"They're coming to get you!" The George Romero's Dead Trilogy Discussion Thread

Yeah, Day of the Dead does take a slightly altered political stance than the previous ones. Yet, we seen signs of it in Dawn when Gaylen Ross' character is confronted by a zombie in a baseball uniform. Day takes it one step further, giving the zombie a greater sympathic treatment while the humans become increasingly undesirable as the film progresses. Personally, the film suffers because of that. And Dr. Frankenstein was one sick, wrong puppy to be feeding Capt. Rhodes' dead men to Bub and his other pets. 'Only the freshiest will do.' to more or less quote. But also experimented on them too, remember the poor chap with nothing but a brain and spine left. Well, Dr. Frankenstein needed a fresh walking corpse to work with but still doesn't sit well with me.

One theme that always resonants throughout a George A Romero Dead film and one that is commonly quoted, is that man is his own greatest enemy. Every Dead film were quite adamant in their stance on this moral and displays each's subtle brilliance.

 

Just saw the remake of Dawn of the Dead yesterday. I haven't seen the original, yet, so I can't compare but I thought it was good. Ving Rhames is good. All the other characters seem like their on the same level with eachother. As far as Resident Evil's concerned, this movie is better. It's also scarier. Not that RE was scary or anything.

 

Yes, Dr. Frankenstein was one sick puppy.

Upon thinking about it some more, though they were gross, the zombies really were much better behaved than any of the living. Look at the end of Day of the Dead, none of the zombies are seen to be killing each other, they all seem to share to some extent, there is no shouting or fighting. The compund seems much better off after the zombies arrive than before.

It's a bit like a discussion I had with a professor of mine the other day, unless there is a huge shift in thinking by everyone on the planet (which is not very likely), the only thing that mankind can do to help the planet is to leave or die off. Romero showed the latter option.

 

I thought the remake was very well done & a lot of fun. I think the film did what it set out to. It was very similar to the themes that Romero's films have such as a strong female lead & a strong black character. However this film doesn't have the same kind of social commentary as Romero's films or even 28 Days Later where, as someone pointed out earlier, that man is his own worst enemy.

What I liked about the film was audacity it had. There are parts that make you squirm for what they might show & then they show it. The focus on gore is a different style than the Romero/Savini style but it works for this version. I'm hoping the success of this film can open the door for Romero to make his final living dead movie & give Savini a real budget.

 

It's interesting to note the fabulous contrasts Day represents, mirroring the times in which the film was made. The zombies symbolize every societal cast-offs -- the homeless, the mentally ill, and any other cast-offs insert here please. While the humans stand as a symbol of 80s politics, and 80s consumerism attitude. When taking the film in this light, the metaphors are quite profound.

I am too hoping the remake does open the door for Romero and Savini to begin production on a fourth Dead film. It is one of the conditions of renegade guerilla film-making, finding proper financial backing by distributors or studios or privately funding supporters.

 

Speaking of the fourth Dead movie, what direction do you think the film will take in it's story and content? I think we'll probably see smarter and more efficient zombies.

 

The first rumours had that Dead Reckoning was going to play out more sci-fi in theme. That mankind had built themselves a gigantic utopian society, fortified with high walls. And that Dead Reckoning was a massive tank-like armored vehicle that departed the complex in order to salvage and perform other duties (probably extinguish the zombies that gather outside the walled fortress).

What I am hearing now is the fourth installment will examine social classes, and that the zombies are largely non-threatening due to decomposure. And Dead Reckoning is massive monster truck or something similar, one of the protagonists utilizes. Both versions, though sadly unverifiable are awesome and unique offering from the mind of George A Romero.

 

I hope it goes like the orignal plan for Day of the Dead. Where we get a miltary base,instead of that bunker

 

Original Day of the Dead screenplay

Enjoy!

 

I saw the DOTD remake after watching the original the night before and I loved it. I like the originals and also like the remakes of NOTLD and DOTD. I like the remake of DOTD because it started out with total chaos with everything going to heck. Great aerial shots with cars running into stuff and people running around getting eaten. It was great. Tons of sick twisted humor as well. I love it. I just might go see it again. I like how the zombies can run and not just stumble around. They are more of a threat that way.

