Post by doomedbloodwork on Jul 27, 2004 7:51:26 GMT -5
I have always regarded George A Romero as having a gift for directing actors in the context of horror films. Whereas most directors will always build their performances around the gory moments that we all cherish, there is always a sense that the performances in a Romero movie will always be a cut above the rest.
I have to admit that I am not the most ardent fan of Romero, prefering Carpenter or Craven for their efforts and indeed, I didn't enjoy either NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD or the original DAWN OF THE DEAD (at least as much as I did the remake recently. Mind you, CREEPSHOW was a fun effort) Indeed, as I have admitted to people on this website, I felt the mid-section of the original DAWN always plodded a bit and a group of characters hanging around a shopping mall with nowhere to go, when they had the opportunity to go elsewhere in the chopper they had commandeered (one of the characters does admit that it has fuel to go several hundred miles at one point), seemed to slow down the movie, thus diffusing the tension and conflict.
DAY OF THE DEAD, however, is a different prospect and is the best of Romero's zombie offerings. It is the claustrophobic atmosphere of the film, coupled with the evident tension between the characters, that seals it as a true horror classic and is an improvement in my opinion on the previous two films.
The principle action takes place in an underground bunker, where the last survivors are holed up, using a chopper to try and seek out civilization, which they do at the start of the film. Hundreds of zombies push against the barbed wire perimeter fence outside. In this secluded community, it appears that a rather psychotic colonel (Joseph Pilato, in the film's best performance) is showing increasing impatience with the more rational of the group, not least a doctor who has designs on domesticating the zombies.......
There are plenty of great gore moments, amongst the best work Tom Savini has done, as well as a wonderfully sick sense of humour, especially towards the end of the film.
I have to admit that I am not the most ardent fan of Romero, prefering Carpenter or Craven for their efforts and indeed, I didn't enjoy either NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD or the original DAWN OF THE DEAD (at least as much as I did the remake recently. Mind you, CREEPSHOW was a fun effort) Indeed, as I have admitted to people on this website, I felt the mid-section of the original DAWN always plodded a bit and a group of characters hanging around a shopping mall with nowhere to go, when they had the opportunity to go elsewhere in the chopper they had commandeered (one of the characters does admit that it has fuel to go several hundred miles at one point), seemed to slow down the movie, thus diffusing the tension and conflict.
DAY OF THE DEAD, however, is a different prospect and is the best of Romero's zombie offerings. It is the claustrophobic atmosphere of the film, coupled with the evident tension between the characters, that seals it as a true horror classic and is an improvement in my opinion on the previous two films.
The principle action takes place in an underground bunker, where the last survivors are holed up, using a chopper to try and seek out civilization, which they do at the start of the film. Hundreds of zombies push against the barbed wire perimeter fence outside. In this secluded community, it appears that a rather psychotic colonel (Joseph Pilato, in the film's best performance) is showing increasing impatience with the more rational of the group, not least a doctor who has designs on domesticating the zombies.......
There are plenty of great gore moments, amongst the best work Tom Savini has done, as well as a wonderfully sick sense of humour, especially towards the end of the film.
