Dawn of the Dead (2004)

Synopsis: This movie opens with an exhausted woman named Ana nearing the end of her shift as a nurse. We watch as she heads home to her suburban home and spends a romantic evening at with her husband. The next morning they wake up to find a little girl standing in the doorway to their bedroom. The girl’s face is horribly mutilated and before they can react she attacks and kills Ana’s husband. From this point on the movie is a non-stop zombie attack until Ana and several other survivors end up barricading themselves in a mall.

The Good: The cast in the movie is pretty damn good. Sarah Polley, Ving Rhames, and Jake Weber all do an excellent job of portraying a few of the survivors. Also genre vet Matt Frewer gets a small but very interesting part as a doomed father. The script is fast paced and keeps the scares and gore coming at the viewer. That is both a blessing and a curse. We the viewer aren’t given the chance to get bored, but at the same time the script leaves very little time for character development. When I was more concerned about the fate of the dog than I was of the humans that can be a problem. The best example of this is the character of Steve who is supposed to be the sleazy villain among the survivors. Ty Burell does the best he can to make him an effective character but the script neither gives him the time or the material to work with. The gore is pretty well done with a minimum of CGI and the zombies look great.

The Bad: The lack of character development isn’t the only issue that I had with the script. I really hate the ending of the film I mean I detest it. If you don’t want to ruin what should have been the ending don’t watch the credits. In addition to the ending you also have a character make a really stupid and unnecessary decision to sacrifice himself. Perhaps this was an issue with the way the film was cut but I still can’t figure out why the CJ character stays on the bus. Oh yeah I really, really hate zombies that run. Sure it was there movie and maybe they think that is scary, but as a fan I think that it sucks. Also I was a bit put off by the CGI fest that was the escape from the mall. Can anyone really say that it doesn’t look totally fake?

The Score: 2 out of 4

Maybe I’m being picky in this review but then I’m not the one who chose to put the name Dawn of the Dead on my film. If you are going to remake the classic Romero film then you automatically are going to have to deal with comparisons. While I enjoyed this movie it is nowhere near the original.

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Well I've decided after doing my Romero special to review the remakes that have been spawned by his original trilogy. With that in mind I've posted my review for NOTLD 90. Enjoy.

Night of the Living Dead (1990)

Synopsis: This remake closely follows the original Romero classic from 1968. Johnny and his sister Barbara are off to visit a grave when the reanimated dead attack them. Barbara is soon on her own as Johnny is attacked and killed by a zombie. She ends up at an isolated farmhouse where we are introduced to the rest of the cast. Ben, who arrives in a truck with a nearly empty tank, the Coopers and their daughter who were hiding in the basement round out the cast. With the Coopers are a young couple Judy and Tom, who is related to the now dead owners of the farmhouse. The small group of survivors begins barricading themselves in the farmhouse as an ever-growing mob of zombies surrounds them. Finally Ben decides that they need to fuel up the truck from the gas pump that they see in the back yard and make a break for it. From here on out the group is slowly reduced in number. Will any of them survive until they are rescued? Check out this movie to see.

The Good: I’m not a big fan of remakes, but in some ways this movie gets a pass from me. First of all George Romero gave this movie his blessing and wrote the screenplay. A screenplay that makes a few adjustments from the original without loosing what made the 68 version of the film so classic. Also makeup effects wizard and longtime Romero collaborator Tom Savini directed this version of the film. Not only is the movie paced really well but you can tell that the effects shots were well planned out and shot with a lot of care. Not to mention that the lead zombies in this film will rival anything that appeared in either Dawn of the Dead or Day of the Dead. I was also very impressed by the cast that they assembled for this movie. Patrica Tallman embraces the entirely new take on the character of Barbara that the script provides and runs with it. No longer is she a catatonic weak link to the survivors. In fact by the end of the movie you will be cheering her actions by the end of the movie. Genre vet Tony Todd also does a really good job as Ben picking up where Duane Jones left off in the original.

The Bad: While this is an enjoyable movie and works very well it is still a remake and I just can’t ignore that. Still that is the only negative that I can find to mention.