 

saw the original holding off a little while on remake.
i hope it is not as much of a letdown as the remake of the texas chainsaw massacer was.

 

NOTLD '68 being released IN COLOR on DVD

What do you think guys? They're also going to include the black and white version. I think i'll buy this because of the Mike Nelson commentary.

 

Hmm... I'm not sure what to think of this. I'll probably try to convice my wife to look into at least renting it, if Blockbuster will carry it. I think that I would enjoy the commentary. I do like MST3K. I don't think I like the idea of Night of the Living Dead in color. Maybe the remake (which I haven't seen yet), but not the original. At least you can still choose to watch it in B&W.

And just to help clarify posts, could we use the acronym DnOTD to mean Dawn of the Dead and DyOTD to designate Day of the Dead. Otherwise the two acronyms are identical. Just a thought. The Other option is to just call them Night, Dawn, and Day respectively to make distinction easier.

 

I just call them Dawn and Day.

Wasn't a color NOTLD done already? Was it on the 30th anniversary DVD or am I thinking of something else?

 

Night belongs in the public domain. If you wanted you could make copies of it & sell it legally. That's why there are dozens of different versions from various companies. Romero doesn't make a dime from them. That was one of the reasons why Romero & Savini remade Night, to try & recoup some of the millions lost on the original.

 

Colorized version of NotLD? Why? Russo, Rubinstein, and Hinzeman already collaborated with Anchor Bay in distributing a colorized version including hideous editing to boot.

No, like Hitchcock's Psycho and Polanski's Repulsion, Night of the Living Dead thrives in black and white. Generates alot more bleeding atmosphere and mood. Millenium Edition has settled this. If you want color NotLD, try Savini's remake.

 

Huh, check this out. I was wondering if they were going to remake Day, and it turns out that they're done filming it?!?

 

Its not a remake, its apprently a sequel. Made by some low budget horror film studio. Its called Day of the Dead: Contaigum.

That Night DVD looks like it might be good for a rent, just for the Mike Nelson Commentary, but I don't think it will replace my Mellenium edition.

 

From The Digital Bits. Kindly excuse the bib and drool-cup:

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But here's a very cool bit of great DVD news: Anchor Bay Entertainment has just announced their [b]George Romero's Dawn of the Dead: The Ultimate Edition[/b] 4-disc DVD for release on 9/7 (SRP TBA). [b][color=yellow]Disc One[/b][/color] will include the original, 127-minute, unrated U.S. Theatrical Version in anamorphic widescreen (1.85:1) with audio in Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0, DTS 5.1, Dolby 2.0 Surround and the original mono. Extras will include audio commentary by director George Romero, assistant director Chris Romero, make-up artist Tom Savini and moderator Perry Martin. Also included will be theatrical trailers, TV and radio spots, a poster art galley, a bio of George Romero and a comic preview. [b][color=yellow]Disc Two[/b][/color] will include the 139-minute Extended Version in anamorphic widescreen (1.85:1) with audio in the original mono. Extras will include audio commentary with producer Richard Rubinstein and moderator Perry Martin, the Monroville Mall commercial, galleries (of behind-the-scenes photos, memorabilia and production stills). [b][color=yellow]Disc Three[/b][/color] will include the 118-minute European Version in anamorphic widescreen (1.85:1) with audio in Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0, as well as the original mono. Extras will include audio commentary with actors David Emge, Ken Foree, Scott H. Reiniger and Gaylen Ross, international theatrical trailers, U.K. TV spots, galleries (of international lobby card, poster and pressbook images), soundtrack artwork and a Dario Argento bio. Finally, [b][color=yellow]Disc Four[/b][/color] will include Roy Frumkes' original [b]Document of the Dead[/b] documentary, the all-new, 75-min [b]The Dead Will Walk[/b] documentary, on-set home movies with audio commentary by zombie extra Robert Langer, and a tour of the Monroville Mall with director George Romero. Now THAT is one seriously bad-ass DVD release! We'll post cover art when it's available. For more on this release, visit [link=http://www.anchorbayentertainment.com/dawnofthedead/]this link[/link] at the Anchor Bay website. Thanks to [b]Bits[/b] reader Mike S. for the heads-up.[hr][/blockquote]

 

Seriously, this 4 disc set just looks really damn awesome. I am buying it.

