Day of the Dead (1985) United Film Distribution Company/Horror RT: 101 minutes No MPAA rating (strong graphic horror violence and extreme gore, grisly images, pervasive language) Director: George A. Romero Screenplay: George A. Romero Music: John Harrison Cinematography: Michael Gornick Release date: July 19, 1985 (US) Cast: Lori Cardille, Joseph Pilato, Terry Alexander, Jarlath Conroy, Anthony Dileo Jr., Richard Liberty, Sherman Howard, John Amplas, Gary Howard Klar, Ralph Marrero, Phillip G. Kellams, Taso N. Stavrakis, Gregory Nicotero. Box Office: $5.8M (US)/$30M (World)
Rating: ***
George A. Romero brings his Dead trilogy to a close with Day of the Dead, a comparatively weak entry that ends the saga with neither a bang nor a whimper. I’m not exactly sure how to describe the sound except to say it’s not pleasing to the ear. As much as I love a good messy gorefest, there’s something very unpleasant about Day of the Dead. Actually, it’s a few things. It’s dark and dreary-looking, the characters are mostly unlikable and everybody shouts their lines at top volume. At the same time, Tom Savini’s makeup effects are a marvel. The zombies, with rotting flesh hanging from their purple skin, look amazing. There’s a lot of gore in it too. It has a very high “YUCK!” factor. As an admitted gorehound, this is a strong selling point.
Romero intended to make a completely different movie, but had to scale back the story considerably after his budget was cut in half. The studio wanted him to deliver an R-rated movie; he had no interest in toning down the violence. As a result, he only had $3.5 million to work with. Like its predecessor, Day of the Dead was released sans MPAA rating; it carried a “No One Under 17 Admitted” policy instead which meant that he lost the teen audience that usually shows up for such movies.
I didn’t get to see it at the movies but it had nothing to do with age. I was 17 when it hit theaters in summer ’85. It only opened on a limited number of screens and the only one close to me was a rat-infested cesspool that was less than a year from closing its doors for good (the Eric Terminal in Upper Darby, PA). Even if my parents didn’t forbid me from going there (which they most assuredly did), my extreme fear of rats still kept me away. I saw Day of the Dead when it came out on video early the following year.
Zombies have taken over the world. Humanity’s survivors, what few there are, hide out in underground bunkers on military bases. In one of them, a team of scientists seeks a solution to the zombie pandemic while a small squad of soldiers provides protection. Following the death of their commander, Captain Rhodes (Pilato) announces that he’s taking over as leader and anybody who defies his orders will be killed. He and his men have had enough and want to leave, but they can’t while the scientists are still working on the problem. It doesn’t help that they have different ideas. While Dr. Sarah Bowman (Cardille) looks for a way to reverse the effects, lead scientist Dr. Logan (Liberty) claims he’s found a way to make them docile. His test subjects are captured zombies they keep in a corral. His grisly experimentations on them earn him the nickname “Frankenstein”. Things reach a boiling point when Rhodes finds out what Logan has been doing with the bodies of deceased soldiers.
That’s pretty much it as far as plot goes. Most of Day of the Dead consists of characters yelling and screaming at each other. The overacting in this movie is unbelievable. The word “restraint” has no bearing here. Plus, most of the characters are incredibly unlikable. The soldiers are a bunch of crazed gung-ho maniacs. Rhodes is particularly awful; he’s like a dictator. The scientists are a little better in that most of them have a sense of nobility in trying to save humanity. However, Logan is a depraved, immoral psycho more interested in results than humane treatment of his subjects (even if they are zombies). The only truly likable character is “Bub” (Howard), a zombie that Logan has taught to use a Sony Walkman. He’s retained a few traits of his old human self, but what does it say about a movie in which the most life-like character (or non-caricature) is a zombie?
It’s set almost entirely in the bunker, a dark, dingy cavern without a trace of joy, happiness or common decency. Sadly, Day of the Dead is almost completely humor-free. Gone is the satirical slant of the previous film. It’s not a lot of fun, really. It’s almost no fun at all. It’s saved by the large amount of bloody violence. Once again, we get decapitations, disembowelments, dismemberings, shooting, stabbings and bodies torn apart. For me, that saves the movie. Although I like Day of the Dead, I still think it’s the weakest chapter in the trilogy.
