5 Great Reasons To Revisit Day of the Dead (1985)

[00:00:01]If Day of the Dead was judged by what it wasn't in 1985, I think it's finally been appreciated for what it actually is. For years, it lived in the shadow of Dawn of the Dead.

[00:00:12]But over the last couple of decades, something quite fascinating has happened. More and more horror fans have revisited it, looked beyond the gore, and discovered a film that's richer, darker, and arguably Romero's most thought-provoking zombie movie. So today, here are five good reasons why I think Day of the Dead is absolutely worth revisiting.

[00:00:37]Reason one, it has one of horror's greatest openings. And I've always believed that if you can judge a horror film by its opening couple of minutes, then Day of the Dead gets just about everything right. And before anyone says a single word in this movie, George A.

[00:00:53]Romero immediately puts us inside Sarah's head. We find her sitting alone in a stark room with nothing around her except a calendar showing the date October 31st and a picture of some pumpkins. Now, obviously that's Halloween, but I've often wondered whether Romero is hinting at something else here. The Mexican celebration of Day of the Dead starts on October the 31st and runs for a few days. And whilst Romero never confirmed that that's what he meant, it was just something that I picked up on over the years. But considering the title of the film and George Romero's love of symbolism, I don't think it's too much of a stretch.

[00:01:31]Then without warning whatsoever, the wall explodes with zombie hands reaching out towards Sarah. And even now, it's one of my favorite jump scares in horror because you simply don't see it coming.

[00:01:41]And I wish they hadn't have used it in the trailer because I saw that moment in the trailer before I saw it in the film.

[00:01:47]But I've always thought there was more to it than just the scare itself. To me, those hands represent everything Sarah is trying to escape. She's one of the last people left alive, and she's carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders, and even when she's asleep, she can't escape the nightmare she's living through. The zombies aren't just outside anymore. They've invaded her dreams as well. And what I really love about this opening is how much it tells you about the film without a single line of dialogue. Romero is letting you know right from the start that this isn't going to be another action-packed zombie movie. This is a film about people, about fear, and about what happens to us psychologically when hope is completely running out. And there's also a lovely little connection to Romero's original Night of the Living Dead that I didn't realize until years later. Sarah is played by Lorie Cardal whose father Bill Cardal appeared in Night of the Living Dead as the television reporter updating the public as Civilization was beginning to collapse. And 17 years later, his daughter would become the lead in Romero's final chapter of his original trilogy. And I think that's just a really nice piece of horror history.

[00:03:00]Watching this opening as a teenager, all I remembered was that jump scare. And watching it today, it's everything underneath that I appreciate the most.

[00:03:07]The wall is the final barrier between safety and complete chaos. And the moment it gives way, Romero is telling us that there isn't really anywhere left to hide. I think >> give some of the rest of us a shot at some loving.

[00:03:21]>> Hey, it's going to be a long winter.

[00:03:25]>> Okay, reason two. The real monsters aren't the zombies. We've always said this, but one of the biggest reasons I think Day of the Dead has grown in reputation over the years is because once you get past the incredible makeup effects, you begin to realize this film is actually driven by its characters.

[00:03:43]The older I've become, the less interested I found myself in the zombies and the more interested I found myself in the people. Just like Night and Dawn before it, Romero was never really making films about the undead. He was making films about us. I think the zombies simply provide the pressure that exposes people for who we really are.

[00:04:06]And what's fascinating is that civilization has almost completely disappeared. Yet human nature hasn't changed at all. The military still want control. The scientists believe their work is more important than everybody else's. Nobody trusts one another and nobody really listens at all. Everybody is trying to establish authority inside a tiny underground bunker when in reality there may not even be a civilization left to save. And Captain Roads is obviously the best example of that. And one of the things I've always found interesting about Roads is that he doesn't really have a traditional character arc at all. Most villains gradually become more unstable as the story progresses, but Roads almost starts at breaking point. He starts up here and from the moment he appears on screen, he's just angry and volatile and constantly trying to assert his authority over just about everyone around him. As the pressure inside the bunker increases, those personality traits become even more exaggerated. But fundamentally, he's the same man from beginning to end. And that's exactly why his death is so satisfying. And yeah, it's one of Tom Cini's greatest effects.

