Ok it is halloween and I’m getting the DVD player warmed up for some gut munching fun. I’m trying to choose which two platters I’ll spin!
I have the choice of:
Night of the living Dead (1968/1990)
Dawn of the Dead (1978)
Day of the Dead
Land of the Dead
Return of the living dead
As possible non Zombie seconds I have:
The Thing (Carpenter’s)
The Texas chainsaw Massacre (Hooper’s)
The Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
For the Kids, though, It is either Frankenstien, Dracula or the Wolfman.
So I’d like some suggestions for which two I should watch… any alternate suggestions?
Also, did anyone catch the Awful trailer for what is supposed to be the remake of Day of the Dead??? (My first obvious question)Where is the Day? And why are the Dead making Raptor sounds?
The only zombie movies I’ve liked are 28 Days Later, the Dawn of the Dead remake, Shaun of the Dead, and the recent Slither (which is as much about aliens as it is zombies). All are great. But you can’t go wrong with The Thing either!
I know some consider it heresy, but I enjoyed the 2004 remake of *Dawn of the Dead * exponentially more than the 1978 original, which was dated, slow, and not a bit scary. My husband, who is eight years older than I, appreciated it more, so perhaps it’s just very much a product of its time.
I second 28 Days Later, although it’s not strictly a zombie movie.
I am in the middle of a 7 nights of Zombies marathon.
Friday was the original Dawn of the Dead.
Its not SCARY, that’s true but some of the gore still gets me…mostly because I saw the tenement scene when I was really young and it did scar me. Seriously.
It really is one of my favorite movies of all time.
Saturday was Savini’s remake of the original Night of the Living Dead.
I really like this one. It is cheesy (“Lamebrains!”), the synth score is atrocious at times BUT Barbara actually DOES something in this one. And I think it is noteworthy that it’s the only traditional slow zombie Zombie movie where a character points out that they can walk right past them.
Sunday was Return of the Living Dead.
Straight up hilarious without being winking. The actors are all great at playing it straight which makes it funny. I love the interaction between the punks and the older guys. I love everything about this movie. Also noteworthy for having the first running zombies as far as I know.
Monday was House of the Dead 2.
I love House of the Dead because it is such a terrible movie it is fun to watch. This Sci-Fi channel sequel is just lame. I couldn’t even finish it.
Tonight will probably the Dawn remake (which is pretty awesome with a great set of actors) or Masters of Horror: Homecoming. It just depends on how much time I have to sit and watch something.
Tomorrow will be The original Night of the Living Dead. A theater in town is doing the stage production of NOTLD right now and I might go see that this upcoming week.
I haven’t planned the rest of it out yet.
If you can get a copy of the Italian movie “Zombi” I highly recommend it. You have to see it for one scene alone. Topless diver woman vs zombie vs shark. I shit you not.
I also recommend “Undead” an austrailian zombie/comedy movie.
I still like the original Dawn of the Dead by Romero. But the remake is pretty sweet. Land of the dead was a great close to the series. Can’t believe the actors they got for that.
Versus is another great movie I am remiss for not recommending sooner. It’s a Japanese movie with Yakuza hitmen fighting zombies in the middle of an enchanted forest. Lots of action, blood, and fun. And Slither is must-see viewing for any horror fans (plus it has Nathan Fillion, Elizabeth Banks, and Jenna Fischer in a very small role).
At the video store where I work, we’ve been watching Halloweeny movies all week. I’d forgotten how much fun Return of the Living Dead is; hylarious. The new classic funny zombie movie is, of course, Shaun. The greatest all around zombie movies are, first, *Dawn of the Dead *(what remake?) and Night of the Living Dead.
But my personal favorite, a movie in my lifetime top-ten list, is I Walked with a Zombie.
While you consider all these excellent suggestions, I recommend you listen to this song to get into the mood. (You can listen to the whole song for free by clicking on the listen button).