The end of October Fright Fest is almost here, so I decided this week to pull out a seasonal favorite for everyone. Ever since "Night of the Living Dead" was released in 1968, the zombie film subgenre has captured the attention of audiences worldwide with the fear the dead may rise again. This week on October Fright Fest, there are three zombie films sure to make you think twice before visiting a graveyard after dark.
"Dead Snow" (2009)
To be perfectly clear, "Dead Snow" is in no way a great movie. It pretty much covers all zombie movie conventions during its 91 minutes. However, if you're looking for old-fashioned blood and guts zombie action, look no farther than this.
"Dead Snow" is about a group of German medical students who decide to go camping in the mountains for a weekend. They plan on meeting another member who was skiing to their cabin, but she never arrives. Later that night, a strange man, who informs them the cabin is built where Nazi soldiers once viciously took charge of a German town, visits the group. Terror, and some humor, ensue as the group find themselves being stalked by Nazi zombies.
As you can see by the synopsis above, "Dead Snow" is pretty standard fare. Most of the medical students are just like any other teenagers in slasher films: running outside into danger, finding the most inopportune times to have sex and ultimately making "life" a lot easier for the zombies. That being said, "Dead Snow" does have some very funny and entertaining moments. This will not crack anyone's top films list, but it definitely is a nice addition to any horror festival.
"Dawn of the Dead" (1978)
I know it's tempting as you're going down the "D's" section in Family Video to grab Zach Snyder's 2004 remake of "Dawn of the Dead," but please do yourself a favor and stick with the original.
"Dawn of the Dead" picks up after director George A. Romero's "Night of the Living Dead." Zombies have risen from the dead, but this film takes a look at the epidemic from a more global scale. The film focuses on a band of refugees who seek shelter in a shopping mall during the viral outbreak. As they settle in, they try to create a new life for themselves as the world crumbles outside.
Mixing social satire with fantastic horror sequences, Romero's second film is a masterpiece. The action flows well, moving us logically through the group's attempt at survival, but the real highlight of the movie is its underlying themes. For example, humans wandering back into shopping malls after being turned into zombies is a brilliant device to comment on consumer culture. The movie doesn't provide a ton of scares, but gruesome special effects and inspired social commentary make this a must for any horror fan.
"28 Days Later" (2002)
A movie of incredible vision, "28 Days Later" is a film of immense force. From the sweeping shots of London, to the terrifying zombies, this is a great horror film.
"28 Days Later" begins with a group of animal-rights activists accidently releasing a monkey infected with a new sort of virus loose in a laboratory. We then find ourselves in a hospital, 28 days after the outbreak, with a man named Jim (Cillian Murphy) who has awakened to find himself alone in London. As Jim walks around a destroyed London, he finds out that the entire country has been overrun by a plague turning victims into rage-driven zombies. The film follows Jim as he makes allies and attempts to survive, despite the perils of the devastated London. More than just a zombie film, director Danny Boyle provides a fresh look at the long-standing genre.
"28 Days Later" is a powerful zombie film. Initially, the movie makes great use of space, utilizing incredibly creepy shots of an empty London to establish the destruction of the virus. When the zombies start showing up, they move like short distance track stars, as compared to the slow pace of Romero's zombies. Despite all of these horrors, the true monsters of the movie turn out to be the survivors; especially when the gang of refugees stumble upon a group of soldiers. This leads to a hauntingly thought provoking climax that questions the true nature of humans and how they react to disaster. With this ending, Boyle suggests that maybe humans are capable of things even more horrible than hordes of mindless zombies. Throw in a star-turning role by Murphy and great direction by Boyle and you have a true classic horror film.
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