[00:05:25]And we'll come on to that in a few minutes. But the reason it works so well is because Romero earns it. We've spent the entire film watching Roads bully, threaten, psychologically abuse almost everyone he comes into contact with. But by the time the zombies finally get hold of him, it feels less like a a gruesome spectacle and more like justice, I suppose, catching up with him. And then there's Dr. Logan. And I have to admit, when I first saw the film, I actually quite liked Logan. Compared to Roads, he seemed calm, intelligent, and genuinely committed to finding a solution to all of this. He almost feels like the voice of reason in those early scenes. But the more the film unfolds, the more you begin to realize that Logan has crossed just as many moral boundaries as as Rose probably has. He's experimenting with the dead. He's keeping body parts. He's treating what remains of humanity as scientific specimens. And the difference between the two men isn't really their morality. It's simply the method they use to exercise control. Roads uses his military power and Logan uses science, but both have gradually lost sight of their humanity. And then right in the middle of all the darkness, Romero introduces Bub. Now, Bub, played by Sherman Howard or Howard Sherman, whichever name you believe, remains one of the most extraordinary characters Romero has created because against all logic, he becomes one of the people you care about the most. He's this curious guy who remembers fragments of his former life and he responds to to kindness and he he learns and he even grieavves as well. But before long you're rooting for Bob almost as much as you're rooting for Sarah, John, and Bill. It's such a classic Romero idea because he quietly turns everything upside down. The humans are becoming increasingly monstrous while the monsters are slowly displaying more and more human qualities. And without ever preaching to the audience, Romero leaves us asking a really uncomfortable question. If the humans are behaving like monsters and the monster is beginning to behave like a human, who should we really be afraid of? And that's one of the reasons why I think Day of the Dead has become so much more appreciated over the years. Back in 1985, so much of the conversation centered around the gore and the budget cuts. And today, I think people are much more interested in the themes, the characters, and the questions Romero was asking beneath the surface. And looking back now, I sometimes feel Romero understandably talked about the larger version that he wanted to make. And in doing so, I think audiences spent years focusing on the film he didn't get to make instead of appreciating the remarkable one he actually did make.

[00:08:25]Unfortunately, history has been incredibly kind to Day of the Dead. And I genuinely believe we're now seeing the film through a completely different lens than audiences did back in 1985. Some critics and and even fans absolutely hated it on release, which is which is so sad. and I'm so glad that things have changed over the years. Before we move on to the next reason though, if you're new to the channel, my name is Darren.

[00:08:49]This is Only Sounds, where we celebrate the films that made growing up in the 70s, 80s, and '9s so memorable. And if classic horror and nostalgia are your thing, I'd love you to subscribe and become part of my community. Now, let's move on to what I believe is Tom Cevin's finest hour, which is reason three.

[00:09:12]Tom Cevini at the peak of his powers. If there was ever a film that convinced me Tom Cevini was the greatest makeup effects artist the horror genre has ever seen, Day of the Dead is it. And by 1985, he'd already built an incredible reputation with films like Maniac, Friday the 13th, The Burning, The Prowler, and Dawn of the Dead. But this always felt like the moment everything just came together. He had more time, a bigger budget than before, and most importantly, the opportunity to create a world where every zombie looked like an individual rather than another extra covered in gray blue makeup. And you can see that there are people from all walks of life that are zombies in this film.

[00:09:58]There are people that are there are clowns, there are brides, there are maintenance men, there are there's one guy who obviously died whilst he was washing the dishes. And that's one of the first things that stands out whenever I revisit the film. Every member of the undead has their own personality and their own story written across their face. Some have clearly only recently turned, while others have deteriorated to the point where they barely resemble a human being anymore.

