of the greed/yuppie 80s. As the Inspector previously mentioned, it was also a look at racism, as depicted in the opening scenes. If you really think about it, the zombies really don't play a part in any of the films, per se: we are treated to the social commentaries of the specified time and how the humans react and act with each other. One of Romero's trademarks in his "Dead" films was the inability of the humans getting along. Case in point: in Dawn, the mall quartet has a chance of being freed by Tom Savini and the biker gang, but would rather stay put in the mall, where they have everything at their fingertips and can indulge in every desire. The quartet actually DEFENDS the mall when the bikers break in and start a gun war rather than leave. "Land of the Dead" was decent; the social commentary here was that Dennis Hopper and the wealthy residents were supposed to be President Bush and the upper class, while the zombies and the not-so-wealthy were representing the middle and lower classes. Favourite "Dawn" moments: -The Gonk: the cheerful polka theme song that plays at the end of the movie. -The black male zombie that bites a chunk of his wife's arm and neck. The effects are hilarious, and look at the two flesh tones in the wife's arm when he bites her. -The mall quartet goes shopping. There's a scene in which they're at a gun shop. My friend commented on that, and then I later read that the gun shop was actually not in the mall, but somewhere else. -The helicopter blades scalping the zombie. -A freshly-turned zombie tries walking. It's like watching Ichabod Crane heading towards Sleepy Hollow. -The heroic A-Team-esque music at the end.
Originally Posted By FiveBearRugs Oh, and I know I said trilogy, but it was quite a while before "Land of the Dead" came out. "Diary of the Dead" is supposed to come out sometime next year and is supposed to be a Blair Witch-like reboot of the series. "Day of the Dead" has also become somewhat of a cult classic with Romero's fans and is being remade with Ving Rhames in the role of Captain Rhodes. The remake for Dawn was alright...it just had a lot of characters, and I wasn't too keen on the running zombies. I also haven't seen 28 Days Later yet either...
Originally Posted By brotherdave Living in the Pittsburgh area, the Romero zombie movies are as much a part of the city as the Steelers and Iron City Beer. In fact, there was a 'Zombie Walk' recently at Monroeville Mall (the mall where Dawn of the Dead was filmed) that tried to break a world record of people dressed as zombies walking through the mall. I'm not sure if they broke that record or not, but, it sounded like a lot of fun to raise money for charity. For fans of the film, if you want to visit the mall, it still exists. Unfortunately, it looks almost nothing like it did in the film. Gone are the 'Small World' looking clock and ice skating rink that were featured in the film. But, walking through the mall, you can recognize some of it from the film. One of the side hallways where the restrooms are located, you can look up to the trap door in the ceiling that was used by the humans to go up into their safe 'hold' (in reality, it is an access port to the mall duct work and the roof). I remember walking through the mall once near closing time shortly after seeing the film. Since there were so few people in the mall, it felt eerily familiar and a little creepy. I could only imagine seeing all of the zombies wandering through the mall as I walked through it. One other sort of 'eerie' encounter was when I was at another local mall, and seeing Tom Savini there just shopping. He was dressed in a black leather jacket similar to his 'biker' character in the film, and he doesn't look much different today than then! I've actually met Tom a few times, and he's always been very cordial. I've also seen some of his effects demonstrations at some local horror and sci-fi conventions, and he's extremely funny! Even better in person than his appearances on the Letterman show! Also, if you're ever in the Pittsburgh area during October, there usually are a few haunted houses with a Romero or Savini connection. About two years ago, a haunted attraction was constructed at Station Square that was a recreation of the farm house from Night of the Living Dead. It recreated many of the films famous horror scenes as well as a few new scares and was completely sanctioned by George Romero. In fact, the event had Romero's name over the marquee. Tom Savini also develops an annual haunted house during Halloween. Last year, it was actually located inside of another Pittsburgh area mall (Century III mall) and featured a lot of actual props from some of movies that Savini is associated with, including Creepshow, From Dusk Till Dawn, and most of the "Living Dead" movies that he's been a part of. Very cool, but VERY creepy!
