Review: Day of the Dead

Dir. George A. Romero (1985)

Not nearly as well known as it’s two older siblings Night of the Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead, Day of the Dead truly has iconic shoes to fill.

Shot on a fraction of the budget it was written for, Day of the Dead has difficulty living up to its excellent script. The story involves four factions at odds with one another in the worst of circumstances and the audience is torn between allegiances. For every possible solution to the zombie threat there is an equal negative consequence. Some characters are fine paying the price for a given solution, some are not, tension and social commentary ensue...this is classic Romero.

The characters are well written, some racial stereotypes aside, and the overarching narrative is truly inventive and stands the test of time quite well. Despite a tense build-up to a third-act-twist that makes zero sense and doesn’t even affect the overall plot, the narrative in general feels just as fresh today as it did in 1985. Acting ranges from rabid scenery-chewing to solid and nuanced. Given the tense nature of the character interactions, this imbalance works with the film's B movie vibe to decent effect, though this may resonate with some viewers more than others. 

The effects are mostly practical and are extremely well executed, a little too well-executed depending on who you ask. The violence and gore are so extreme that it garnered an X rated back when that was a thing, X being typically used for films with intense violence and NC-17 for strong sexual content. Depending on who you are this will either make or break the film for you, I personally found it to be distracting from the inventive nature of the story more than anything else...which is a real shame because Day of the Dead takes the very idea of what a zombie is and what it is capable of to ingenious new heights. Instead of working to enhance the story and raise the stakes, the gore is so in your face and the violence so constant that it becomes nearly meaningless; used as a constant rather than punctuation.

When it comes to soundtracks, Day of the Deads’ is distinctly 80s, ominous synth soundscapes work to underscore our characters’ precarious situation while, in retrospect, working to either horribly date the film or gloss it with layers of powerful nostalgia. If you are at all into synthwave, retrowave, or glitchwave music, this soundtrack could easily be an addition to your regular rotation.

Should you see Day of the Dead? If B-Movie zombie flicks that wallow in gore and melodrama don’t bother you or if you are a sucker for inventive new takes on the zombie concept, then Day of the Dead would be a welcome addition to your calendar. If your stomach turns easily or you can’t deal with strong 80s vibes or campy acting, then you might want to avoid Day of the Dead.

-Josh Evans