Living Dead
Encyclopedia
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
Night of the Living Dead
Night of the Living Dead
Night of the Living Dead is a 1968 American independent black-and-white zombie film and cult film directed by George A. Romero, starring Duane Jones, Judith O'Dea and Karl Hardman. It premiered on October 1, 1968, and was completed on a USD$114,000 budget. After decades of cinematic re-releases, it...
conceived by George A. Romero
George A. Romero
George Andrew Romero is a Canadian-American film director, screenwriter and editor, best known for his gruesome and satirical horror films about a hypothetical zombie apocalypse. He is nicknamed "Godfather of all Zombies." -Life and career:...
and John A. Russo
John A. Russo
John A. Russo , sometimes credited as Jack Russo or John Russo, is an American screenwriter and film director most commonly associated with the 1968 horror classic Night of the Living Dead. As a screenwriter, his credits include Night of the Living Dead, The Majorettes, Midnight, and Santa Claws....
. The loosely connected franchise
Media franchise
A media franchise is an intellectual property involving the characters, setting and trademarks of an original work of media , such as a film, a work of literature, a television program or a video game. Generally, a whole series is made in a particular medium, along with merchandising and endorsements...
predominantly centers on different groups of people attempting to survive during the outbreak and evolution of a zombie apocalypse
Zombie apocalypse
A zombie apocalypse is a particular scenario of apocalyptic literature that customarily has a science fiction/horror rationale. In a zombie apocalypse, a widespread rise of zombies hostile to human life engages in a general assault on civilization....
.
After the film's initial success, the two creators split in disagreement regarding where the series should head, and since the film was in the public domain
Public domain
Works are in the public domain if the intellectual property rights have expired, if the intellectual property rights are forfeited, or if they are not covered by intellectual property rights at all...
, each were able to do what they liked with the continuity of their projects. Romero went on to direct five additional Dead films focusing on society as the living dead begins to evolve, while Russo branched off into literary territory, writing Return of the Living Dead
Return of the Living Dead (novel)
Return of the Living Dead is a 1977 direct sequel to George A. Romero's film, Night of the Living Dead, written by John Russo co-scripter of Night...
, which was later loosely adapted into a film of the same name and have its own franchise, and Escape of the Living Dead
Escape of the Living Dead
Escape of the Living Dead is a five-issue zombie comic book limited series published by Avatar Press, published in 2005. It is written by John A...
.
The term may also refer to the reanimated human corpses that feast on the flesh and/or brains of the living seen in the films.
George A. Romero's Dead series
As of its latest installment, Survival of the Dead, Romero's Dead series includes six films all written and directed by Romero himself. Labeled Trilogy of the Dead until Land of the Dead, each film is laden with social commentary on topics ranging from racism to consumerism. The films are not produced as direct follow-ups from one another and the only continuation is the epidemic of the living dead. This situation advances with each film, but with different characters, and the time moves ahead to the time when they were filmed, making the world's progression the only interlocking aspect of the series. The fifth film does not continue the depiction of the progress of the world; instead it goes back to the beginning of events from the first film, but is nonetheless contemporary as the sequels are. The films deal with how different people react to the same phenomenon ranging from citizens to police to army officials and back again. There are no real happy endings to the films, as each takes place in a world that has gotten worse since the last time we saw it, the number of zombies ever increasing and the fate of the living remnant always in the balance.Romero does not consider any of his Dead films sequels since none of the major characters or story continue from one film to the next. The one exception is that the military officer from Diary of the Dead (Alan van Sprang
Alan van Sprang
Alan van Sprang is Canadian actor best known for playing Sir Francis Bryan in the series The Tudors and for appearing in the Living Dead films of George A. Romero. He has many other television and film credits.-Filmography:...
), who robs the main characters, is a main character in Survival of the Dead as well.
George A. Romero
George A. Romero
George Andrew Romero is a Canadian-American film director, screenwriter and editor, best known for his gruesome and satirical horror films about a hypothetical zombie apocalypse. He is nicknamed "Godfather of all Zombies." -Life and career:...
's Dead series includes:
- Night of the Living DeadNight of the Living DeadNight of the Living Dead is a 1968 American independent black-and-white zombie film and cult film directed by George A. Romero, starring Duane Jones, Judith O'Dea and Karl Hardman. It premiered on October 1, 1968, and was completed on a USD$114,000 budget. After decades of cinematic re-releases, it...
(1968) - Dawn of the Dead (1978)
- Day of the Dead (1985)
- Land of the DeadLand of the DeadFor the disambiguation page on anything else on this topic, come here to Land of the Dead .Land of the Dead is a 2005 horror film written and directed by George A...
(2005) - Diary of the DeadDiary of the DeadDiary of the Dead is a 2007 American/Canadian horror film by George A. Romero...
(2007) - Survival of the Dead (2010)
Dead series remakes
Remakes have been made for three of the original films with the involvement of some of the original cast and crew members:Night of the Living Dead (1990)
Directed by Tom SaviniTom Savini
Thomas Vincent "Tom" Savini is an American actor, stuntman, director, award-winning special effects and makeup artist. He is known for his work on the Living Dead films directed by George A. Romero, as well as Creepshow, The Burning, Friday the 13th, The Prowler, and Maniac. He directed the 1990...
, former special make-up effects artist, who worked on Dawn of the Dead and Day of the Dead while George A. Romero rewrote the screenplay. The plot of the film follows closely the 1968 original, where Barbara, Ben, the Cooper family and Tom Landry and his girlfriend Judy Rose Larson are trapped in a rural farmhouse in Pennsylvania trying to survive the night while the house is being attacked by mysteriously reanimated ghouls, otherwise known as zombies.
