Day of the Dead (1985)

Continuing with somewhat of a Pennsylvania theme, I chose my next flick. While it was not based in the Keystone state, it was once considered the conclusion of the original George Romero zombie trilogy that will forever be linked to South Western Pennsylvania. My choice for the morning is the Romero classic Day of the Dead from 1985.

Plot/ A small group of military officers and scientists dwell in an underground bunker as the world above is overrun by zombies.

I remember watching this when in came out in 1985. At 13-years old, this movie was dark and extremely complex in comparison to the mindless zombie flicks that had become the rage in that era. Today, looking back at it, it was way ahead of its time. More importantly, it demonstrated what could be done on a limited budget, especially if the right people are working on it. The effects by Tom Savini are some of the best seen and the gore factor takes it to a new level. Yes, the soundtrack has some uneven moments, some of the acting was too over-the-top, and the storyline was a touch disjointed in places, but not of that brought the film down. In the end, this may be one of the more impressive entries from the mind of Romero and could possibly be his best work in the zombie genre. With the extreme amount of gore, it is not for everyone, but it is a must see for fans of the zombie genre.