George A. Romero’s Resident Evil

Beyond the zombies, it is easy to understand how Umbrella, the evil pharmaceutical company in the Resident Evil video game franchise would resonate with an old-fashioned liberal like George A. Romero. Ironically, that distrust of big pharma has become more prevalent on the populist “right” in recent years. Similarly, Romero’s commentary regarding government censorship and misinformation during times of crisis probably seemed “leftwing” when he made Diary of the Dead, but it lands very differently today. If the government ever starts censoring his films, it will start with Diary. Unfortunately, fans never had the chance to see Romero’s take on the popular survival horror game, even though he scripted several drafts. Friends and insiders consider what might have been and offer their tributes to the master in Brandon Salisbury’s documentary, George A. Romero’s Resident Evil, which releases today on VOD.

Everyone at the Japanese video game company Capcom fully understood the Resident Evil game never would have existed without George Romero. He essentially launched zombie horror with Night of the Living Dead and maintained it as a subgenre with his subsequent sequels. Evidently, Romero felt the same way, so he had mixed feelings about the game (which he claimed to enjoy). Nevertheless, Capcom was eager to forge a closer association, so they hired Romero to direct the commercial for the second installment of the game (known as Biohazard in Japan).

Inevitably, the commercial caused a minor sensation in the horror world and it helped propel the new game to record-setting sales. Consequently, Capcom recommended Romero to direct the feature film adaptation. Although the surviving rough drafts of his proposed scripts are all pretty rough, fans agree they would have captured the spirit of the games much more successfully than the Paul W.S. Anderson live-action movies. However, a key executive at Constantine Films, the Germany production company, just didn’t understand the IP they bought—and eventually fired Romero, because he did.

Salisbury’s doc grows a small but growing list of films that document films that never came to be, but should have, as previously exemplified by Jodorowsky’s Dune and Henri-Georges Cluzot’s Inferno. Sadly, Romero’s Resident Evil never advanced as far as either of those non-films.

Zombie Fest: Diary of the Dead

If there was a zombie apocalypse, would you believe the information provided by the government? Would you have answered differently before the Covid pandemic? In many ways, the fifth of George A. Romero’s six Living Dead films screens differently now than when it first released. However, the laws of zombiedom remain the same. You still must aim for the head in Romero’s Diary of the Dead, which screens tomorrow as part of the Mahoning Drive-In’s Zombie Fest.

The zombie outbreak just started and boy, is the local Pittsburgh media ever surprised. They broadcast some of the only video showing a zombie coming back to life (and biting the reporter). Soon, censorship becomes widespread, but the truth constantly leaks out on social media. That is why film student Jason Creed is so determined to document everything with the cameras he was using for his student film.

Yes, this was George Romero doing found footage, but it is professional looking found footage. We understand from the start this film was edited together by Debra Moynihan, Creed’s girlfriend. She admits she was less than thrilled with Creed filming everything at the time, but she now agrees it was necessary.

Creed might have been a jerk, but at least he went back to the dorms for her. He and the rest of the crew also agree to drive to Scranton, so she can check on her parents. Along the way, they have several fraught encounters with zombies and heavily armed survivors that reflect Romero’s political perspective.

Right from the start, Romero’s screenplay blasts government censorship, dismissing self-serving excuses, like preventing panic is in the public interest, or whatever. When Diary was produced, the obvious point of reference for disasters was Hurricane Katrina, while most handwringing regarding government disclosures would have focused on the War on Terror. In the era of social media companies censoring and deplatforming people at the government’s behest, you have to wonder if Diary could even get produced as Romero original wrote it, in the current media climate.

Frankly, in many ways it seems prescient. Beyond censorship/mis/disinformation issues, when Creed’s film professor, Dr. Andrew Maxwell adopts a bow and arrows as his weapon of choice, he predates Norman Reedus’s crossbow on The Walking Dead, by about three years.

