Day of the Dead
Directed By: George A RomeroStarring: Lori Cardille, Richard Liberty, Joe Pilato Synopsis: A small group of military officers and scientists dwell in an underground bunker as the world above is overrun by zombies. Review: Initially, Day of the Dead was going to be a bigger budget movie, epic in scale that would have been similar in scope to, say Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, also out in 1985. However, due to the nature of the violence and the expected rating or lack thereof, the film was scaled down. Whilst the script bore little resemblance to the original, it still remains an effectively claustrophobic and gory thriller, and retained an intelligence and wit. This was the first Romero “Dead” film that really showed me the scale of the zombie apocalypse. Sure, we had a large number of zombies wandering a mall car park, in Dawn, but the opening scenes of Day truly put forward the idea that mankind was in the minority. Hearing the zombie cries over the noise of the helicopter captures this feeling very well. A mixed band of strung out soldiers guarding a frustrated group of scientists are thrown together in a last ditch attempt to put an end to the ravenous cadavers plaguing the planet. One section of the scientific community are researching what makes the dead continue to live. The other, led by the perhaps mad but at least eccentric “Dr Frankenstein”, Dr Logan, look to domesticating and using the zombies. The military are bored, suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, brought on by a lack of sleep and the catastrophe. All in all a melting pot of dangerous proportions. The soldiers are understandably wary of the scientists as they are losing men whilst collecting specimens for Dr Logan and his associates. The soldiers do not see any progress from the scientific community and it all looks futile; this is compounded by the newly promoted Captain Rhodes. The military advance through “Dead Man’s shoes” in this facility and the previous C.O. Major Cooper had just expired. Captain Rhodes is one of the elements that sets Day aside from the other Dead movies. Here, the focus on villainy is clearly on him. Dr Logan can be looked upon as a kind of villain, given his predilection with vivisection, but it is Rhodes that commands genuine fear in the rest of the characters; no-one knows what he is capable of. This is a palpable fear that translates to the audience watching. “Steele, shoot that woman”. Brilliantly played by the hideously underused actor Joe Pilato, he’s one of the most memorable villains on celluloid. Quite simply, Rhodes is a bully. It’s like he’s got “little man syndrome” and taken it to an alarming degree. In the end, it’s Rhodes who’s responsible for the tragic end of the base. The military has always come in for a bit of a bashing in Romero’s movies, for example the National Guard messing around with Rednecks who considered the Dead outbreak as an excuse to shoot people and get away with it, in Dawn of the Dead. 
Strangely, the zombies are almost sympathetic in this movie. Occasionally, we hear the moan of a female corpse that echoes the feeling inspired by the Nun zombie in Dawn along with the young male corpse that sits and stares at Fran outside the Department Store. Ultimately, that sympathy continues into Land of the Dead where the Dead almost become an abused class. Some are even afraid of “Dr Frankenstein” and appear to recognise that he will kill them in the end.Long before Linda Hamilton buffed up and played an insane, militaristic waitress ready to kill a man to save the world in Terminator 2, there was Lori Cardille’s Sarah. Here is a woman who is both tough and feminine at the same time. She’s tried to maintain a relationship with Miguel, a soldier who has given in to insomnia and stress but we witness this relationship at its end. Sarah is a forthright and strong character in an age where there weren’t many female characters like this on screen. When she finally breaks down and gives in to her humanity, it’s both deeply moving and disturbing. Romero doesn’t linger on this but it’s a welcome break from the cathartic reactions brought out in us to all the death and horror surrounding the characters. It is clear that Sarah has managed to gain the respect of most of the male members of the underground facility otherwise she would be fighting rape threats all too obviously. There is the implication that her situation deteriorates but nothing more. 