Dawn of the Dead (2004)
Directed by Zack SnyderZack Snyder
Zachary Edward "Zack" Snyder is an American actor, film director, screenwriter, and producer. After making his feature film debut with the 2004 remake Dawn of the Dead, he gained wide recognition with the 2007 box office hit 300, adapted from writer-artist Frank Miller's Dark Horse Comics...
. A group of strangers: Ana, Police Sergeant Kenneth Hall, Michael,Andre and his pregnant wife, Luda, break into a nearby mall where they are confronted by three living guards — C.J., Bart and Terry — who make them surrender their weapons in exchange for refuge. The group secures the mall, then heads to the roof where they see another survivor, Andy, who is stranded alone in his gun store, across the zombie-infested parking lot. The next day more survivors arrive at the mall and are let in. After some of the survivors start dying from zombie attacks and any hope of being rescued gone, the group decides to fight their way to the Milwaukee marina and travel on Steve's yacht to an island on Lake Michigan.
Day of the Dead (2008)
Directed by Steve MinerSteve Miner
Stephen C. "Steve" Miner is an American film and television director who is also a film producer.Miner was born in Westport, Connecticut. Television programs Miner has directed include The Wonder Years, Jake 2.0, Felicity, Dawson's Creek , and Diagnosis: Murder...
, the story is located in Leadville, Colorado
Leadville, Colorado
Leadville is a Statutory City that is the county seat of, and the only municipality in, Lake County, Colorado, United States. Situated at an elevation of , Leadville is the highest incorporated city and the second highest incorporated municipality in the United States...
, where the couple of Trevor (Michael Welch) and Nina (AnnaLynne McCord
AnnaLynne McCord
AnnaLynne McCord is an American actress. Known for playing a range of vixen-type roles, McCord first gained prominence in 2007 as the scheming Eden Lord on the FX television series Nip/Tuck, and as the pampered Loren Wakefield on the MyNetworkTV telenovela American Heiress...
) find themselves in a town suddenly sealed off by military forces. People begin acting strange and that's when the usual zombie plot takes place, with the couple and various neighbours trying to escape from their ultimate fate.
Dan O'Bannon and John Russo's Living Dead spin-offs
There are currently two distinct franchises utilizing the Living Dead moniker. The first was Return of the Living DeadReturn of the Living Dead (novel)
Return of the Living Dead is a 1977 direct sequel to George A. Romero's film, Night of the Living Dead, written by John Russo co-scripter of Night...
, which originated as a novel written in 1978 by John A. Russo
John A. Russo
John A. Russo , sometimes credited as Jack Russo or John Russo, is an American screenwriter and film director most commonly associated with the 1968 horror classic Night of the Living Dead. As a screenwriter, his credits include Night of the Living Dead, The Majorettes, Midnight, and Santa Claws....
. It was later adapted to a film by Dan O'Bannon
Dan O'Bannon
Daniel Thomas "Dan" O'Bannon was an American motion picture screenwriter, director and occasional actor, usually in the science fiction and horror genres.-Early life and career:...
, which spawned its own series of movies, with a total of four sequels. This could be seen more as a spin-off of Night of the Living Dead rather than sequels, as the first movie treats Night of the Living Dead as a movie that was based on real events.
Russo and producer Tom Fox planned to bring Return of the Living Dead to the screen offering O'Bannon the director's seat, he accepted on the condition he could rewrite the film radically so as to differentiate it from Romero's films. O'Bannon discarded Russo's script in its entirety and rewrote it, retaining only the title and changing the "rules" significantly. His alterations to the canon include the zombies' fixation on brains alone (whereas Romero/Russo zombies will devour any part of a living human), the ability to move rapidly and communicate (despite physical defects that would render such activity impossible), and the ability of 2-4-5 Trioxin to resurrect any deceased life form, regardless of how long the decedent has been interred. Although Russo and O'Bannon were only directly involved with the first film in the series, the rest of the films, to varying degrees, stick to their outline and "rules" established in the first film.
Dan O'Bannon's Return of the Living Dead series includes:
- The Return of the Living Dead (O'Bannon, 1985)
- Return of the Living Dead Part IIReturn of the Living Dead Part IIReturn of the Living Dead Part II is an American zombie horror comedy film that was released in 1988. It was written and directed by Ken Wiederhorn. The film was released by Lorimar Motion Pictures on January 8, 1988, and was a minor box office success, making over $9 million at the box office in...
(Ken WiederhornKen WiederhornKen Wiederhorn is a film and television director, known mainly for the horror films Shock Waves and Return of the Living Dead Part II. Other features include Eyes of A Stranger, Meatballs II, and A House In The Hills. He also directed multiple episodes of 21 Jump Street, Dark Justice, and...
, 1988) - Return of the Living Dead 3Return of the Living Dead 3Return of the Living Dead 3 is an American romantic-horror film released in 1993. It was directed by Brian Yuzna and was written by John Penney. The film stars Melinda Clarke as Julie Walker, J. Trevor Edmond as Curt Reynolds, Kent McCord as Col. John Reynolds and Basil Wallace as Riverman...
(Brian YuznaBrian YuznaBrian Yuzna is a director, writer and producer of films.- Life :Yuzna grew up in Nicaragua, Puerto Rico and Panama before moving to the United States in the 1960s.- Career :...