Creepshow Season Four

When a series is based on a classic George Romero-Stephen King film, it better be mindful of horror movie traditions. That continues to be the case for the strongest horror anthology currently going. The very first episode, “Grey Matter” co-starred Adrienne Barbeau in a King short story adaptation. Then it incorporated elements of the films Horror Express and Romero’s Night of the Living Dead in Night of the Living Late Show and A Dead Girl Named Sue. There are highs and a few lows, but as usual, the best episodes harken back to the 1982 fan favorite during the fourth season of Creepshow, which premieres tomorrow on Shudder.

“20 Minutes with Cassandra,” directed by showrunner Greg Nicotero and written by Jamie Flanagan starts out as a monster-stalker story, which it definitely is, but it takes an interesting turn. Ironically, this is the most thoughtful tale of the season, which makes it an outlier, but in a good way. Samantha Sloyan is also terrific as Lorna, the invaded home-owner, especially in her scenes with Okwe, the pizza delivery guy she is trying to keep out of it, played understated humor by Frankie Francois.

The second story of the season premiere, “Smile” directed by John Harrison and written by Mike Scannell, is also super creepy. Somehow, an award-winning photojournalist and his wife find themselves stalked by a mysterious figure, inexplicably taunting them with pictures he or it should not have been able to snap. In this case, it is the eerie details that make the stalking so intense.

The second episode starts with some serious horror fan service in “The Hat,” directed by Kailey & Sam Spear and written by Byron Willinger & Philip De Blasi, tipping its titular Homberg to authors like Richard Matheson. Those are the kind of legends Jay Stratton wants to join, so he borrows the hat formerly owned by his idol, Stephen Bachman (a mashing together of Stephen King and Richard Bachman) once sported. It is suitably macabre in an EC Comics kind of way and Marlee Walchuk’s portrayal of his literary agent is very funny, but not fundamentally inaccurate.

Unfortunately, the B-side, “Grieving Process,” directed by Kailey & Sam Spear and written by Mike D. McCarty and John Esposito, is gorier but much less fun. A Michelin-star chef’s wife barely survives a brutal attack, but her personality changes drastically. So does her appetite. This is probably the lowest point of the new season, because it is so downbeat and predictable.

Next episode, “Parent Death Trap, directed by P.J. Pesce and written by Erik Sandoval & Michael Rousselet, returns to the black comedy of the last season. Although miserable Lyle Veljohnson is rich in money and position, he is dirt poor when it comes to family love and support. His WASPy parents are so nasty, he finally kills them, but that won’t be the end of things. Not even close. Shaughnessy Redden and Loretta Walsh are indeed pretty hillarious as his ultra-snobby and controlling parents. It is backed by “To Grandmother’s House we Go” (director: Justin Dyck, writer: William Butler), which is an okay werewolf yarn that appropriately shares familial themes.

“Meet the Balaskos,” written and directed by John Esposito, is by far the most heavy-handed, lectury installment of the new season. It is sort of like Fright Night, except the Vampire-Americans who move in next door are just another under-represented demographic group, who must endure the prejudice of their new next-door neighbor. However, “Cheat Code,” directed by Justin Dyck and written by Claire Carre & Charles Spano, is one of the season’s best. A recently widowered father tries to bond with his son through an old school cartridge video game, but they deduce its sinister powers a little too late. Coming on the heels of Totally Killer, “Cheat Code” should further establish Lochlyn Munro as one of the top horror dads.

George Romero’s The Amusement Park

The great George Romero directed his last full zombie film Survival of the Dead in late 2008. He was 68, just three years younger than the 71-year-old main character of his long-lost allegory on aging. Romero lived to see 77 and nearly complete his debut novel. Despite his lasting pop culture influence, Romero was plagued by bad luck, so the rediscovery of his 1973 film is big news for fans. It is not exactly horror per se, but there is plenty of existential dread and surreal cruelty in Romero’s newly restored The Amusement Park, which starts streaming next Tuesday on Shudder (and is currently screening at the IFC Center).