Richard Liberty, as Dr Logan, is another high point in this movie. Both Pilato and Liberty stretch their performances to almost camp levels but never seem to actually get there. The exchanges between Pilato and Liberty are pitch perfect for a macabre light relief that is much needed in this dark Day. Logan is just as insane as Rhodes but they inhabit an insane world. I mean, c’mon the Dead have returned to life and whilst rotting, chow down on the living. What’s normal about that? Potentially, though, Logan is the most dangerous character in the movie. Having watched the film many times, it occurred to me that he might have been responsible for the outbreak in the first place. It would be cool to find that out through a Day of the Dead Origins comic book series. Logan’s scenes with Bub also elevate this movie. I’ve always said that it was unfair and typically introspective of the Oscars not to have Howard Sherman nominated as Best Actor in the 1986 Oscars. His portrayal of Bub is an immense achievement. Playing the zombie as if he was a child learning works very well and is a joy to watch. He goes from the careful prodding of a Stephen King novel to threatening Rhodes with his empty pistol. Bub’s upset at seeing Logan ’s body, at the end of the movie is slightly over doing it, but other than that a flawless performance. Terry Lexander's John is a character that centres the movie for most people. Whilst viewers might not get on with Sarah and fear Rhodes , John is someone who hasn’t tucked away his humanity amongst this horror. Initially, seeming self-serving and selfish, he rises to hero during the movie in a believable way. He manages to imply a sexual interest in Sarah without it becoming an obvious drive for his actions. John, and Billy have the most realistic goal in the movie; to “get in that whirly-bird” and get the hell out of dodge. When Rhodes took over that’s what I would have done. Miguel is a troubling character for me as I find him irritating and weak. As we see the tail end of his deterioration, we have not witnessed the type of man he was, we judge him on what he is. Whilst there’ a measure of sympathy, he gets in the way of the characters and inadvertently causes the demise of many: Saying that he has one of the best deaths in the movie. 
The make up effects, from Tom Savini and members of what would become KNB, are second to none. I will go on record to say that the FX have never been bettered. There is so much to look at; from Dr Tongue, to Rhodes being split in half. The vivisection zombies are still grisly to this day without being offensive. I’ve always been a fan of the rotting zombie make up rather than the recently dead FX and in Day we have that. The best example is how they changed the look of Howard Sherman to make Bub a unique character zombie. The appliances were so good that it was emulated in Land of the Dead. (Simon Pegg playing Bub this time around although credited as "Phone Booth zombie").John Harrison’s score is unusual in that it was the first Dead film to have a dedicated score not punctuated by library score music. Sometimes Harrison ’s score is oddly cheerful; a juxtaposition to the mood of the film overall. It evokes the 80s for those who were old enough to actually recall the decade.The Blu-Ray is a massive improvement over previous releases. The uncut version is presented as the previous DVD. The visuals are crisp and clear – the best version that I have seen, with the audio chilling and effective. An example is the opening Miami scenes with the oncoming zombies, wandering down the street. On the extras front, we have the same Anchor Bay extras ported over along with some new ones. 
On the Blu-Ray; Disc One has the additional extras involving Joe Pilato. Joe Pilato is interviewed at length during his promotional tour of Scotland . Here he reflects upon his time on Day of the Dead and his overall career. One thing that comes strongly out of the two Pilato related extras is why we haven’t seen him in bigger budget movies. He was up for From Dusk Til Dawn, originally, but this morphed into a bigger budget that commanded George Clooney and Tarantino in thetitle roles. Joe is witty, intelligent and a joy to watch. What struck me as we watched JP having a laugh at the signings and screenings was the age of the fans, most of which looked as if they weren’t born at the time of Day’s release. I found this strangely insulting, for no other reason that I didn't hear about the events in the first place.The only negative I can find with the extras is the awful Night of the Living Dead trailer. It's for the 30th Anniversary Edition! Oh, well. It couldn't be perfect, could it? Summary:Zombie film fans and those who love a good horror should buy this now! It's a required purchase. Day is a movie that unravels layers everytime you watch it. It's a different film for me 25 years later and well worth the attention that I've spent on it. Click here for the Joe Pilato interview. (Wayfarer) New! CommentsHave your say about this! Leave me a comment in the box below. |