, 1993) - Return of the Living Dead: NecropolisReturn of the Living Dead: NecropolisReturn of the Living Dead: Necropolis , is a 2005 zombie television horror film directed by Ellory Elkayem, starring Aimee Lynn Chadwick, Cory Hardrict, John Keefe, Jana Kramer, and Peter Coyote. The plot revolves around a group of teenagers attempting to rescue their friend from an evil corporation...
(Ellory ElkayemEllory ElkayemEllory Elkayem is a New Zealand film director.Born in Christchurch, Ellory Elkayem began making films at a young age. He later attended a film school designed to give students practical experience and preparation for a career in the film business...
, 2005) - Return of the Living Dead: Rave to the Grave (Ellory ElkayemEllory ElkayemEllory Elkayem is a New Zealand film director.Born in Christchurch, Ellory Elkayem began making films at a young age. He later attended a film school designed to give students practical experience and preparation for a career in the film business...
, 2005)
Then, in 1998, Russo went back to the original Night of the Living Dead to reshoot extra sequences into the film. This version, which was officially named Night of the Living Dead: 30th Anniversary Edition, added a subplot, alternate opening, and new score. Children of the Living Dead was then produced as a direct sequel to Night of the Living Dead: 30th Anniversary Edition, as it followed up on scenes that were newly inserted.
Russo's alternate Night of the Living Dead series includes:
- Night of the Living Dead 30th Anniversary Edition (Russo, 1998)
- Children of the Living DeadChildren of the Living DeadChildren of the Living Dead is a 2001 American direct-to-video zombie film written by Karen L. Wolf and directed by Tor Ramsey. Executive produced by John A. Russo, the film serves as a sequel to Night of the Living Dead: 30th Anniversary Edition, a recut version of the original film that Russo...
(Tor Ramsey, 2001)
Romero's versus O'Bannon's zombies
While the two kinds are similar in appearance, there are certain distinguishing details:Infection
- Romero's original Night of the Living Dead explains that an unknown phenomenon causes re-animation of the brain. Instead of being spread from person to person, the phenomenon presents itself in any human that has recently died from any cause (except those that destroy the physical structure of the brain). The first animated corpses appear in many locations simultaneously, quickly reaching pandemicPandemicA pandemic is an epidemic of infectious disease that is spreading through human populations across a large region; for instance multiple continents, or even worldwide. A widespread endemic disease that is stable in terms of how many people are getting sick from it is not a pandemic...
levels. Characters speculate about the cause of the phenomenon; suggestions at various times include a spaceborne virus, divine punishment, radiation from a satellite returning from VenusVenusVenus is the second planet from the Sun, orbiting it every 224.7 Earth days. The planet is named after Venus, the Roman goddess of love and beauty. After the Moon, it is the brightest natural object in the night sky, reaching an apparent magnitude of −4.6, bright enough to cast shadows...
, or that "there's no more room in Hell". While bites from these reanimated creatures are uniformly lethal, by mechanics unknown, death by other means would have the same result, so a bite is not necessary. It is suggested in Day of the Dead that the immediate amputation of bitten limbs may prevent victims from dying, but while the treatment is attempted, its success is never conclusively demonstrated. In George Romero's original Day of the Dead idea, a person was to have his bitten arm amputated, but still return as a zombie. Survival of the Dead shows that, in the rare instance of a living person biting the undead, that person will become infected. Many characters in films (including George Romero, himself) has referred to the bitten area as the "infected area" or "infection".
- The state of zombification seen in O'Bannon's Return of the Living Dead series is induced by the chemical compound Trioxin, an extremely toxic substance found in a gasGasGas is one of the three classical states of matter . Near absolute zero, a substance exists as a solid. As heat is added to this substance it melts into a liquid at its melting point , boils into a gas at its boiling point, and if heated high enough would enter a plasma state in which the electrons...
eous state at standard temperature and pressure. Depending on the film in the series, Trioxin zombies may or may not be able to contaminate living humans with Trioxin via bite. Very small amounts of Trioxin are sufficient to have full effect, and bodies need not be fresh to be re-animated. Both factors were illustrated in the first two films, wherein Trioxin seeped through several feet of earth to reach graves several decades old and animate the occupants (Return of the Living Dead even depicted a near-skeleton coming out of its grave). If a zombie corpse is stored for too long in a sealed container, the decomposition process will generate noxious gases containing trace amounts of Trioxin, so the drum can only be safely opened in a sealed lab environment. The requirement of Trioxin exposure makes containment to a specific area or group of people somewhat easier than Romero's plague (though the extreme tenacity of the zombies may mitigate this advantage).
Memory
- Romero's Zombies have very limited to no memory of their previous life. But they all remember how to walk, and how to use their hands for several tasks (such as striking or holding something or someone). They recognize many objects such as cars, houses and other structures, and they recognize the doors to enter them. As characters state in Dawn of the Dead, the zombies are in the mall since it is "an important place in their lives". They also kept the instinct of eating and biting. In Day of The Dead, the zombie dubbed 'Bub' is experimented on and trained by the scientist Logan and recalls how to use a razor, telephone, and a book. When Capt. Rhodes walks in the room, Bub salutes him, fires an unloaded pistol at him, and later in the movie shoots Capt. Rhodes. In Land of the DeadLand of the DeadFor the disambiguation page on anything else on this topic, come here to Land of the Dead .Land of the Dead is a 2005 horror film written and directed by George A...
, the undead retained some memory of their past lives, allowing them to use tools they remember operating, and even display emotion, giving some of Bub's intelligence to other zombies. - The zombies in the Return of the Living Dead series retain their full memories as of their time of death, whether or not they were reanimated immediately or after long interment.