Originally Posted By DVC_dad <<<I also haven't seen 28 Days Later yet either...>>> Okay now is this the movie with the red "bio-hazard" cover and the chick in the mask? Are there two of these movies? I can't keep up!
Originally Posted By DVC_dad <<<For fans of the film, if you want to visit the mall, it still exists.>>> I am SOOOO loving this thread! While I wouldn't say that I live in the past and constantly look back, I am somewhat nostalgic. I have visited a few of the places that Dukes of Hazzard (original TV), Smokey and the Bandit, My Cousin Vinny, and In The Heat of the Night (TV series) were filmed. I don't have a lot of time, really, no time to visit places that films were made nowadays, but I think it's neat that people do. There are a couple web sites out there were people do this a lot and post current photos and I find that interesting. I have never gotten on board with the "zombie" genre, but I think after reading this thread, seeing how you brotherdave are really into the making of and history of the films as well as the production, direction, writing, and cast... and seeing you Five Bear Rugs, give your editorials / reviews / commentaries on the deeper meanings beyond the films themsevles... I begin to see that I have really missed out on a wonderful set of super duper classic flims with large cult followings. Now I must tell you guys, that being a HUGE Alien fan, and official cult follower/member I can see how you can love a certain series of films and really “get into them.†For example, I think that Ridley Scott did a fantastic job with directing a new concept in Alien. In fact some people say that I am a complete idiot, but I think he did better than James Cameron did on Aliens (Alien 2). It's hard to compare those two guys as directors now, I'll admit Blade Runner was not the film that Terminator 2 was, but still they both were what they were. ANyhoo, my reasons are many, and I don’t want to completely hijack this fantastic thread so just let that statement stand on it’s own. I'll skip the director's chair, and claim that the true success of the entire story line is in Ripley…Segourney Weaver. The whole “sole survivor†thing is always amazing IF and only IF it is believable. For example, Rambo in First Blood (James Cameron) isn’t that believable. But anyway, Weaver lifts the film and “takes it to the house†in the final scenes of this incredible film. That combined with the incredible SHOCK I got the first time I saw the film when Tom Skerritt (Dallas) gets killed in the early part of the film!!! I argue that at that point, Tom Skerritt was playing the main character in Dallas, and when does the lead role get KILLED off so early? Never! What a fantastic way to open a film! It was at Dallas’ death I think, that the main role shifted to Ripley. We share in her surprise and terror! Ok ok ok This is not an Alien thread, and I apologize for the hijack, I just mean to explain that I am excited to embark on discovering a new set of films that have slipped past my radar for many years! The same thing happened when the remake of Planet of the Apes came out a few years ago. I had never seen the original!!! But now I have seen it, the remake and most of the others. I am sure I will be on board the Zombie Train or shopping in the Zombie Mall real soon! I’m going to order that new DVD set on Amazon, I think it includes like 4 versions of the film. The important thing is that I now have a starting point. Should I watch Night of the Living Dead first, or just the original Dawn of first?
Originally Posted By DVC_dad <<<you can look up to the trap door in the ceiling that was used by the humans to go up into their safe 'hold' (in reality, it is an access port to the mall duct work and the roof).>>> And just HOW do you know this Mister !?!? I wonder if people still try to climb up there? LOL
Originally Posted By Dabob2 <Tom Skerritt was playing the main character in Dallas, and when does the lead role get KILLED off so early? Never! > Psycho. That's generally credited with being the first movie to do that. Leigh was already a star and Perkins wasn't, and certainly to a first-time 1960 viewer, Leigh SEEMED to be the star of the movie... I thought the remake of DOTD was surprisingly good. It kept my interest the whole way, which zombie movies don't always do. The original is very good too, but I think the "social commentary" in it is overrated. I mean, I GET it; I just don't think it's done that artfully. For my money, the original NOTLD is still the best. Of all the sequels, take-offs, and rip-offs, by far my favorite is Shaun of the Dead. When Shaun said "we're coming to get you, Barbara," I just about fell off my chair.
