Day of the Dead
                                           (1985)
                               review by Red Velvet Kitchen

Day of the Dead explicitly concludes the events of the previous two films, both thematically and plot-wise. With greater clarity than ever before, the film makes the periphery statement of intent of the earlier work crystal clear: that these monsters are not just killing us, but that they are us and that we are creating them. Sure, Dawn said these very words, but in that film they were mere spook sayings, equivocal with Night of the Living Dead’s creepy Karloff impersonation that (I like to imagine) litters horror conventions the world over. In Day of the Dead, these words mean something.

That we are killing each other.Reading between the lines, Romero is stating that we are essentially creating a divide between us humans, and taking sides to destroy one another, the cannibalistic nature of the zombie plague now taking a new light. The great thing about this trilogy is that for every subtext and theme that can be easily accessed (the dim view of the military, the inherent evil of sports store shopping), there are many more that can be gleamed from within the darkness. This is less a horror film, and more a manifesto of what’s so distasteful, ugly, unjust and yes, horrific in the modern world.

The first thing that sticks out about Day of the Dead is the almost saddening sense of abandonment. The streets are emptied and humans are few and far between, but the emptiness and isolation runs deeper. Characters have trouble interacting, ideologies clashing and sensibilities being trampled underfoot. The pivotal ‘intelligent’ zombie Bub, and his relationship with an educated scientist could easily be a mirroring of the intolerance that the military has for scientists. It seems apt that the only two groups left on this planet are either those that would rather use
brute force and aggression as defence, clashing with the more meditative thinkers, plotting and conversing rather than kicking and screaming. On this pseudo-Judgement Day, Romero has created a binary opposition of the brawn versus brain conundrum, conservative types clashing with the liberals; both arguments that can easily be dated back to the dialogues of Plato or Aristotle.

Although Day has been criticised for being too talky, the flesh-drenched climax more than satisfies. In an almost cathartic onslaught of inevitability, Romero lets loose his zombies to rip and tear away at their feeble opposition. In a set-piece of disembodied intestines, eyeballs and fingers, Romero shows the flip-side of his horrific vision: Unnatural, violent and gruesome death. Because of the placing of the violence side-to-side with the strong theorising both seem more effective, creating a
similar effect to one if Romero were standing on the sidelines shouting political vitriolic messages whilst being stabbed to death. Usually horror finds it awkward to alternate between intelligence and horror without jarring or vexing, but Romero’s trilogy sit uncomfortably well together, each outward expression complimenting the other.

It’s long been rumoured that funding was insufficient for the originally planned third instalment, so I often wonder what the ‘real’ version would have provided. Perhaps transcending the exclusive focus of the zombie epidemic in North America. It would be a pleasure to see Romero’s underplayed satirical wit leap on the reserved and emotionless facade of the UK or the disposable, pop-culture of Japan. Maybe we would be treated to a virtual waxwork museum of zombiefied celebrities and politicians, Romero again setting his sights on the fickle media-savvy culture, and pressing the detonation switch. Personally, a lampoon of Michael Jackson, Richard Nixon or Cher through the method of the undead would make my day. However, maybe the logical next step in the zombie plague is one of total assimilation, the humans finally succumbing to the oppressive regime of the instinctive flesh-eaters. This would certify what Romero was really been saying all along the journey, that we are all becoming zombies, and turning these potent words into a literal nightmare. One which is intimidating because of the all too pertinent merging of horror and reality.