Actor Lincoln Maazel (who will be recognizable to many horror viewers from Romero’s Martin) introduces the film’s scenes during a stroll through the empty West View Park, just north of Romero’s native Pittsburgh. He really needn’t have, because the points Romero and screenwriter Wally Cook make regarding the difficulties and indignities of aging are hard to miss. The Amusement Park is an allegory after all. If it were too subtle, it just wouldn’t work. On the other hand, at a svelte 54-minutes, Amusement Park really can’t be accused of belaboring its issues either.

After the prologue, Maazel dons the mantle of his character and enters the park through a door from an archetypal white room, despite the warnings of a battered and bloody man wearing a similar white suit. Over the course of his unpleasant day, each of the park’s attractions clearly represent real world challenges. He witnesses a fender-bender in the bumper-car track, only to have his statement discounted due to his age. Before long, he also falls victim to violent crime, substandard healthcare, and a thousand cuts from a contemptuous society.

It is dark stuff, even before the biker gang attacks and a Bergman-esque figure in a Grim Reaper mask is seen skulking about. Even if Amusement Park is not horror, it has plenty of terrifying imagery. Arguably, the grungy 1970s look and texture of the film makes it even creepier. In many ways, The Amusement Park is closer to what Calvin Reeder’s utterly unwatchable The Oregonian aspired to be. It is a Hellish vision, yet Romero keeps it totally grounded in everyday reality. (It is a shame the commissioning Lutheran Services nixed its release, but seriously, Romero practically asked for it with his derisive portrayal of the Christian Church.)

Industrial Terror: The Night of the Living Dead

It was the very last film ever screened at the late, lamented Two Boots Pioneer Theater. Obviously, they had no intentions of going quietly. It was also one the few films broadcast on MTV at the height of its 1980s cool cachet and now holds a richly deserved spot on the Library of Congress’s National Film Registry. Yet, the auteur who would inaugurate the zombie genre spent years whipping up commercials for Pittsburgh television as one of the principals of the Latent Image production house. Rightly and necessarily, George A. Romero’s The Night of the Living Dead screens together with a selection of his commercial work as part of Anthology Film Archive’s Industrial Terror film series.

Somehow this film is just as potent the twentieth or thirtieth time around. As you really ought to know, at least according to the LOC, the original Living Dead follows the plight of a group of strangers stranded in a farm house during a mysterious zombie apocalypse. Yet, despite the peril outside, they end up turning on each other.

It is a simple formula many have tried to replicate, but never with the same success. Romero masterfully doles out information via the unreliable media, using zombies sparingly in the second act. Instead, he relies on human nature to build the tension. Of course, he delivers the zombie cannibalism when he is good and ready.

On yet another repeat viewing, a few things jump out about Living Dead. After witnessing her brother’s death, the character of Barbra spends the rest of the film in a state of shock, which we rarely see in horror movies, but it is a much more believable response than dropping a series of ironic pop culture references.

While it has been said before, Duane Jones really should have become a much bigger star. He immediately instills viewer confidence as Ben and the subtle manner in which he takes a protective interest in Barbra is quite touching. A few more of him and things might have turned out better.

Keith Wayne’s Tom also serves as an effective audience surrogate. He is the sort of conciliator you want in your life boat and he is handy with tools. Yet, it is probably Bill Hinzman who truly made the film. As the first zombie in the cemetery, his gaunt face has become an iconic image of cinematic zombies.

Decades later, Living Dead’s conclusion remains the same stinging slap in the face. Indeed, it all holds up remarkably well. You have seen it before, but this is the perfect venue to see it again, along with some apt commercial selections, including a groovy riff on Fantastic Voyage for Calgon and a racially-themed presidential campaign spot, which should scare the willies out of everyone with the prospects of a McGovern administration. Highly recommended under any circumstances, the original black-and-white (non-colorized) Night of the Living Dead screens this Saturday (10/25) and Tuesday (10/28) at Anthology Film Archives, as part of Industrial Terror.

