Freeeky Friday: Resident Zombie

Hey people! Welcome to the second Freeeky Friday, where the resident Ox talks movies about the movies he likes. Last week we trampled onto some unholy ground with the Horror edition, and this week, we continue the theme further with my very own Zombie Edition. Yeah, nothing brings back warm memories to the Ox than a well executed (he he), gory blast fest that is a good zombie movie. In today's column, I'll talk about some of my favourite films in this category, as well as several noteworthy offerings that any fan of the genre should look out for. So make sure you've got a barf bag ready, cause this can get Freeeaky!

The Zombie has always been a popular icon in pop culture. For some reason, the notion that the dead could come back to life (and often want to eat the living) scared some deep, primal part of ourselves. Some researchers believe this is why several cultures enact elaborate burial rituals, to ensure that the dead, stay dead. The ox doesn't know about that, but this horror geek sure knows that they are cool. The first zombie movie ever (according to this site) was White Zombie, made in 1932. Obviously, the Ox wasn't born yet at the time, so he cannot vouch for the authenticity/veracity of the claim. However, my first experience with zombies per se was in Michael "Wacko Jacko" Jackson's video of Thriller. I was hooked. Watching the dead come out of the graves and threaten the poor, innocent girl, was akin to watching a horror movie within a music video (although I was a bit surprised zombies could dance like that without their rotting heads and appendages falling off, hehe). Anyway, before I drone on too long, here are some of my favourites:

Night of The Living Dead (1968), remake (1990), Directed by George A Romero
Which horror aficionado can claim NOT to have seen either version? The story is simple enough: seven people get stranded in a farm house, as radiation from an unknown source brings the dead back to life. They must work together to last the night, but is all as it seems to be? Can anyone really be trusted? I myself have only been able to watch the original (1968) version once, and that was on a very bad bootleg VHS. Most people will be familiar with the color (1990) remake by (Italian horror maestro) Tom Savini, which IMO is not bad at all. Watching it again and again throughout the 90s, I recognised several themes that Romero incorporated into the original, and Savini carried over into his version. The original was shot in 1968, a time when the threat of nuclear annihilation and paranoia was rampant. A president had been assasinated, Vietnam was on the horizon, and everyone was scared. Racial intolerance and hate, the fear of war, all this was skilfully included into the films.

"As far as the tone of the piece, I think it just came from the anger of the times. It was 1968 and nobody was in a very gleeful mood about the way the world was going and so it just seemed appropriate to put those themes into the film as well"
George Romero (thanks to this site)

Meant to be part of an overarching trilogy, the series continued with Dawn of The Dead (1978). I only got to watch this once, also, but a DVD should be on the way soon, heheh. In the second film, the number of the living dead increases, and several survivors have no choice but to barricade themselves in an abandoned shopping mall. The zombies try to get in, and the survivors will have to pool their resources, or die. The series finally concluded with Day of The Dead (1985) a much darker sequel. Society has dissolved completely, and some remnants of human resistance hide in an underground complex, hoping to find a solution to the zombie menace. Again, the movie is not so much about murderous zombies than it is about the collapse of society, and what happens to normal, everyday people when they realise that there is noone to report to, no one responsible. In the years to follow, several sequels were made (not by Romero) and were generally cheap, unappealing fare. The ox is still trying to get all versions of the original trilogy, and perhaps a Romerofest is in order. Rumor has it that he is now working on Dusk of The Dead and a remake of Dawn is already on the horizon (why do they insist on spoiling good films?)

The Evil Dead Trilogy (The Evil Dead, Evil Dead II, Army of Darkness) directed by Sam Raimi
How can I not mention this series? I practically grew up with it! A group of teens, led by Ashley "Ash" Williams, (Bruce Campbell in his best role ever) spend a vacation in an abandoned cabin deep in the woods. When they unwittingly release an ages old evil, they find themselves trapped and attacked by hordes of flesh hungry creatures (later to be known as Deadites). It's since grown to become one of the most successful low budget horror movies ever made. Sam Raimi (if you think he sounds familiar, he directed Spiderman), his brother Ted (Joxer in the Xena series) and Bruce were all friends, and they loved making movies on Super 8. Through thick and thin, they pushed on to make the Evil Dead, and the final product shows just how much they had fun doing it. It's a testament to the power of good ol' hard work that the film (and its sequels) are where they are today. Contrary to popular belief, Evil Dead II is not a sequel, but rather a remake of the first, but still, I wouldn't ever watch the second while ignoring its predecessor. Army of Darkness takes an even weirder turn, plonking Ash back in the middle ages in order to strike at the heart of the Deadite Horde. I can't recommend it enough for the campy humor, cheesy special effects, and most of all, just good honest fun. Campbell and Raimi continue to work together even now, with him appearing as the wrestling announcer in Spiderman, and also in the running for the up and coming Plastic-Man.

Other notable mentions:
Cemetery Man/Dellamorte Dellamore (1994) directed by Michele Soavi
The cemetery man (Rupert Everett), a caretake of a graveyard in the sleepy town of Buffalora finds that the dead keep coming, and coming. He accepts his fate as the second death, but soon after, he tires and wishes to leave. But then leaving is never easy..
Interesting take on the notion of death (and perhaps hell). Worth a watch.

28 Days Later
From the director of Trainspotting, comes an updated zombie film for the new millennium. Some will hate it, and some will not. I personally think it's an interesting take on the genre. Mark (Noah Huntley) awakens in a hospital bed 28 days after a devastating virus hits the British Isles and turns London into a ghost town. Escaping the hospital, he is nearly killed by the infected "zombies" before bumping into Selena (Naomie Harris) who saves him and tells him what's been going on. The two then run into other survivors, and team up to find an army outpost that may be their only hope..or their doom. Shot on digital video, the film manages to capture the silence and solitude (as well as the gory action) of apocalyptic UK. I've got the DVD, so anyone wanna join me? Worth watching at least once.

Thanks to imdb for all the info I almost missed. Tell the Ox about YOUR favourite zombie flicks!

Well, that's all the time I have for this week. As usual, the weekend is around the corner, so take care, drive safe, and if you can't be good, be careful.

Cheers!