The Score: 3 out of 4

If you enjoy a good zombie film then I guarantee that you will like this movie.

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Scarecrow (2002)

Synopsis: The movie opens with three guys smoking pot in a field of corn and telling scary stories. One of them begins to tell the story of Lester Dwervick and this is where the main plot of the movie starts. Lester is a high school student who is picked on by all of the popular kids, yelled at by a teacher, and has a drunken whore of a mother. After one particularly bad day his mother brings home a “date” that is rather foul tempered. Lester runs off only to see the one girl that was nice to him kissing a jock who has been picking on him. Well apparently he has had enough so when he runs back home to the trailer he gets into a fight with his mother’s date. Next thing you know old Lester in dead in a field by the scarecrow after being strangled! Of course not wanting to go to jail his mother and her date make it appear that Lester has hanged himself and everyone goes on with their lives. That is until Lester comes back as the scarecrow to take his revenge.

The Good: Well I’m reaching a bit here to find anything that is good about this movie. The makeup on the scarecrow is pretty cool and does look creepy. Also the scarecrow does throw around a few one-liners ala Freddy Krueger that are funny. All in all I suppose in a better movie the scarecrow could be a good character. Also whoever was the cinematographer did a really good job. They clearly didn’t have great equipment but all of the scenes are well defined and look really professional.

The Bad: Where to start? Well first of all the acting in this movie is just awful. I don’t know if this was everyone’s first film, but I sure hope so. In addition the casting is so very wrong. These actors are supposed to be in high school are all obviously in their mid to late 20s. The movie drags in many places and several scenes are clearly being dragged out to pad the runtime of the movie. Also the editing is really bad with the movie switching from day to night and then back to day. This give the impression that it takes hours for the sheriff to respond to a murder that takes place in town in broad daylight! I suppose that I can sum this movie up with one scene. The final confrontation between the female lead and the scarecrow she pins him against a wall with her truck and reaches over to grab a can. Luckily we all know what is in the can because of the big black letters against what appears to be a white label that says GAS! Yeah this movie is that good.

The Score: .5 out of 4

Better luck next time guys because this is a bad movie.

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Land of the Dead (2005)

Synopsis: The last few remaining humans have walled themselves up inside a city while the undead control the rest of the world. The only time that they venture out is to bring back supplies. The movie begins with a group of survivors lead by Riley (Simon Baker) and Cholo (Leguizamo) scrounging thru a small town for supplies while killing any zombies that they find. Here we also are introduced to Dead Reckoning an armored vehicle built by Riley for Kaufman (Dennis Hopper) who is the leader of the city. On this particular raid the survivors come into contact with a zombie that is referred to as Big Daddy. Big Daddy has enough intelligence to realize what is happening and after the survivors withdrawal with their supplies decides to follow them. Upon returning to the city Cholo goes to see Kaufman expecting to be allowed to move into Fiddler’s Green, an exclusive community were all of the upper class lives. We find out that Cholo has been taking out Kaufman’s “garbage” i.e. getting rid of the bodies for him. When Cholo realizes that Kaufman isn’t going to let him live in the Green with the nice folks and is about to have him disposed off all hell breaks loose. Cholo makes off with Dead Reckoning and threatens to destroy the city unless Kaufman coughs up a pile of cash. Soon Riley is dispatched to recapture Dead Reckoning all while the zombie army lead by Big Daddy is overrunning the city.

The Good: Guys after almost 20 years I was able to watch a new Romero zombie epic! The cast is pretty good with genre vets Dennis Hopper and John Leguizamo chewing up the scenery. The script is interesting and contains the expected social commentary Romero is known for. The movie is also paced pretty well with several tense and scary moments. I was surprised how much gore managed to survive the fact that this is a studio film shot to be released in the theaters. Add to that cameos by Tom Savini and Edgar Wright/Simon Pegg (Shaun of the Dead) and you have a great zombie movie with a lot of appeal.