Birth of the Living Dead: The Undead Origin Story

It came from Pittsburgh.  That is where George A. Romero had carved out a business shooting television commercials for local clients.  Of course, he harbored filmmaking ambitions.  Eventually, his upstart debut would revolutionize horror cinema, spawning all kinds of controversy and imitators.  Yet, at the time, Romero was not at all certain he would be able to complete production and post on the now classic The Night of the Living Dead. Rob Kuhns goes straight to the source for his behind the scenes look at the making and legacy of the zombie classic in The Birth of the Living Dead (trailer here), which opens this Wednesday in New York at the IFC Center.

It has been over forty years since the original Living Dead was first released with little fanfare in an old school midtown grindhouse theater. Despite uniformly negative reviews (from the few critics who even bothered to cover it), Romero’s classic took on a life of its own.  In fact, the entire city of Pittsburgh had already sort of rallied behind it, perhaps inspired by local late night creature feature TV host Bill Cardille’s weekly drumbeat of publicity (you can spot him late in the film as the newsman interviewing the sheriff).  During production, the police department provided helicopters free of charge and many of Romero’s customers appeared as zombies.

One of the cool things about Birth is the way Romero vividly remembers each and every extra.  Those who have seen the film countless times will be fascinated to learn how many cast members also performed crucial functions off-screen.  Romero’s co-producer Russell Streiner (instantly recognizable as Barbara’s ill-fated brother) emerges as a particularly resourceful figure.  Kuhns also includes an endearing stinger-tribute to the late Bill Hinzman, the first zombie who chases her into the farmhouse.

Visually, Birth is also fan-friendly, featuring Gary Pullin’s distinctive comic art to illustrate various stages of the production.  It will further reassure diehards to know the doc comes via Glass Eye Pix, with Larry Fessenden on board as both a talking head and executive producer.

In a bizarre turn, Birth periodically visits a Bronx middle school, where a teacher uses Night of the Living Dead as part of his “Literacy through Film” course.  Yes, this is a classic film with considerable subtext, but showing graphic depictions of cannibalism in the classroom is wholly inappropriate. Evidently, “de-sensitize them early” is the Board of Ed’s motto.  Only in New York.

Kuhns is on stronger footing examining the wider cultural significance of Night.  According to Romero, Ben the central POV character was not originally written as an African American, but Duane Jones just nailed the audition.  Nonetheless, the added implications of the final scene would have been hard to miss, especially since Romero was consciously incorporating images of the 1960’s civil strife.

If you are a mature adult, at least old enough to vote, you really ought to be familiar with Night of the Living Dead.  While Birth offers some shallow general political analysis of the late 1960’s, it specifically contextualizes the Romero’s film quite adroitly.  Recommended for zombie aficionados who want to deepen their Living Dead viewing experience, Birth of the Living Dead opens this Wednesday (11/6) at the IFC Center.

Fandom Love: Saturday Nightmares

One thing you pick up working for a science fiction publisher is the extent to which fans are fascinated by their own fandom. That certainly appears to be the case for horror fans as well. While it might be met with indulgent shrugs by the mere mortals of the world, true devotees will eagerly scarf up Michael Stever’s Saturday Nightmares (trailer here), a short documentary behind-the-scenes look at the eponymous horror expo held at the Landmark Loew’s Jersey Theatre earlier this year. Now available on DVD in time for Halloween, true fans (you know who you are) can catch a special screening tonight with John Carpenter’s The Thing at the Chelsea Cinema.

Though Carpenter’s name is dropped several times in Saturday, most notably by his ex-wife Adrienne Barbeau, the film’s touchstone figure and guest of honor is unquestionable George A. Romero, the horror auteur best known for the Living Dead franchise. After Romero and Barbeau (who appeared Romero’s Creepshow), probably the most recognizable Saturday guest would be actor-director-make-up artist Tom Savini whose host of horror credits include Romero’s Dawn of the Dead and the 1990 Night of the Living Dead remake, which he helmed.