 

I liked the remake. It's great fun. I don't get scared by "horror" films so I watch them for entertainment value and I had a lot of fun with the remade DOTD.

I've not seen the originals, so I can't really comment on Romero's films or any metaphors they evoke.

I have heard DOTD is a metaphor for the mindless consumerism of the eighties, but I think it's just an excuse for a gore fest really.

 

HUGE news Romero fans! It looks like we can't call it a trilogy anymore!

Huge huge news for George Romero fans! It's finally official, after years and years and years of waiting, George Romero's fourth and final zombie flick, now called Land of the Dead, is going to happen! If you haven't seen Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead or Day of the Dead, what the hell are you waiting for? Read on for this breaking news...

Variety reports that George Romero is set to direct "Land of the Dead," a horror film that picks up on the zombie saga he hatched with "Night of the Living Dead" and continued with "Dawn of the Dead" and "Day of the Dead."

Pic, from Romero's own script, is being co-financed by Atmosphere Entertainment and Paris-based Wild Bunch. Production will begin in October in Winnipeg or Pittsburgh. Latter was the site of shooting for Romero's original 1968 zombie trilogy.

New film will be produced by Atmosphere chairman-CEO Mark Canton and prexy Bernie Goldmann, along with Romero's partner Peter Grunwald of Romero Grunwald Prods. Atmosphere's Steve Barnett is exec producer.

Go picture is the first for Atmosphere, which Canton formed late last year with financing from Daedalus Media Partners principal Mark J. Kimsey. While the company hatched a surplus of scripts Canton brought from previous ventures, "Land of the Dead" is a new script buy.

In Romero's new pic, the zombies having taken over the world and those left alive are confined to a walled-in city that keeps out the corpse corps. Anarchy rules the streets, with the wealthy insulated and living in fortified skyscrapers. Drama revolves around a group of scavengers who must thwart an attempt to overthrow the city while the dead are evolving from brainless slow-moving creatures into more advanced creatures.

Canton said Romero's early work was the touchstone for a slew of current horror hits and that his script showed the master hadn't lost his touch.

He and Goldmann described the film as "Night of the Living Dead" meets "The Road Warrior," and Wild Bunch's Vincent Grimond sparked to the overseas potential. The two companies have the ability to cover the budget themselves but expect to land a domestic distributor before the zombies wreak havoc in the fall.

Romero had been developing "Diamond Dead," a black comedy musical that's being produced by Scott Free and Andrew Gaty, and he also scripted an adaptation of the Stephen King novel "The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon," which he may direct for Canadian financier Don Archibald and Lions Gate. But he jumped at the chance to dig up the dead again.

"People ask me why I've waited so long to do another 'Dead' film," Romero said. "I made one in the '60s, one in the '70s and one in the '80s. The only reason I missed the '90s is because I wanted to stay faithful to the tradition while coming up with something new."

Romero's new film will have a budget in the teens. The original cost $140,000 and grossed $20 million worldwide, becoming one of the most profitable films of all time. The first sequel, "Dawn of the Dead" cost $1.2 million and grossed $40 million worldwide."

 

This sounds great.. Fans have certainly been waiting for it.

However: ugh.. I just don't like the idea of smarter, fast moving zombies in Romero's world.

Since he is the grandfather of the genre, and practically created that signature "zombie shuffle," I hope he isn't bowing to trends when he says his zombies are going to evolve..

I know he explored the concept in his prior movies, but suspension of disbelief aside, how do zombies evolve?

At the very least, shouldn't they get stupider when they start to rot and decay?

 

He and Goldmann described the film as "Night of the Living Dead" meets "The Road Warrior,"

Awesome.

I'm stoked already..

 

However: ugh.. I just don't like the idea of smarter, fast moving zombies in Romero's world.

Yeah I wasn't too thrilled to read that. I guess today's generation doesn't appreciate the slow walking zombies of the past.

I think I remember some fast moving zombies in NOTLD though.