Freddy's 31 Days of Horror Day 15: George A Romero's Land of the Dead

The father of the modern zombie and king of the socio/political horror is one of my personal favorite filmmakers of all time, George A Romero. He has done many different types of genre film but his most notable contribution is his zombie work in the original "of the Dead" trilogy. Each redefining the genre and adding more to the mythos, evolving his creation with each story, we were bereft of a new Romero zombie film after the dismal reception of his attempted remake of his classic Night of the Living Dead. Cut to the early 2000's where Zak Snyder reinvigorated interests in zombie films with his remake of Dawn of the Dead, whose success prompted the studios to finally look at Romero and decide they would fund one of his zombie movies. This was a huge step for Romero as almost all of his films were completely independently funded. My favorite of his original trilogy was Day of the Dead, a film where the zombies started to become domesticated in a sense and function on a higher level thanks to the ingenuity of some scientists. This film as stated many a time by Greg Nicoterro, a film of which was his first film job ever, was significantly cut down due to budget constraints and while it is an amazing film, we never saw the huge budget world war zombie movie Romero wanted to do. Now with a studio as big as Universal behind him, he delivered us Land of the Dead.

Land-of-the-Dead-2005Set many years after the initial zombie outbreak, there is a city in the middle of the zombie apocalypse that is sealed off by a river and giant fences called Fiddler's Green. At the center of Fiddler's Green is a giant luxury tower where the rich and privileged bask in elegance as if the zombie apocalypse is nonexistent. Outside of the tower though is where the poor scrounge for food and try to live their lives in the safety of the gates. Fiddler's Green is run by a greedy tyrant by the name of Kaufman. (Dennis Hopper) Kaufman has a military force surrounding the city and teams of mercenaries that are trained to go out into the outside world and forage for food and supplies in specially designed tanks. One team we follow rides in a special Rigg called Dead Reckoning. In command of Dead Reckoning are Riley (Simon Baker) and Cholo (John Leguizamo). Riley and Cholo are constantly butting heads as Riley has given up on humanity and simply wants to earn enough money to buy a vehicle and leave, while Cholo only wishes to work and please Kaufman enough to finally get his own place within the tower of riches. With any good Romero movie, the cast of humans is also balanced with a great cast of the undead. All while this struggle is going on within the community, a zombie who used to work at a gas station simply known as, "Big Daddy" has started becoming smarter watching the humans. Dead Reckoning sends out barrages of fireworks, "sky flowers" to occupy the zombies while the humans mow them down, Big Daddy recognizes this and tries to stop his fellow zombies from becoming entranced by the fireworks. Big Daddy even picks up a gun and learns to fire it. He then rallies his zombie brothers and sisters together and marches on Fiddler's Green. Riley along with his simple minded friend, Charlie, (Robert Joy) find out that they have been swindled and the vehicle they had been working on is gone. At the same time Kaufman informs Cholo that no matter what he does he will never be a resident of the tower and Cholo threatens him not to mess with him. In retaliation Kaufman orders him killed, but Cholo quick on his feet grabs a crew and steals Dead Reckoning, threatening to blow up Fiddler's Green if his demands are not met. Kaufman reveals he has taken Riley's vehicle and that if he wants anything from him, Riley must hunt down and stop Cholo. The hunt is on and the dead are marching to war.

land-of-the-dead1This is one of the biggest and best comebacks with a star studded cast of cameos and thought provoking ideas that could only come from the mind of Romero. One of Riley's team members, Slack, is played by Italian horror legend Dario Argento's daughter, Asia. Slack is a fun badass female character who questions Riley's motives and tries to give humanity back to a man who no longer believes in it. Asia is perfect for this role, having known George for many years and being born into horror and growing up on it's sets. In many interviews she's even stated that the smell of fake blood, the look of zombies, the feel of a film set reminds her of her childhood and it makes her feel safe, which is a feeling she shows throughout the film ready for anything. Other great cameos we have are Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright, playing two zombies in a club that are chained to a wall that you can take your picture with. My giddiest cameo though is Tom Savini's. Savini of course is one of the most legendary FX artists in history who on Day of the Dead taught Greg Nicoterro for the first time. In the original Dawn of the Dead, the mall our protagonists are hiding in is attacked by a gang of bikers, one of which is Tom Savini! Within the film he is shot and eaten! In Land if the Dead when the zombies reach Fiddler's Green and massacre everyone, Savini is seen Zombified in his biker uniform wielding the same machete from Dawn of the Dead and eating victims!

