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Day of the Dead (1985)
Innovative, But Unfortunate
Directed By: George A. Romero
Starring: Lori Cardille, Terry Alexander, & Joseph Pilato
MPAA Rating: “Not Rated”
Starring: Lori Cardille, Terry Alexander, & Joseph Pilato
MPAA Rating: “Not Rated”
Day of the Dead (1985) is a good film, but it has the sincere misfortune of following in the footsteps of Night of the Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead. Those films were amazing, filled with horrific violence, intense character relationships, and true terror displayed on screen. They were unique experiences in horror that have defined the zombie subgenre. The zombies presented in Day of the Dead look better than ever and the gore has been perfected; these are amazing creations and the violence that enshrouds them is even more brutally wonderful. But these creations are sitting in the backseat here...behind the overacted melodrama of a thoroughly boring cast of survivors, with the exception of the lone female, Sarah (Cardille), who is so righteous and heroic that we all know she will survive.
The world has been completely decimated by the ghouls that plagued Romero’s previous films. It seemed as though Dawn of the Dead displayed this apocalypse of sorts, but Day takes it one step farther. There is nothing left that we see; the film opens with Sarah and a few other survivors looking for any people who may be hiding in a city only to see that there is definitely no one left. Only the dead come out to greet them. They return to an underground military base where a sadistic Captain Rhodes (Pilato) has taken over control. There are only twelve people there and they are quickly divided into the categories of good and evil, with the maniacal Doctor Logan (Richard Liberty), a blood-splattered scientist researching the creatures, balanced in the middle. As the two groups square off, the ghouls accidentally access the facility and a new nightmare begins.
What this plot synopsis does not tell you is that this invasion does not begin until the last act; the rest of the film, though entertaining enough for what it is, is fairly focused on building dread and delivering insincere melodrama. Our survivors spend much of the film screaming, when they should be talking and bickering endlessly, when they should be thinking through their problems. It does not seem to flow and the confrontations seem like desperate plot devices. Joseph Pilato, playing Rhodes, overacts to a level that would make Cruella De Vil jealous and the rest of the villainous army men follow suit. The conflict between the two groups is hollow and contrived, which would not necessarily be a problem if it was used as a mere subplot; instead, it is the plot. It just becomes tiring and, I must admit, a little annoying.
After reading all of that ranting, you might expect me to not like Day of the Dead. Actually, I really enjoyed it; in fact, I may have loved it had it not had such an incredible family history to live up to. This is a typical eighties film, better than most, but suffering from the same problems: a meandering plot, senseless characters, and bad acting (with the exception of Ms. Cardille who does exceptionally well and a few other supporting actors). Romero succeeds, however, when he unleashes the final act, which is bloody, violent, and brilliant. Here, he makes up for all of the inane dialog by filming what he films best: zombie carnage. Zombies literally tear through characters, spilling intestines and other vital organs everywhere. It’s a great conclusion to the film. Romero also excels when he is depicting the relationship with Doctor Logan and the zombie Bub (Sherman Howard). Here is where he continues the evolution of his carnivorous villains and it’s an amazing relationship. Day of the Dead is good, not necessarily great, and even though it may not live up to the glory of its predecessors, it is still a fun Romero film.
The world has been completely decimated by the ghouls that plagued Romero’s previous films. It seemed as though Dawn of the Dead displayed this apocalypse of sorts, but Day takes it one step farther. There is nothing left that we see; the film opens with Sarah and a few other survivors looking for any people who may be hiding in a city only to see that there is definitely no one left. Only the dead come out to greet them. They return to an underground military base where a sadistic Captain Rhodes (Pilato) has taken over control. There are only twelve people there and they are quickly divided into the categories of good and evil, with the maniacal Doctor Logan (Richard Liberty), a blood-splattered scientist researching the creatures, balanced in the middle. As the two groups square off, the ghouls accidentally access the facility and a new nightmare begins.
What this plot synopsis does not tell you is that this invasion does not begin until the last act; the rest of the film, though entertaining enough for what it is, is fairly focused on building dread and delivering insincere melodrama. Our survivors spend much of the film screaming, when they should be talking and bickering endlessly, when they should be thinking through their problems. It does not seem to flow and the confrontations seem like desperate plot devices. Joseph Pilato, playing Rhodes, overacts to a level that would make Cruella De Vil jealous and the rest of the villainous army men follow suit. The conflict between the two groups is hollow and contrived, which would not necessarily be a problem if it was used as a mere subplot; instead, it is the plot. It just becomes tiring and, I must admit, a little annoying.
After reading all of that ranting, you might expect me to not like Day of the Dead. Actually, I really enjoyed it; in fact, I may have loved it had it not had such an incredible family history to live up to. This is a typical eighties film, better than most, but suffering from the same problems: a meandering plot, senseless characters, and bad acting (with the exception of Ms. Cardille who does exceptionally well and a few other supporting actors). Romero succeeds, however, when he unleashes the final act, which is bloody, violent, and brilliant. Here, he makes up for all of the inane dialog by filming what he films best: zombie carnage. Zombies literally tear through characters, spilling intestines and other vital organs everywhere. It’s a great conclusion to the film. Romero also excels when he is depicting the relationship with Doctor Logan and the zombie Bub (Sherman Howard). Here is where he continues the evolution of his carnivorous villains and it’s an amazing relationship. Day of the Dead is good, not necessarily great, and even though it may not live up to the glory of its predecessors, it is still a fun Romero film.
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