After a rather extended vacation through all the dark parts of the night, I thought I’d kick the site back into gear with a little visit to Zombie Movies: The Ultimate Guide by Glen Kay. If you love zombie movies and cannot get enough of our undead friends munching our living neighbors, you should pick yourself a copy this guide. It basically describes each zombie movie from the start of the cinema all the way to 2007. As you can imagine, that’s a lot of zombies yet each entry is a refreshing glimpse at a movie you might have missed.

Today’s entry features none other than the remake of Night of the Living Dead. I’m a huge fan of the original so the remake doesn’t interest me that much. That said, I found this entry to be a good read. Enjoy.

Over twenty years after the 1968 original hit theater screens, Columbia Pictures approved the inevitable full-color remake of the ultimate zombie classic. It seemed like a sure thing: production would be based just outside Pittsburgh in Washington, Pennsylvania; the original film’s cowriter John Russo would produce; Dawn of the Dead (1978) and Day of the Dead (1985) makeup master Tom Savini would direct; and George A. Romero himself would update the screenplay. But in spite of the talent involved, hard-core fans must turned a little cold when Romero admitted in an interview with Michael Frasher for Cinefantastique that the sole reason for the sequel’s existence was financial — the filmmakers hoped to recoup revenue they had lost when a missing copyright notice exposed the original Night of the Living Dead to unauthorized distribution. They may have been entitled to restitution, but such profit-minded admissions got the project off to a bad start.

Thankfully, Romero’s script is very effective, and Savini’s direction is sharp and suspenseful. As in the original, the film hits the ground running as Barbara (played this time by Patricia Tallman) is attacked by zombies and flees to a nearby farm-house. Over the course of the film, many other familiar situations arise, although some scares play out slightly differently — as if Savini knew that needed a few fake-outs for viewers familiar with the original. The ending presents a few more surprise twists, even altering the fates of many of the leads. The story also benefits greatly from a stronger, more experience cast that includes Tom Towles from Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986) and William Butler from Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (1988). The role of Ben was assumed by Tony Todd, who appeared in the Oscar-winning film Platoon (1986) and would soon portray the Candyman in the slasher film series of the same name.

Of course, with a makeup artist at the helm, the zombie effects are exemplary. For the first time ever, extras had their photos taken and prosthetic makeup was designed on computer (by effects supervisors John Vulich and Everett Burrell). Living-dead performers were fitted with cloudy contact lenses to create a soulless vacancy behind their eyes. Fake limbs, puppets, and practical makeup were combined to create some of the most fantastic authentic-looking zombies since Day of the Dead.

As for the political and social commentary for which Romero’s films are known, Savini keeps things simple, focusing on how people react psychologically and morally to intense pressure. His Night of the Living Dead echoes the basic themes of the previous version: how people’s failure to communicate with one another renders them incapable of dealing with an external threat. But Savini also adds a major new thematic element, a strong female protagonist. Barbara has evolved from the helpless, hysterical girl of the original film into a powerful, independent woman who ultimately makes the important observation that the zombies are quite slow. Despite her suggestion that they use this information to safely leave the farm-house, the remaining humans are all too hung up on holding down the fort or hanging on to what few material goods they have left.

Sadly, like most horror films of this period, the update didn’t make much of an impact at the box office. After a poor opening weekend, it grossed only $5.8 million in its full domestic theatrical run (it’s budget was approximately $4.2 million). Zombie fans who liked their films gory were put off by the lack of spurting blood (while the movie is violent, it is not as graphic as many had expected). Several critics were kind, though a greater number viciously attacked the film, suggesting with frustration that if only the protagonist had learned to get along, they could easily have handled the zombie threat – which is, of course, the whole point of the movie.

In the end, Savini’s version does not surpass Romero’s, but it is as effective as one could hope a remake to be. It’s especially recommended for zombie fans who have avoided the original because they’re turned off by black-and-white films. That’s not a good reason to overlook the classics, but perhaps the remake will whet your appetite.

Zombie Movies: The Ultimate Guide (amazon.com <- new window)
Children Shouldn’t Play with Dead Things – Netflix (netflix.com <- new window)