Intelligence
- Romero's Zombies initially lack full cognitive function and act only on a single drive: the need to seek and consume living flesh. Night of the Living Dead depicted zombies eating animals as well as humans. It should be noted that the zombies have no true physiological need for flesh, nor can their expired digestive organs derive sustenance from it at all. This was discovered by Dr. Logan (aka Frankenstein) during his many experiments on "living" zombie specimens and reported to Sarah in Day of the Dead. The animated dead retain vague impulses derived from former living behavior. For instance, zombies often return to specific locations they frequented when alive (examples from the original Dawn of the Dead, hordes of zombies are compelled to congregate in a shopping mall, and one zombie knows where to find the secret hideout containing its still-living former companions). Lacking immediate victims to hunt, zombies will often fumble through crude motions reminiscent of life activities, often when prompted by a familiar artifact such as a telephone or car. With stimulus, it is possible for some specimens to begin to remember more of the common activities they performed while alive and achieve a basic functioning intelligence. In Day of the Dead, the zombie nicknamed Bub was "educated" into docility by Dr. Logan, learned (or remembered) how to operate a handgun and even developed a childlike affection for its instructor. In Land of the Dead, the zombie known as Big Daddy developed sophisticated cognitive function on his own, felt affection and empathy for his fellow zombies, could teach other zombies how to use objects (including weapons) and devised crude strategies for bypassing the defenses of the living humans who had destroyed many of his fellows. The more intelligent zombies like Bub and Big Daddy retain their hunger for living human flesh, but can put off immediate gratification if doing so offers a chance for more significant reward later.
- In O'Bannon's universe, if bodies are still in good condition when they are reanimated, then the resulting zombies really are capable of the same things as normal living humans. Basically, they are like normal humans but with an uncontrollable need to eat brains, which ease the great and constant pain felt from their own decomposition. Depending on their own intelligence, from the previous life, they can actually resist their need for eating brains to the benefit of survival and to elaborate some "brain hunting" tactics. For instance, a rotten, half-melted zombie known as "Tarman" in the film desperately tries to pull down a closet door with a winch in order to catch his victim but unfortunately for him, this plan fails but he soon finds another victim. This also goes as far as posing as a normal living human like a cop signaling cars to stop on the side or like someone calling friends or people and asking them for help, basically anything to attract and trap new living fresh brains when they get close enough. It is also worth noting that, as seen in Return of the Living Dead, Part 2, these zombies will act communally, for example waiting to open a gate for all the other zombies rather than simply taking the brains for themselves.
Locomotion
- Romero's zombies are slow and shambling. In interviews, George Romero has attributed this quality to rigor mortisRigor mortisRigor mortis is one of the recognizable signs of death that is caused by a chemical change in the muscles after death, causing the limbs of the corpse to become stiff and difficult to move or manipulate...
, and to the poor condition of their ankles. A sheriff in Night of the Living Dead sagely suggests that their limited mobility is due to the fact that "they're dead, they're all messed up." In Diary of the DeadDiary of the DeadDiary of the Dead is a 2007 American/Canadian horror film by George A. Romero...
(2007, post Dawn of the Dead remakeDawn of the Dead (2004 film)Dawn of the Dead is a 2004 horror film directed by Zack Snyder in his directorial debut. It is a remake of George A. Romero's 1978 film of the same name and stars Sarah Polley, Ving Rhames, and Jake Weber. The film depict a handful of human survivors living in a Milwaukee, Wisconsin shopping mall...
) the director of the student horror film tells his living dead actor (a mummy, in this case) not to move quickly because "if you run that fast your ankles are going to snap off." When that character later becomes an actual zombie and shambles after a victim the director says "See? I told you dead things move slow!" The two zombie children in Dawn of the Dead (1978) are the only running zombies in the series. - O'Bannon's Trioxin-contaminated zombies can run if not physically injured and display quite normal mobility if not too decomposed. They have the added advantage of remaining mobile even if significant body mass is lost. Several times, zombies who have lost their legs remain agile and quick through the use of their arms.
Speech
- In Romero's series, zombies never get much beyond basic grunts and groans or even screams. The aforementioned zombie Bub makes a praiseworthy effort to say "Hello Aunt Alicia," but the result is largely incomprehensible. Big Daddy in Land of the Dead was able to crudely laugh after finding a jackhammer.
- In the Return of the Living Dead series, a zombie can speak normally (even if its lungs, trachea, and facial muscles are largely missing) but any conversation will tend to lean towards their attraction to the listener's brainBrainThe brain is the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals—only a few primitive invertebrates such as sponges, jellyfish, sea squirts and starfishes do not have one. It is located in the head, usually close to primary sensory apparatus such as vision, hearing,...
, how good it must taste and the speaker's overwhelming desire to consume it. There is a glaring exception to this in Return of the Living Dead 3, involving a very fresh corpse that had not even been buried yet.
Termination
- The only way a Romero zombie can die is if its brain is destroyed. Zombies can also be burned as shown in Night of the Living Dead. A zombie's mobility may be hampered by structural damage, but such damage will do nothing to reduce the "life force" driving the body. Body parts severed from an undead brain will become inanimate. Simply removing the head does not kill the Zombie, the head would remain alive, as shown in "Land of the Dead"
- In contrast, a typical O'Bannon zombie simply cannot be deactivated short of complete destruction. Any severed body parts will still remain animate, resulting in two or more moving parts. Therefore, decapitation produces both an animate head and an animate body wandering around still trying to catch a living human. There are only two known ways to permanently kill a zombie. One is completely burning the body (as seen in the cremation scene from Return of the Living DeadReturn of the Living DeadThe Return of the Living Dead is a 1985 American zombie film that was followed by several sequels. The film was written and directed by Dan O'Bannon and starred Clu Gulager, James Karen and Don Calfa....
