Rating: 4/5
Hooptober 5.0 | 16/32 | Romero | Anniversary Film 10/10
— What the hell are they? — They're us, that's all. There's no more room in hell.
The news is doing everything possible to stay on the air and cover the details of a national crisis. Human beings are dying and returning as zombies that feed on humans to sustain themselves.
In Philadelphia, on WGON-TV, a guest on an interview program laments how we have let morality and emotions inhibit handling this. The zombies are slow, and it only takes a headshot to kill them. But they look like loved ones, and people don’t act. Also, folks assume they’re easy to evade because they’re slow. Statistics show otherwise.
Stephen, a traffic reporter, sneaks over to Fran, a producer, to tell her he’s planning on stealing a helicopter. She tries to talk him out of it, but he is dead-set.
Meanwhile, a SWAT team is infiltrating a housing project, calling for Martinez to give up his weapons. Although the official purpose is to surrender the deceased to the National Guard, several officers secretly desire to harm Puerto Rican and Black residents.
Gunfire erupts, with deaths on both sides. Roger tries to keep people out of danger, but cops shoot with no discernment, killing everyone they see. Soon, those killed come back and attack the officers.
Shoot it, man. Shoot it in the head!
Roger meets Peter, an officer on a different team, in the basement. Roger plans on meeting up with Stephen and invites Peter along. The four take the chopper to a secluded shopping mall, where a few dozen zombies wander.
— What are they doing? Why do they come here? — Some kind of instinct — memory — what they used to do. This was an important place in their lives.
They hole up until a better option arrives — if a better option arrives.
I don’t know what version I watched. It lasted 2.5 hours, which doesn’t match any known runtimes. This one includes flubs like Fran calling Stephen “David” (the actor’s name). I would rather watch the theatrical cut. I’ll take what I can find.
Tom Savini’s effects are gnarly! Hooray for Vietnam War trauma? While the scabs and makeup look dated, the blood and gore are effective. Some standouts (no context to avoid spoilers):
- Head explosion
- Biting off chunks of woman’s shoulder and arm
- Helicopter blade scalping
- Screwdriver in the ear
- Headshot where eyeball flies out
- Savini head chop
- Ripping dudes apart
This movie’s influence is everywhere, including the recent Civil War. They share the sprawling effect on the country and the downtime between hysteria and devastation.
Something, something consumerism — it’s not subtle and overstated throughout. The many movies that followed its example influenced my opinion.
The film delves into the strain of quarantine on relationships. Reality fades, and the world stands still — the routines, the anger, the alcoholism. The feeling that you have everything you want, but it isn’t enough.
I’d probably rate this higher if it were shorter. This version has so much hanging out. On one hand, it engenders us to the characters. But there’s a point where I felt like I was waiting for the movie to make a move.