Is it like that across the board? Have all the classic horror films from Universal and Hammer, everything that the late Forrest J. Ackerman used to gleefully showcase in Famous Monsters of Filmland (and don’t forget *Castle of Frankenstein),* everything that scared and thrilled the shit out of young Stephen King as he recounted in Danse Macabre, lost their power to awe and terrify? What about the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Halloween, Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street? How new does a frightfilm have to be to do the job any more?
I enjoyed both NotLD and DotD, but DotD is so much more abruptly graphic than its predecessor (heh) that it really had me scared for weeks. In particular a very early scene on the stairs of an apartment building…
NotLD is scariest for me, for a few reasons. First, I saw it when it came out, so I was not full up of zombie law. Second, I saw it in the Orson Welles Theater in Cambridge as the third part of a triple feature - the first two parts being W. C. Fields movies. The sudden shift from comedy to horror was brilliant. To me, the movie seemed about 18 hours long - not because I was bored, but because the zombies kept on coming.
I agree with the OP. Definitely one of the scariest of the scary.
Most “scary” movies fail to scare me, because they are just so damn impossible. But this one manages to have an otherworldly feel to it; something about the camera angles, the B&W, the pacing… you just don’t have that disconnect from reality that most horror movies give you. It is its *own *reality, where these damn ghouls just might really *be *possible!
And yes, I hear, “they’re coming to get you, Barbra!!” in my head in many situations…TRM
These are also my two top favorites and they are very different movies. NotLD is a classic siege film, and that became synonymous with zombie films for a while, bunch a people trapped in a place surrounded by zombies who are slowly breaking down the defenses. 28 Days Later was a road film, people on the run, running from, running to. Different dynamic. But the third act was just masterful.
It didn’t frighten me at all, but the new Dawn of the Dead is fantastic. I think people overlook it as just some zombie movie, but I think it’s a great film, even beyond its genre. The opening scene with the music by Johnny Cash is brilliant- whoever is responsible for it deserves an award of some kind.
28 Days Later is brilliant as well. I wish they hadn’t made a sequel.
When I first saw Night of the Living Dead in the 80’s, sure it was scary. But it wasn’t the stuff of nightmares. It was more scary than the monster movies that would play on Son of Svenghoulie, for what that’s worth, but around the time I could have named a lot of movies that were more frightening. But I saw part of Day of the Dead in the theater, and I had to walk out. I sat in the lobby waiting for my sister, though I could still hear the screams. Since then, I’ve had the wiggins about zombie films. But from the original? Feh.
I’m going to ditto these points. The Dawn of the Dead remake and 28 Days Later are the two best zombie movies around. (Yeah, yeah, the 28DL critters aren’t technically zombies. Shut up. It’s a zombie movie.)
And I agree that the opening sequence of the new Dawn of the Dead is just about the best piece of footage in any zombie movie.
However, I will confess that the original Night of the Living Dead gave me quite a case of the willies when I was a lad watching it on late night TV. It seemed disturbingly “real” compared with other horror movies of the day. Strange to say, given the subject matter.
I’d say Dawn of the Dead (the original) is a better movie (and far superior than its own remake*), but Night still has the rawer look and feel that gives me the creeps like none of the others. B&W helps immeasurably in this department, and the single locked house setting is used to full advantage.
*Yes, the first 10 minutes were awesome blah-di-blah-blah. But after those first 10 minutes were 90 more of dumb-dumb-dumb-dumb-dumb.
Anyone seen or heard about Romero’s latest? “Survival of the Dead” I watched the trailer last night (you can download the whole movie from xbox live for 1200 points).
It looks… interesting. Basically a Hattfield and McCoy style rivalry between two families on a remote island… with zombies.
Is it like that across the board? Have all the classic horror films from Universal and Hammer, everything that the late Forrest J. Ackerman used to gleefully showcase in Famous Monsters of Filmland (and don’t forget *Castle of Frankenstein),* everything that scared and thrilled the shit out of young Stephen King as he recounted in Danse Macabre, lost their power to awe and terrify? What about the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Halloween, Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street? How new does a frightfilm have to be to do the job any more?