Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Well with October coming to a close The Annual Keck Horror Festival is wrapping up. And a fine fest it’s been. Over this past weekend I found myself in a ‘Dead’ mood–as in George Romero’s movies about the fallen and gotten back up again. It’s been a whole year since I was able to indulge in my re-animania films, along with many others…ah, the children of the grave, what mucous they make (sorry, couldn’t resist).
Anyway, another week of movies of the macabre and horrific.
Of course I started out with Night of the Living Dead. It’s probably the greatest horror film of all time. Low budget, yes, but given that limitation, with what it turned out to be, it’s all the more deserving of the title. How many major studio releases have we seen only to roll our eyes…and for eight bucks a pop, no less. Although Night of the Living Dead may not have been the very first zombie movie, it was the first that had a great story, as far as I know. The acting suffers a bit, the editing could have been tighter, and the soundtrack was nothing to write home about, but hey, low budget, remember? Romero did a good job of directing and an absolutely fantastic job of directing the good ole’ boy dead-hunt in both ‘Night’ and ‘Dawn.’ He gave them both a realism that very few directors have the ability to do. Yes, the Guardian Angel of cinema was watching over his 1960’s breakout venture. Night of the Living Dead stands out as a horror classic and very well deserved. It’s one of film history’s horror masterpieces.
Then naturally I had to go chronologically and watch Romero’s next ghoulicious better budget, Dawn of the Dead. It’s got all you need; apocalyptic setting, shuffling zombies, the idea of actually shooting real people and not going to prison for it? What more could a macho horror kinda’ guy want. A higher financed film than the first one, it was a step up from his Black and White cousin of the 60’s. Not as artistically admirable, but very good, nonetheless. The gore was more indulgent, and frankly much of it unrealistic, but the adventure was exciting and there wasn’t a slow moment in the film.
Next up, Day of the dead. Different players and location but just as enjoyable. Lori Cardille plays Sarah, a research scientist looking for a solution to the walking dead problem. She’s in an underground government shelter with several others scientists, and soldiers. I mention her because her performance was the best of all the Romero films in my slightly-just slightly-less than humble opinion. Pretty, too. Some of the others were good as well…and some not so good. If you see it, let me know. I’m curious as to whether you pick the same acting stand-outs as I did. (Interesting little bit of trivia with this one. The star of this movie, Lori Cardille, is the daughter of Bill ‘Chilly Billy’ Cardille, who played the on location reporter in original ‘Night of the Living Dead.’)
Now we come the new Dawn of the Dead, done in 2004, directed by Zack Snyder. I gots ta’ tell ya’s my fellow horrifians, it was great. It doesn’t really follow the original, but then why should it. Romero’s original was so good, if you tried to simply remake his film, you’d be no more than a copycat. That’s where Snyder had a small stroke of genius. It’s still set in a mall, there is still a woman among the group who is pregnant, and as with the others, the world is over ran by flesh eating corpses on the move. But there is a difference: Snyder’s zombies are fast! No meandering, groaning, stumbling dead here. The zombies of Zack Snyder can run like gazelles, move like coked up teenagers, and scream in this scratchy, high pitched squeal. It puts a whole new light on the survival aspect of the film. Snyder said that Romero’s zombies were scarier, but his zombie’s were more dangerous. He hit it exactly right. A group of weak, slow moving dead creatures looking to eat you if a horrifying idea, but after you get over the terror of it all, you can deal with them by shooting them, beating them, or just knocking them over and looking for someplace to hold up. Scramble up a tree, if nothing else and watch them bump into it and claw the trunk. But a group of strong, lightning fast, maniacal zombies that can climb like monkeys and go anywhere you can makes you think of wolves with hands hunting you down. Oh yeah, more dangerous–big time!
Well that’s it on the horror fest. Next week will be the last column on it, and I’ll let you know what I finished up with. After that, I’ve got to tell you about an invention of someone I know. It’s rather different, maybe even unique. Two weeks from now I’ll unveil this contraption in all its bloody glory. Think razor sharp blade, lots of blood, and the victim being strapped down so as to make it easier on the, ahem…operator.
So, until then, have a happy Halloween and may you rot in piece.
Keck
