#I love that picture of Romero holding his daughter while Sherman Howard just stands next to them in full make-up

[saucy-mesothelioma]

October 24th: George A. Romero | Day of the Dead

Day of the Dead was released in 1985 and was directed by George A. Romero. Zombies have taken over the world, leaving humanity scarce and seemingly a thing of the past. But hidden away in an underground bunker, scientists such as Dr. Sarah Bowman (Lori Cardille) and Dr. Matthew Logan (Richard Liberty) are conducting experiments on the walking dead in attempts to find a way to pacify and cure them. They are guarded by a group of military personnel such as Pvt. Miguel Salazar (Anthony Dileo Jr.) and Capt. Henry Rhodes (Joseph Pilato) who have a different view on the matter of the zombies: kill them all. Even with those who believe in more peaceful resolutions like chopper pilot John (Terry Alexander) tensions between the two groups are quickly reaching a boiling point. But when the zombies break into the bunker, they become each-others only chance of survival.

George A. Romero is the man we have to thank for the depiction of zombies in horror films. Although he wasn't the first to create a zombie flick, his Night of the Living Dead series contributed strongly to the sub-genre and archetype of the modern zombie. He helped to make horror movies culturally relevant for the modern age, having social commentaries on subjects such as class and consumerism. Romero not only found success with his indie films in regards to zombies, but he also made several other successful horror movies such as Creepshow, Monkey Shines, Bruiser, Season of the Witch, and The Dark Half. Without him, horror films, especially with the zombie archetype, would be far different that it is today. Rest in peace, sir; you were gone too soon.

It can be watched for free on Tubi, Pluto TV, PLEX, Crackle, Xumo Play, and Sling TV

Content Warnings for the Film (may contain spoilers): violence, a lotta gore, racial slurs, sexual womanizing comments

This movie has some beautiful practical effects given to us by one of the masters of make-up Tom Savini and I highly suggest watching this great Behind the Scenes video. This movie has some kickass kills and I will forever be thankful that Romero didn't let the executives pressure him into dropping the R rating the movie got. Even though that led to their budget being cut in half it doesn't look it one bit, it's that stunning: the zombie in the opening credits that's missing his jaw is a fucking PUPPET THAT'S HOW GOOD THEY ARE. Also another fun fact, this movie is where special effects artists Greg Nicotero and Howard Berger met. The two would later go on to found their own company KNB EFX; you might have seen their work in The Walking Dead, Scream, The X-Files, Jennifer's Body, The Green Mile, Transformers, Misery, Django Unchained, A Nightmare on Elm Street 3, Bride of Re-Animator, Evil Dead 2, The Hateful Eight, House of Wax, The Chronicles of Narnia, Wes Craven's New Nightmare, Reservoir Dogs, Army of Darkness, Men in Black, Texas Chainsaw, Hostel just to name a few.