[00:10:26]And it gives the film an authenticity that very few zombie movies have managed to recreate. Like Miguel's arm being hacked off by Sarah as she desperately tries to cauterize the wound. When I saw this the first time, I believed I was watching it for real. Sini completely convinces you that what you've seen is genuine. And it's the machete dragging along the floor as Sarah separates the arm, trying to catch the infection before it's too late. It is absolutely convincing and something that I still wse at today. And that gradual deterioration of of Miguel himself after he's bitten. It's is sad to watch. The other thing is Bub's wonderfully expressive makeup which somehow manages to make you empathize with a zombie. And then we arrive at Roads. And I genuinely believe Roads's death is the finest piece of practical effects work Svenia has ever created. The way the body is physically pulled apart, and the sheer realism of every layer of flesh, muscle, and bone still looks astonishing 40 years later. And you know, there's great stories with this behind the scenes of the the awful that they used for the for the guts of Rose that had gone off in a refrigerator over a period of days and the the whole cast was were stuffing clay up their nose to try and, you know, not have themselves throw up are genuinely fascinating to listen to. But what's even more impressive is is that Romero never tried to disguise any of it. The film isn't hiding behind any darkness or or rapid editing or anything like that. He photographs these effects in bright clinical light because Sini knew they would withstand close scrutiny, I think, and they absolutely do. For me, this isn't simply great horror makeup. It's also great film making as well. It it's incredible artistry. There's also something wonderfully fitting about the fact that Cevini would produce his greatest work on this film. He famously missed out on working on the original Night of the Living Dead because he was serving in Vietnam. Did you know that, by the way?

[00:12:41]Cuz he never talks about it. So, seeing him return to Romero's zombie universe and create what I honestly believe are the greatest effects of his career feels like everything had come full circle. It was it was great to see given what he missed out on in the beginning. And as someone who grew up in Britain, Day of the Dead also occupies a fascinating place in horror history. American audiences first saw the film in July of 1985. But over here, things were a little different. The Video Nasties Panic had fundamentally changed the way horror was viewed in Britain, and the Video Recordings Act had to come into force, and the BBFC was taking an incredibly hard line on violent films.

[00:13:23]Day of the Dead eventually reached UK cinemas in September 1986 after receiving 34 seconds of cuts. And when it arrived on VHS in February 1987, those same cuts were still there. And that means when I first watched the film, probably around March 1987, that I wasn't actually seeing Romero's complete vision. Like many British horror fans of my generation, I simply accepted that what I was watching was the complete film because we had no reason to think otherwise. And what I've always found fascinating is the logic behind those cuts. The BBFC removed the finger biting scene and trimmed a few shots of zombies feeding on roads after his death. Yet at exactly the same time they left in Miguel's arm being hacked off, roads being torn in half, the head being slowly pulled away from the soldier's body. Literally some of the most graphic practical effects ever put on screen were left intact, and the cuts that they did execute were incredibly subtle and barely noticeable. Even now, I've never quite understood where that line was drawn. It wasn't until I imported the American DVD in the late 1990s or perhaps the early 2000s that I finally experienced Day of the Dead completely uncut. And after living with the censored version for well over a decade, it genuinely felt like I was watching Romero's complete vision for the first time, or at least his complete filmed vision.

[00:14:52]>> I'm sorry I said those things about you.

[00:14:56]>> I'm sorry to mean. Reason four is it's a film that time has finally, I guess, understood. George A. Romero, his original screenplay was much bigger in scale, featuring fortified cities and larger military operations and set pieces and a kind of far broader look at humanity's last stand. But when the budget was reduced, he had to rethink the entire project. And naturally, that was disappointing because every filmmaker wants to put their original vision on screen. But I've often wondered whether audiences spent too many years thinking about the film Romero didn't get to make instead of appreciating the remarkable film he actually did. And when Day of the Dead arrived in 1985, I think many people simply wanted another Dawn of the Dead.

