Day of the Dead (1985)
Directed By: George A. Romero (Dawn of the Dead)
Where to get it: Anchor Bay
The Prologue
Day of the Dead, is probably one of more mixed horror classics ever to be made. Mixes due to the fact that fans seem to be torn down the middle on if they dig it or not. Panned at the time of it's release, Day of the Dead would go on to become a loved film by way of a cult classic status. When all was said and done, George A. Romero ended up with a third zombie film that in a lot of ways, was the "Star Wars Trilogy" of the horror world. That film would find it's way to blu-ray by way of Anchor Bay. Now if only we could get Night of the Living dead in HD as well.
The Movie
A small group of military officers and scientists dwell in an underground bunker as the world above is overrun by zombies...It's a known fact that George A. Romero had a lot more in mind for this movie than what we got in the finished product. There were many pages cut from the script when filming, a section of which was supposed to be an epic battle between the military and the dead. In other words, it was suppose to match Dawn of the Dead in pure epic levels but that never happened and what everyone saw in 1985 was actually looked at as a let down at the time...But times have changed and the movie's impact has grown.
Day of the Dead doesn't have the excitement of Dawn of the Dead but one thing it does have is gore effects to match or perhaps even top it. Tom Savini turned in here what many consider to be his very best work and I may be in line to agree with that group. From the look of the zombies, to people being torn in half, to Dr.Logan's zombie filled room, the movie has enough blood to tickle anyone's fancy. But sadly, the characters here are pretty slim pickings, as far as who to side with goes. The people who are dislike-able are very dislike-able, and you feel almost as isolated as the few good people in the film when watching it. Sarah, is a strong woman character if not perhaps a little too strong, but you still have the laid back John and McDermott to keep you company while watching everyone else go crazy, power hungry, or just annoy you on screen until they die.
Speaking of dead people, that brings me to the films best character, and my favorite out of all the "Dead" movies Romero made, Bub! Bub is a zombie that Dr.Logan has actually trained pretty well, his star student so to speak. As long as Bub is being fed (something that plays a key into things later along with everything in Logan's room) he seems to act a little more human like than every other zombie. He enjoys music and he still seems to have his military instincts from his previous life. Bub, also seems to have loyalty, just making him a very grand character even if he's technically not alive. Still the story for me drags a bit, something that you don't notice when Dawn of the Dead is rolling along.
In a way, it's not really that fair to overly compare Romero's zombie films, but this one was a bit of a step back from the perfectly made, Dawn of the Dead. Day of the Dead is a whole different type of monster. It's bleak, it's dark, and it's also very isolated in it's surroundings. You spend your time watching this film underground with the stir-crazy cast, and perhaps you have to be a special type of horror fan to really love what you see here. I'll admit that I dig this film overall, mostly for the gore. But I won't lie about it, I can't say that I love it. But when you list and rank all the great zombie films that have been made, you just can't deny that there is just something about this one that makes it stand out. That also with the slightly awkward ending, that I think ends a little too abruptly.
The Conclusion
I like this movie, but I've never been in love with it. I really dig the gore. I think the gore and Bub are the best things about it. But in a world that has, Dawn of the Dead, Night of the Living Dead, Return of the Living Dead, and Zombie, it's hard to rank this at the top of any list. The blu-ray transfer in it's self looks VERY nice and better than the Dawn transfer, just a little soft. It starts a little speckled with grain but quickly turns into a very nice HD presentation very quickly.
The Rating (7/10)
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