Most of the other featured horror heroes would probably be considered fan favorites, like Ken Foree and Joe Pilato, both best remembered for their roles in Dawn. The one non-Romero related ringer of the program is Louise Robey, who appeared in the Friday the 13th television series that was completely unrelated to the slasher movie franchise.

Stever gives us the requisite scenes of the set-up process, which will probably make anyone who has worked a lot of trade shows nauseous. We get a bit of footage of the gory cos play and some candid footage of several of the invited guests. Some of the expo stars were gracious enough to do sit-downs with the filmmaker, including Barbeau who comes across remarkably down to earth (and evidently travels entourage-less). Surprisingly, based on his remarks to the audience, we also learn Foree could have a future in talk radio.

If nothing else, Saturday is an effective commercial for the Landmark Loew’s Jersey Theatre, the grand old single screen movie palace where the horror expo was held. Slightly decrepit in a lush Hammer Films kind of way, it was definitely an appropriate spot for the horror movie love-in.

Those who live and breathe horror films will appreciate some of the insights to be gleaned into Romero’s work from the interviews and panel discussion excerpts. However, if you didn’t get the genre before, you won’t get it now. For fans though, the double bill with Carpenter’s The Thing should be a very cool show. They screen together tonight (10/23) at the Chelsea Cinema, while DVDs of Saturday are currently available through the film’s website.

Romero’s Survival of the Dead

They say island residents always stick together. Unfortunately, for decades tiny Plum Island has been divided by two bickering clans, the O’Flynns and the Muldoons. They also have hordes of shuffling zombies to fight off, but that is just the way of the world in George A. Romero’s Living Dead films, the latest of which, Survival of the Dead (trailer here), opens in New York this Friday.

Patrick O’Flynn might have his faults, but he is not hesitant about dealing with the undead. A bullet in the head works every time. By contrast, Shamus Muldoon is determined to protect his infected people in hopes some sort of treatment will eventually be discovered. Since the Muldoons outnumber their rivals, O’Flynn finds himself brusquely escorted off the island. Being a crusty old sod, O’Flynn still finds ways to make trouble in exile, advertising Plum Island on the internet as a haven from zombies. Eventually he hooks up with a group Army deserters to make his less than triumphant return home. Of course, there will be trouble, with the living and the dead.

For those looking for a film with a lot of zombies getting shot in the head, Survival has the goods. While Romero has a reputation for injecting social commentary into his horror opuses, his latest is relatively straight forward and it is just as well. Nothing will ever top the stinging conclusion to his original 1968 Night of the Living Dead, so why try? Indeed, the last thing we need is yet another horror film offering pretentious polemics on the war in Iraq.

Though Romero presents something of conflict of ideologies between the two patriarchs, the intended “take-away” is decidedly murky. O’Flynn kills zombies as fast as he can, rather than live in the hope of a cure. Muldoon kills innocent people looking for a peaceful life on Plum, but keeps flesh-eating zombies chained up in his stables. Take your pick.

If not an elegant film, Survival has a few bright lights in the cast. Recognizable from his stint as the villainous Windom Earle on Twin Peaks, Canadian actor Kenneth Welsh chews the scenery with irascible glee as the cantankerous O’Flynn. Kathleen Munroe also shows some charisma as his daughter, maintaining her dignity amid Romero’s chaos. Hardly anyone going to Survival is likely to recognize her from the recent Hallmark Channel original movie The Wild Girl, but such radically diverse credits deserve acknowledgement.

Frankly, there is something refreshing about Survival’s lack of ambition. It is what it is and nothing more: just blood-splattered, old school meathead fun. A guilty pleasure that many can probably safely wait for DVD, Survival opens Friday (5/28) in New York at the Village East.