), though burning the body releases Trioxin-laced smoke into the air, which can combine with clouds to create Trioxin-laced rain. Another way is electrocuting the undead until they cease to move or squirm (see Return of the Living Dead Part IIReturn of the Living Dead Part IIReturn of the Living Dead Part II is an American zombie horror comedy film that was released in 1988. It was written and directed by Ken Wiederhorn. The film was released by Lorimar Motion Pictures on January 8, 1988, and was a minor box office success, making over $9 million at the box office in...
). In the third film scientists invented an endothermic chemical dart that freezes the brain, incapacitating the zombie, but its effective duration is wildly unpredictable. As of the fourth and fifth films in the series the zombies are easily destroyed by attack including attacks that do not damage the brain.
Unauthorized sequels and remakes
There are also some other films that have been released as sequels to various films in Romero's Dead series, most likely to ride on the name recognition that Romero's films enjoy. They have been produced due to the various mix-ups with the copyright and ownership of the movies, Romero himself owns only Dawn of the Dead from his first four films.Romero is often positive towards derivations of his work, stating that any new film in the horror genre is a step forward, whether completely original or a 'copycat'.
Zombi 2 (1979)
Directed by Lucio FulciLucio Fulci
Lucio Fulci was an Italian film director, screenwriter, and actor. He is perhaps best known for his directorial work on gore films, including Zombie and The Beyond , although he made films in genres as diverse as giallo, western, and comedy...
. Known as Zombie in USA. The film that was already in production when Dawn of the Dead was released, but was renamed to be a sequel upon its release (Dawn of the Dead was titled Zombi in Italy). This movie has a history of official and unofficial sequels itself. See Zombi series
Zombi series
The Zombi series refers to a set of horror films that have been marketed, in various territories, as sequels to either George A. Romero's Dawn of the Dead or Lucio Fulci's Zombi 2 . It has a confusing history of release, with entries in the series varying by different regions in the world...
.
Night of the Living Dead 3D (2006)
Directed by Jeff BroadstreetJeff Broadstreet
Jeff Broadstreet is an American film director. He directed the 2006 remake of Night of the Living Dead , titled Night of the Living Dead 3-D. Broadstreet has also directed films like Sexbomb , Area 51: The Alien Interview , Megalomania , and Dr. Rage...
. The film is a remake/reimagining of the original film made in a 3D format. The original's status as public domain made it possible to produce this film without the involvement of either Romero or Russo.
Day of the Dead 2: Contagium (2005)
Directed by Ana Clavell and James Dudelson. While billed as a sequel to Day of the Dead, as Taurus Entertainment Company holds the original's copyright, it has no actual ties to the original Day of the Dead or the series (although the prologue is set in Pittsburgh, 1968).Taurus Entertainment Company eventually announced plans in August 2009 to produce a sequel, with a working title-turned-official title, Day of the Dead: Epidemic, which is set to be the third installment of the series.
Night of the Living Bread (1990)
Directed by Kevin S. O'Brien. A parody of the original film, where a satellite crashes to Earth bringing radiation that promptly animates — as opposed to re-animating — all manner of homicidal breadBread
Bread is a staple food prepared by cooking a dough of flour and water and often additional ingredients. Doughs are usually baked, but in some cuisines breads are steamed , fried , or baked on an unoiled frying pan . It may be leavened or unleavened...
, from bun
Bun
A bun is a small, usually sweet, bread. Commonly they are hand-sized or smaller, domed in shape, with a flat bottom. A bun can also be a savory bread roll similar to a bap or barmcake....
s to biscuit
Biscuit
A biscuit is a baked, edible, and commonly flour-based product. The term is used to apply to two distinctly different products in North America and the Commonwealth Nations....
s to Communion wafers.
Night of the Day of the Dawn of the [...] Living Dead Part 2: In Shocking 2-D (1991)
Directed by James Riffel. The makers of this parody took George Romero's classic Night of the Living Dead and wiped the soundtrackSoundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
clean, then redubbed it with comedic dialogue.
Knight of the Living Dead (2005)
Directed by Bjarni GauturBjarni Gautur
Bjarni Gautur, is an Icelandic filmmaker. He wrote, directed and produced a feature length film in 2005 entitled Knight of the Living Dead.Gautur graduated from the Icelandic Film School in 2009 as a Film Director and Producer...
. An undead Knight and Viking are resurrected in 2005 Iceland to continue their battle.
Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead (2006)
Directed by Lloyd KaufmanLloyd Kaufman
Lloyd Kaufman is an American film director, producer, screenwriter and occasional actor. With producer Michael Herz, he is the co-founder of Troma Entertainment film studio, and the director of many of their feature films, including The Toxic Avenger and Tromeo and Juliet. Kaufman also serves as...
. After a fictional fried chicken franchise opens a restaurant on the location of an Indian burial ground, the chicken corpses come to life, wreaking havoc on the site
Shaun of the Dead (2004)
Directed by Edgar WrightEdgar Wright
Edgar Howard Wright is an English film and television director and writer. He is most famous for his work with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost on the films Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, the TV series Spaced, and for directing the film Scott Pilgrim vs...