[00:15:44]and instead Romero delivered something much more intimate and much more psychological and and infinitely bleaker, I think. And looking back now, I think that's exactly why the film has endured so well. The bunker setting creates an atmosphere that's suffocating. I feel like I'm trapped every time I watch this film. The conflict between the military and the scientist just feels intense all the time. The themes of power and control and fear and the collapse of civilized behavior feel every bit as relevant today as they did 40 years ago. And and what's fascinating is how dramatically opinions have changed over time. Back in 1985, Day of the Dead was often regarded as the weakest entry in a Romero's original trilogy. And fast forward to today and it's remarkable how many horror fans have described it as his masterpiece. The film hasn't changed at all. I think it's us that have changed.

[00:16:45]We've stopped judging it because it wasn't another Dawn of the Dead and started to appreciate it because it dared to be something completely different. And that happens with a lot of films over the years.

[00:17:03]Reason five is that there is hope in this film without necessarily a happy ending. And one of the things I've always admired about George Romero is that he never feels the need to wrap everything up with a neat Hollywood ending. And I think Day of the Dead is one of the best examples of that. Those final images of Sarah, John, and Bill relaxing on the island are so different from everything that's come before them that I've often found myself wondering whether Romero wanted the ending to feel almost dreamlike. Throughout the film, Sarah is plagued by nightmares as we see, and the the psychological pressure she's under is is immense. So, when we're suddenly presented with this sunshine, calm seas, and almost complete peace, it's impossible not to notice how surreal that contrast feels. Personally, I do think the ending is real. But I also think Romero deliberately photographs it almost like a dream because after everything Sarah has experienced, peace itself has become something that feels almost impossible. And what's more important though is what Romero doesn't tell us. Like, will they survive? Will they eventually run out of food? Will the zombies stumble across the island?

[00:18:22]We just don't know. And that's exactly the same approach he took at the end of Dawn of the Dead. Peter and Fran, if you remember, escape in the helicopter, but where are they going? Is there anywhere left that's genuinely safe? And, you know, how long can they survive? And Romero leaves those questions unanswered because they're not really the point. In both films, he gives his characters something they haven't experienced for the previous two hours, which is hope.

[00:18:51]Not certainty, not victory, just just hope. I think that's one of the reasons Romero's endings have stayed with us for so long. He trusted the audience enough to imagine what came next. And because of that, those final moments linger in your mind long after the credits have finished rolling. So to conclude, of course, these are just five reasons why I think Day of the Dead deserves another look. There are plenty more that I simply haven't got the time to cover. I haven't really talked about Jon's optimism, the brilliant score, the claustrophobic production design, the sound design, or some of the smaller character moments that make this film really entertaining. And that's one of the joys of revisiting a film like this.

[00:19:33]Every time you watch it, you come away appreciating something different. And for me, that's exactly what's happened over the years. When I first watched Day of the Dead as a teenager, it was all about the gore. Tom Cevini's effects completely blew me away, and they were the images that stayed with me long after the film had finished. watching it today. Whilst I still think those effects are among the greatest ever created, they're no longer the main reason I keep coming back. Now, it's the atmosphere, it's Romero's writing, it's the characters, it's the symbolism, it's the question the film asks about humanity when society completely breaks down. And that's really [ __ ] scary.

[00:20:16]And looking back now, I think it's fascinating how much the conversation around Day of the Dead has changed over the years. In 1985, people often focused on the budget cuts and how bleak the film was and how different it was to Dawn of the Dead. And four decades later, many of those very same qualities are exactly why it's become so beloved.

[00:20:37]The film hasn't changed. As I said before, I think we have, and I genuinely think that's one of the greatest compliments you can pay Day of the Dead.

[00:20:44]It wasn't a film that needed fixing at all. It simply needed time for audiences to catch up with what George Romero was trying to say. Now, I'd love to hear from you. What would be your reasons for revisiting Day of the Dead? Is is there something I haven't mentioned that you think absolutely deserves to be on the list? Let me know in the comments below because I genuinely love to read your thoughts and I'm sure there are plenty of great reasons that I've overlooked.

[00:21:10]And if you've enjoyed this episode, don't forget to like the video, subscribe to the channel if you haven't already, and always, thank you so much for watching. Oh, and there's another video for you to check out right here.