“Day of the Dead”
Day 17 of the 2025 31-Days of Horror
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Scientists and soldiers try to survive together in an underground bunker in Florida as the zombie apocalypse continues
Again, a cult classic film from Romero that stands the test of time. The grim final film of his first zombie trilogy. The cast, as with all the films in this trilogy, are amazing. Lori Cardille, as Sarah, one of the scientists that the soldiers are supposed to be assisting and protecting. Joseph Pilato, as Rhodes, newly in command of the soldiers and more than a little insecure and broken. Gary Howard Klar, as Steel, one of the soldiers that interacts with the scientists regularly and has a complicated relationship and opinion of them. And Sherman Howard as Bub, the intelligent zombie. There are others who did great, but these are the ones who stand out the most to me. The ones who I feel really captured the complexity of the story and their roles.
I’m not certain why this movie resonated so much with me this time around. I’ve seen it several times over the years and I’ve always enjoyed it. This time just felt different somehow. Maybe it’s the sustained level of anxiety we, as a society, have been living in since January. Heck, since November of last year, actually. Maybe I’m understanding the characters in a new way because of my new perspective. It’s not a perfect analogy. Anyway, I find I was looking more at how each individual character (the primary ones that were developed a bit more at least) was coping with the sustained stress that comes with the uncertainty of safety and food while watching those they rely on dwindle in numbers. The need to have someone to blame because they need to control *something*. I saw and understood these things on previous viewings, but now, I’m not certain I understood them. I’m not sure I fully understand them yet and I’m not sure that I want the experiences that would give that full understanding.
This whole original trilogy is why people are fascinated with zombies and the genre. The remakes, rip offs, homages, fan fic, sequels, and pseudo sequels are all just love letters to these three films.