. The film is about an unmotivated slacker who must cope with a zombie uprising, in London, while trying to sort his life out. Simon Pegg notes in the interview on the DVD Release of Shaun of the Dead and in an interview on BBC Radio 1 prior to the film's release that they sought George A. Romero's blessing and acknowledgement or the film would not have been released. Simon Pegg comments that "George in fact loved it so much, we [Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright] were asked to be in the film Land of the Dead as leading characters, but we said no, no way, definitely got to be zombies!" Shaun of the Dead features numerous references to not only Romero films, but several other horror/science fiction movies too.
Fido (2006)
Directed by Andrew CurrieAndrew Currie
Andrew Currie is a Canadian film director and screenwriter.Born in England, Currie grew up in Victoria, British Columbia and studied arts before turning his interests towards film...
. The film takes place after the zombie apocalypse, in a small, safe, idyllic 50's-style town. In this film zombies are kept as slaves or pets, until something inevitably goes wrong.
Dance of the Dead (2008)
Directed by Gregg Bishop. The film is about a high school prom in Georgia which is unexpectedly interrupted when a graveyard, next to a power plant, becomes the sudden source of reanimated cadavers. As zombies march on the high school, a motley group of dateless teenage outcasts takes on the zombies and saves the day.Zone of the Dead (2009)
Directed by Milan KonjevićMilan Konjević
Milan Konjević , is a Serbian film director.-External links:...
and Milan Todorović
Milan Todorović
Milan Todorović is a Serbian film director and producer, best known as the creator of the first Serbian zombie movie, Zone of the Dead.-Early life:...
. Also known as Apocalypse of the Dead in the UK), Zone of the Dead is a Serbian zombie horror film starring Ken Foree
Ken Foree
Kentotis Alvin "Ken" Foree is an American actor probably most famous as the hero Peter in Dawn of the Dead and Kenan & Kel as Roger, Kenan's dad.- Early life and career :Foree was born in Indianapolis, Indiana...
from the original Dawn of the Dead and remake
Dawn of the Dead (2004 film)
Dawn of the Dead is a 2004 horror film directed by Zack Snyder in his directorial debut. It is a remake of George A. Romero's 1978 film of the same name and stars Sarah Polley, Ving Rhames, and Jake Weber. The film depict a handful of human survivors living in a Milwaukee, Wisconsin shopping mall...
. Even though the movie is in English it was never released in America.
Document of the Dead (1985)
Directed by Roy FrumkesRoy Frumkes
Roy Frumkes is an independent filmmaker. Frumkes directed the 1985 documentary Document of the Dead, a film detailing the production of Dawn of the Dead.-Biography:The cooperation of George A...
. Document of the Dead is a 1985 documentary film that takes a look back from Romero's first television commercials onward and it chronicles his career and stylistic techniques.
Fan of the Dead (2003)
Directed by Nicolas Garreau. Fan of the Dead is a 2003 52 minute documentary road-movie revealing the filming locations of Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead, Day of the Dead and Night of the Living Dead remake with exclusive interviews with the cast of the George A. Romero's trilogy.Fan of the Dead was released on DVD/Blu-ray in USA/Canada (Cheezy Flicks), France (Bach Films), Italy (Millennium Storm), Germany (CMV Laservision), Spain/Portugal (Manga Films), Great-Britain (Arrow Films
Arrow Films
Arrow Films is a UK distributor of classic, horror, and cult films on Blu-ray and DVD.-Arrow Films:Arrow Films is one of the UK's leading independent distributors of world cinema, arthouse, horror and classic films...
) and Australia (Umbrella Entertainment
Umbrella entertainment
Umbrella Entertainment is an Australian owned, independent all-rights feature film, documentary and television program distribution company that was set up in 2001 by Jeff Harrison...
).
Additional credits: Music by Sebastian Munoz and Antonio Martino; Edited by Olivier Andre.
One for the Fire: The Legacy of 'Night of the Living Dead' (2008)
Directed by Robert Lucas (as Robert L. Lucas) and Chris Roe. One for the Fire: The Legacy of 'Night of the Living Dead' is a 2008 documentary film made to celebrate the 40th anniversary of George Romero's Night of the Living Dead. It features most of the main people behind the film as well as a few of the lesser known people who had minor roles in the movie. Romero, John Russo, Russell Streiner, Judith O'Dea and Karl Hardman are among those interviewed.Additional credits: Produced by Robert Lucas and Chris Roe; Written by Billy Gram, Robert Lucas and Chris Roe ; Music by Jess Bryden; Cinematography by Robert Lucas; Edited by Michael Felsher.
Autopsy of the Dead (2009)
Directed by Jeff Carney. Autopsy of the Dead is a 2009 documentary film that attempts a truly thorough examination of the living history behind Night of the Living Dead that has since attained the status of a bona fide cultural phenomenon.Additional credits: Produced and written by Jeff Carney and James Cirronella; Editing and Cinematography by Jeff Carney.
Cinemall (2011)
Directed by Gavin Shaw and Craig Belliveau. Cinemall is a 2011 short documentary film about The Monroeville Mall, the main location of Dawn of the Dead.Additional credits: Produced and cinematography and editing by Gavin Shaw and Craig Belliveau; Written by Gavin Shaw; Music by Carlo Carosi.
Living Dead in other media
Although the majority of the Living Dead media has been films, related projects have been released in other media. A handful of books and comics books take place in the Living Dead universe. As with the films, some of them are officially endorsed, while others are not.Books
- Night of the Living Dead (1974), by John A. RussoJohn A. RussoJohn A. Russo , sometimes credited as Jack Russo or John Russo, is an American screenwriter and film director most commonly associated with the 1968 horror classic Night of the Living Dead. As a screenwriter, his credits include Night of the Living Dead, The Majorettes, Midnight, and Santa Claws....