The Bad: I never thought that I would complain about the effects in a George Romero zombie. Why KNB decided to use CGI in a Romero zombie film just boggles the mind. I don’t mind that they used GCI to make a few of the “featured” zombies that would have been impossible to do with practical effects. But for god sakes why use CGI for the muzzle flashes? This was very disappointing. I also question the casting of Simon Baker as the lead character Riley. Personally I don’t think that Baker can act his way out of a paper bag and this movie did not change my mind.

The Score: 2.5 out of 4

While this isn’t Romero’s best effort I really like this movie. It has its flaws (too much CGI!) but is still a Romero zombie film, which I never thought that I would see.

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Well my review for Land of the dead didn't get done. Look for it on Thursday.

The Monster Maker (1944)

Synopsis: When Dr. Igor Markoff spots the daughter of pianist Anthony Lawrence at a concert he becomes obsessed with her because she bears an uncanny resemblance to his dead wife. The harder he tries to woo her the more he manages to alienate her. Finally her father goes to see him to ask him to stop contacting his daughter. But the good doctor isn’t what he appears to be. He purposely infects the father with the dreaded acromegaly virus that will turn him into a hideous monster (think the elephant man)! Of course only the good doctor has the cure, which he will administer if she will marry him.

The Good: This is a great old movie. You have a pretty good cast including Glenn Strange out of makeup and playing a romantic lead. Sure the story is a bit cheesy and predictable, but it is done very well and can carry a movie that is only an hour long. The makeup effects that are used to turn actor Ralph Morgan into the “monster” are pretty damn effective for the 40s. Plus how can you go wrong with a movie that has Ace the Wonder Dog in it!

The Bad: For some reason Hollywood was in love with men in gorilla suits for a good twenty years. I can’t help but think about the Three Stooges whenever I see one.

The Score: 2.5 out of 4

This isn’t a classic film by any stretch of the imagination. But if you want to kill an hour on a Saturday afternoon you can’t go wrong with this.

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Day of the Dead (1985)

Synopsis: This is the third and for many years seemed destined to be final Romero zombie movie. This movie opens with a group of survivors searching a major metropolitan area in a helicopter to see if anyone else has managed to survive the zombie plague. Of course they are greeted only by hordes of the living dead. They fly back to the underground military installation only to discover that while they were gone the leader of the military unit has died. This leaves his second in command Rhodes in charge of the base, which isn’t a good thing. Eventually the fact that Rhodes is now in power, one of the soldiers Pvt. Salazar is suicidal (seriously man take a Zoloft or something!), and that the senior scientist Dr. Logan has gone off his rocker leads to the eventual destruction of the base by the zombie hordes.

The Good: You will not find a better example of practical makeup effects than in this movie. Tom Savini’s is at his absolute best here in this film, whether it is a zombie (Dr. Tongue), guts spilling out on the floor, or a body with the face and skull gone. It simply doesn’t get better than this and in my opinion hasn’t been outdone yet. The cast is very good with Lori Cardille (Sarah), Gary Howard Klar (Pvt. Steele), and Joeseph Pilato (Capt. Rhodes) standing out especially. As Sarah Lori Cardille's portrayal is both sympathetic and strong. I also really enjoy the over the top efforts that both Pilato and Klar give to their roles. Ironically enough many fans of the Romero films complain a lot about these characters and how they were portrayed. I think that with this script these actors gave Romero exactly what he was looking for. Plus the actors are clearly having a blast and it translates to the screen very well. The movie is paced well by Romero and by setting it underground the bulk of the movie has a claustrophobic feel to it.

The Bad: Okay this may be surprising to many fans but the only thing that I really don’t like about Day of the Dead is Bub. I love being scared by horror films and zombies scare me like nothing else. Why do zombies scare the hell out of me? Because basically they are us, but at the same time not us. A zombie bites you and you die. But then you get back up and walk around only it really isn’t you. For some reason this has always been a very creepy concept to me. When Bub begins to remember parts of his life before he died and became a zombie it sort of spoils a great deal of what makes zombies so effective as a “monster”.

The Score: 3 out of 4

While this isn’t my favorite of the Romero films it is still heads and shoulders above most of the zombie movies that have ever been made.

