ann hale walks with the dead…
October 6th means its zombie time! I don’t count Army of Darkness as a zombie film since it’s mostly skeletons and an evil Ash fighting the battle. Don’t argue with me. I won’t agree.
Since this is the first zombie film on the list, there is no better film to start with than Night of the Living Dead. Director and Writer George Romero created the modern day zombie. Before his flesh eaters, zombies were simple somnambulists who were under the spell of someone. Thanks to Romero, we now have frightening, decaying, flesh hungry walking dead. So, when you’re at home watching The Walking Dead, you can thank old Georgie boy for paving the way.
Barbra and her brother are in the cemetery when they first come upon a zombie. When her brother is eaten, Barbra takes off and finds shelter in an old farm house with a guy named Ben. It’s here that they find out that radiation from a satellite returning to Earth from Venus may be the cause of what is happening to people, though the cause is never really determined. They find others in the cellar, making them into a nice little group. Tensions inside the house begin to rise as the zombie count outside does the same. Soon, they are fighting for their lives against the blood thirsty undead who are breaking down their doors.
Barbra has to be one of the most annoying characters in any horror film. If she was in my survivor group, I would probably put a bullet in her head just to save everyone’s sanity. The really cool thing is that you can watch the zombie virus progress and the zombies get more and more realistic as you watch the entire Romero series of zombie films. If you have enough time, watch Dawn of the Dead followed by Day of the Dead. If you started early enough, you might even be able to fit in Land of the Dead. The zombies get smarter, more violent and people become better equipped to deal with what is happening. Plus, the last three mentioned are in color, so you can actually see the blood instead of the chocolate syrup used in the first film.
You know you love to see blood.
You cannot love zombies without loving Romero and you cannot appreciate Romero without seeing where it all started. So grab a beer, prepare your nerves for Barbra and enjoy.