. A novelizationNovelizationA novelization is a novel that is written based on some other media story form rather than as an original work.Novelizations of films usually add background material not found in the original work to flesh out the story, because novels are generally longer than screenplays...
of the first film. - Return of the Living Dead (1978), by John A. Russo. A stand-alone sequel to Night of the Living Dead, with few similarities to the eventual films of the same name.
- Dawn of the Dead (1978), by George A. RomeroGeorge A. RomeroGeorge Andrew Romero is a Canadian-American film director, screenwriter and editor, best known for his gruesome and satirical horror films about a hypothetical zombie apocalypse. He is nicknamed "Godfather of all Zombies." -Life and career:...
and Susanna Sparrow. A novelization of the second film. - Book of the DeadBook of the Dead (anthology)Book of the Dead is an anthology of horror stories first published in 1989, edited by John Skipp and Craig Spector. All the stories in the anthology are united by the same premise seen in the apocalyptic films of George A. Romero, depicting a worldwide outbreak of zombies and various reactions to it...
(1989) and Still Dead: Book of the Dead 2Book of the Dead (anthology)Book of the Dead is an anthology of horror stories first published in 1989, edited by John Skipp and Craig Spector. All the stories in the anthology are united by the same premise seen in the apocalyptic films of George A. Romero, depicting a worldwide outbreak of zombies and various reactions to it...
(1992), anthology books compiled by a number of authors, most notably Stephen KingStephen KingStephen Edwin King is an American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy fiction. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and have been adapted into a number of feature films, television movies and comic books...
, with forewords written by Romero and Tom SaviniTom SaviniThomas Vincent "Tom" Savini is an American actor, stuntman, director, award-winning special effects and makeup artist. He is known for his work on the Living Dead films directed by George A. Romero, as well as Creepshow, The Burning, Friday the 13th, The Prowler, and Maniac. He directed the 1990...
. - Night of the Living Dead (2009), by Christopher AndrewsChristopher AndrewsChristopher Andrews is an actor and writer who lives in Southern California with his wife, Yvonne Isaak-Andrews. He is working on his seventh novel, Of Wolf and Man, the sequel to Pandora's Game, and continues to work as an actor, both on stage and in film.-Filmography:* Above the Rim* Dream...
. A new novelization of the first film, not authorized by Romero or Russo.
- The ...of the Dead title has been used in other works, such as the BBC BooksBBC BooksBBC Books is an imprint majority owned and managed by Random House. The minority shareholder is BBC Worldwide, the commercial subsidiary of the British Broadcasting Corporation...
original novel of Doctor WhoDoctor WhoDoctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
spin-off series TorchwoodTorchwoodTorchwood is a British science fiction television programme created by Russell T Davies. The series is a spin-off from Davies's 2005 revival of the long-running science fiction programme Doctor Who. The show has shifted its broadcast channel each series to reflect its growing audience, moving from...
, entitled Bay of the DeadBay of the DeadBay of the Dead is a BBC Books original novel written by Mark Morris and based on the British science fiction television, Doctor Who spin-off series Torchwood. It is set after the conclusion of the second series...
.
Comics
- Toe Tags, also known as The Death of Death is a six-issue comic book mini-series originally published from December 2004 to May 2005 by DC Comic and was based on an unused script by Romero. It was drawn by Tommy CastilloTommy CastilloTommy Castillo is an American writer and illustrator of comic books.-Bibliography:Comics work includes:*Dragons, Myths & Mayhem 2001 ISBN 0865620431 *Grimm Fairy Tales Beauty & the Beast 2008 Published by Zenescope...
and Rodney Ramos, with covers by horror artist Berni Wrightson. Romero's story is actually based on an unused script for a sequel to his Dead films; the miniseries therefore follows his similar tropes: Extreme gore, social commentary, evolving zombies, and the heroes riding off in the end into an unknown fate.
Escape of the Living Dead series
Escape of the Living Dead
Escape of the Living Dead is a five-issue zombie comic book limited series published by Avatar Press, published in 2005. It is written by John A...
is a five-issue comic book mini-series originally published from September 2005 to March 2006 by Avatar Press
Avatar Press
Avatar Press is an independent American publisher of comic books, founded in 1996 by William A. Christensen, and based in Rantoul, Illinois.Avatar initially published only mini-series; however, they have since begun to branch out...
and written by John A. Russo
John A. Russo
John A. Russo , sometimes credited as Jack Russo or John Russo, is an American screenwriter and film director most commonly associated with the 1968 horror classic Night of the Living Dead. As a screenwriter, his credits include Night of the Living Dead, The Majorettes, Midnight, and Santa Claws....
as a sequel to Night of the Living Dead.
Avatar Press
Avatar Press is an independent American publisher of comic books, founded in 1996 by William A. Christensen, and based in Rantoul, Illinois.Avatar initially published only mini-series; however, they have since begun to branch out...
and written by Mike Wolfer and is a sequel to Escape of the Living Dead
Escape of the Living Dead
Escape of the Living Dead is a five-issue zombie comic book limited series published by Avatar Press, published in 2005. It is written by John A...
.