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Dawn of the Dead (1978)


Synopsis: The story begins with a joint police and National Guard task force laying siege to an apartment building in the projects. Inside the tenants are refusing to give up their reanimated friends and family. It is here we are introduced to two of the four main characters Peter and Roger. They are members of the police SWAT team that is participating on the assault. Peter and Roger meet up in the basement of the building in what is the first of many disturbing scenes. Roger offers Peter a seat on the helicopter that his friend Stephen is going to use to flee the city. They meet up with Stephen and his girlfriend Fran and together they flee the city in the helicopter. Eventually they have to land, and choose to do so on the roof of a mall. Quickly it is decided that they will take the mall and hold up there. They settle into the good life in their new home, until that is a roving band of bikers show up to loot the place.

The Good: Where to start? Well to begin with you have characters that are well defined and well portrayed by a very talented group of actors. I am especially impressed by the job the Ken Foree does in the role of Peter. The result of this is that you begin to really care about the characters and what their fates are. This gives the film an added depth that many of the knock off zombie films lack. In addition to that are the special effects that Tom Savini provides for the film. You have to remember that this movie was shot nearly 30 years ago and that the effects are all done on set. There was no CGI available to them and that caused them to be creative. The fact that they hold up well as they do is a testament to the artistry involved here. Finally the last thing that I would like to comment on is the social commentary that Romero inserted into Dawn of the Dead. It is subtle and doesn’t distract from the film, but in fact actually adds depth to the movie.

The Bad: The only negative that I can think of involves the makeup on the zombies. The makeup effects on many of the lead zombies are amazing, and some of the specific effect shots are great as well. But the fact that the majority of the zombies are basically actors in costume wearing blue makeup can be distracting to some. This of course was the result of time and money constraints, not due to a lack of effort or talent.

The Score: 4 out of 4

This is an absolute classic of the genre. If you want to be picky about the blue-faced zombies then in my opinion you just don’t get it. If you haven’t seen this film then you don’t have a clue about zombie films, or what a horror film can be. Go purchase this film now! I suppose I should also admit that I’m a huge George Romero nerd. ☺

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Night of the Living Dead (1968)

Synopsis: A group of survivors try to fend off the hordes of flesh eating ghouls that surround the farmhouse that they have taken shelter in. As their number dwindle the tension rises in the house between the remaining survivors. Who will make it out alive? Will anyone make it out?

The Good: This is the granddaddy of all of the modern zombie films and is a classic of the independent horror scene. The acting here is pretty damn good given that much of the cast weren’t professional actors. The one professional actor in the cast, Duane Jones, does an excellent job in the role of Ben. When talking about the cast you really can’t ignore the fact that Romero cast an African American actor in a lead role and not one word is ever mentioned about it in the script. Guys this movie was made in 1968 and whether this was intentional or not (there is some debate) this makes Night of the Living dead stand out from any other film from the 60s. In addition to a good cast Romero’s directing here is wonderful. The movie is paced very well and moves along nicely. Romero allows the characters to be defined by their actions and avoids the long exposition that many directors and screenwriters use to create the character. The ending isn’t typical for horror films of the 60s and because of that is very effective. Sure the ending is a “downer” but that is why it works so well. The effects are very well done for a low budget picture from the 60s and work very well in a black and white movie. This is one of those rare moments when everything works perfectly and you get an instant masterpiece.

The Bad: The film itself I have no issue with. I will warn you that if you haven’t seen this movie before (and how is that really possible?) then be careful what version you get. This movie is public domain, which means anyone can release it on video and DVD. This has resulted in a lot of terrible copies on the market. I’ve seen some that have audio that drops in and out or copies that are so dark you can’t see them. Don’t blame the film there are nice copies out there.

The Score: 4 out of 4

Sure I’m a huge Romero geek so what? This is an excellent film that all horror fans should have in their collections.

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Announcement: I've decided to review all of the Romero zombie films in the order that they were filmed. I've always been a huge Romero fan and I'm very excited about this. I hope that you all enjoy it!