1428971_origBub of course from Day of the Dead is my favorite zombie in history but he is followed very closely by Big Daddy, who in essence is an evolution of Bub himself. Big Daddy's zombie is an African American and as we know the original Night of the Living Dead was partially famous for being one of the first films to showcase an African American hero in the character of Ben. Originally Romero wanted to continue this having an African American protagonist but someone at the studio nixed that idea. Ever the man to give a big middle finger to the studio, Romero then decided to make the hero zombie of his film African American. Yes I say hero zombie because in a Romero film there are always zombies that are heroes in their own way. This film especially brings it to the forefront. These creatures did not choose to be resurrected, they did not choose their basic needs and wants just as we didn't but we are here and they are here and we both struggle to live. This idea of them as people was truly started in Day of the Dead and was driven right home in Land of the Dead. The scene most in particular is in the beginning when Dead Reckoning sends up it's sky flowers to distract the zombies so the humans can mow them down. Big Daddy tries very hard to snap the other zombies out of it and even throws a couple of them to the ground saving them from the barrage of bullets, but just as he's about to save the last one, grabbing onto his hair, the humans gun down the zombie he's holding until his body falls dead and Big Daddy is left holding his head. There is a moment where Big Daddy tries to comprehend what has happened, the zombie head looks around confused and scared letting out a horrid cry looking at Big Daddy. Big Daddy looks at it remorsefully and drops the head on the ground and smashes it crying out in agony. This is the boiling point for Big Daddy. In the beginning the zombies are trying to remember who they are, Big Daddy was even trying to remember how to pump gas. They were trying to understand who they were so they could better become who they need to be. It is a terribly sad moment. Throughout the film while the zombies march toward Fiddler's Green, Big Daddy teaches them new things and they all learn as they go. The closer to Fiddler's Green they get, the more atrocities they see the humans have committed to the zombies as they come across a field of dangling zombies with targets painted on them. Survival is one thing but torture for amusement is something else all together.

Land-of-the-DeadIn Dawn of the Dead, the biggest commentary was human's undying worship to consumerism, represented by the mall. That pursuit of happiness and joy within the world is not a concept but an item to be bought and a lifestyle to be lived for the right price. Living a fake life where dreams and hopes are items. This notion is intensified with the concept of the tower of the rich within Fiddler's Green. The place basically being a giant luxury mall with all kinds of stores and fancy restaurants complete with top floor luxury apartments. The higher up from the poor on the ground you are the happier you are. Living in an artificial dream like state where the plights of those less fortunate than you are nonexistent. The realities and horrors outside of the sanctity of your high class home are nothing more than a nightmare that can be cured by purchasing the newest fashions or living in gluttony dining upon the finest of meals, never thinking of the many deaths it probably took to secure the fine steak and wine you are gorging on. The greatest fear is losing it all. To see that nightmare that you've been avoiding come to your door and literally tear you apart and eat you alive. When the dead reach the tower of Fiddler's Green, they deliver judgement and it is one of the most powerful commentaries George has committed to film as both rich and poor concepts are thrown out the door in lieu of the idea that we are all meat for the world's grinder, the force of the undead.

landofthedeadkillsquadGreg Nicotero and Howard Berger themselves oversee the makeup of the zombies as we see the pupils of Savini come into their own and create some of the most grotesquely captivating creatures the series has seen, corpses of all shapes and sizes. They truly give the carnage at Fiddler's Green horrifying depth and detail. They also give me one of my favorite zombie surprises from a beheaded zombie priest, which I'll let you guys enjoy for yourselves!

Romero's greatest gift is his original characters, whether they be major or passerby victims. Each zombie has a name and each soldier has a name giving them meaning and importance. One of my favorite second string characters has to be this giant Samoan guy whose name is Pillsbury and let me tell you, you don't want to mess with this dough boy. Riley's sidekick Charlie is also awesome. Considered an idiot savant, Charlie is a simple minded man with one mission left in his life, protect Riley at all costs. He may be simple but he is an excellent marksman with a technique all on his own that I guarantee you, you will not see in any other film. One of the best comeback movies of a director's career and one of the most successful, this flick has everything you need and more in a good zombie flick! 16 Days til' Halloween Halloween! 16 Days til' Halloween! Silver Shamrock!