Avatar Press
Avatar Press is an independent American publisher of comic books, founded in 1996 by William A. Christensen, and based in Rantoul, Illinois.Avatar initially published only mini-series; however, they have since begun to branch out...
and written by John A. Russo
John A. Russo
John A. Russo , sometimes credited as Jack Russo or John Russo, is an American screenwriter and film director most commonly associated with the 1968 horror classic Night of the Living Dead. As a screenwriter, his credits include Night of the Living Dead, The Majorettes, Midnight, and Santa Claws....
and Mike Wolfer and is a sequel to Escape of the Living Dead
Escape of the Living Dead
Escape of the Living Dead is a five-issue zombie comic book limited series published by Avatar Press, published in 2005. It is written by John A...
.
Avatar Press
Avatar Press is an independent American publisher of comic books, founded in 1996 by William A. Christensen, and based in Rantoul, Illinois.Avatar initially published only mini-series; however, they have since begun to branch out...
and written by Mike Wolfer and is a sequel to Escape of the Living Dead
Escape of the Living Dead
Escape of the Living Dead is a five-issue zombie comic book limited series published by Avatar Press, published in 2005. It is written by John A...
.
Avatar Press
Avatar Press is an independent American publisher of comic books, founded in 1996 by William A. Christensen, and based in Rantoul, Illinois.Avatar initially published only mini-series; however, they have since begun to branch out...
. It contains all ten issues of the story: the original 5 issue series, the 3 issue Airborne series, the Fearbook, and the Annual.
Night of the Living Dead series
- Night of the Living Dead
- Night of the Living Dead 2011 Annual
- Night of the Living Dead Annual #1
- Night of the Living Dead: Back From the Grave
- Night of the Living Dead: The Beginning #1
- Night of the Living Dead Holiday Special #1
- The Walking DeadThe Walking DeadThe Walking Dead is a monthly black-and-white US comic book series published by Image Comics beginning in 2003. The comic was created by writer Robert Kirkman and artist Tony Moore, who was replaced by Charlie Adlard from issue #7 onward, although Moore continued to do the covers through issue...
, (2003) an ongoing account of a zombie-apocalyptic world written by Robert KirkmanRobert KirkmanRobert Kirkman is an American comic book writer best known for his work on The Walking Dead and Invincible for Image Comics, and Ultimate X-Men and Marvel Zombies for Marvel Comics. He has also collaborated with Image Comics co-founder Todd McFarlane on the series Haunt...
. Robert Kirkman later stated that his series would have been called Night of the Living Dead, since it was in the public domain, as a way to get more recognition. The first page of the proposal had lines taken from Romero's film, and the story was to take place in the 60s. Publisher Jim ValentinoJim ValentinoJim Valentino is an American writer, penciler, editor and publisher of comic books.-1970s - 1992:Valentino began his career in the late 1970s creating small press and mostly autobiographical comics. The early-mid 1980s saw normalman which first appeared as a back-up story in Aardvark-Vanaheim's...
suggested Kirkman to change the title to something else, as it made no sense to create something under the title that could not be trademarked. Kirkman later said that Night would have been "the most inaccurate title [The Walking Dead] could have had".
Web
- George Romero's Homepage of the Dead. Includes shop, forum, fan fiction, and links to Romero's twitter and facebook pages.
- Night of the Living Dead site. Includes News, forum, blog, and free copy of Night of the Living Dead (Copyright public domain).
- Zombie Hub. Includes facts, current events, zombie information and zombie "tech."
Videogames
- Land of the Dead: Road to Fiddler's GreenLand of the Dead: Road to Fiddler's GreenLand of the Dead: Road to Fiddler's Green is a first-person shooter licensed video game based on the George A. Romero zombie horror movie Land of the Dead...
(2005), developed by Brainbox Games for PC and the Xbox. A first-person shooterFirst-person shooterFirst-person shooter is a video game genre that centers the gameplay on gun and projectile weapon-based combat through first-person perspective; i.e., the player experiences the action through the eyes of a protagonist. Generally speaking, the first-person shooter shares common traits with other...
licensed video game based on the George A. RomeroGeorge A. RomeroGeorge Andrew Romero is a Canadian-American film director, screenwriter and editor, best known for his gruesome and satirical horror films about a hypothetical zombie apocalypse. He is nicknamed "Godfather of all Zombies." -Life and career:...
zombieZombieZombie is a term used to denote an animated corpse brought back to life by mystical means such as witchcraft. The term is often figuratively applied to describe a hypnotized person bereft of consciousness and self-awareness, yet ambulant and able to respond to surrounding stimuli...
horrorHorror fictionHorror fiction also Horror fantasy is a philosophy of literature, which is intended to, or has the capacity to frighten its readers, inducing feelings of horror and terror. It creates an eerie atmosphere. Horror can be either supernatural or non-supernatural...
movie Land of the DeadLand of the DeadFor the disambiguation page on anything else on this topic, come here to Land of the Dead .Land of the Dead is a 2005 horror film written and directed by George A...
. - Dead RisingDead Risingis an action-adventure, survivor horror video game, developed by Capcom and produced by Keiji Inafune. It was released on August 8, 2006 exclusively for the Xbox 360 video game console. The game was a commercial success. It has been introduced into the Xbox 360 "Platinum Hits" lineup, and a cell...
(2006), developed by CapcomCapcomis a Japanese developer and publisher of video games, known for creating multi-million-selling franchises such as Devil May Cry, Chaos Legion, Street Fighter, Mega Man and Resident Evil. Capcom developed and published Bionic Commando, Lost Planet and Dark Void too, but they are less known. Its...
for the Xbox 360Xbox 360The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
. Contains exact parallels to Dawn of the Dead, being set in a zombie filled shopping mall. The similarities are so conspicuous that a legal disclaimer was put on the game's packaging after a dispute with the MKR Group, holder of the rights to Dawn of the Dead, which was dismissed in court.