(Insert Time of Day Here) Of the Dead

George Romero is a clever guy. For those of you not in the know, George Romero is the inventor of modern zombies. Note that he didn't invent zombies themselves, they've been around for awhile in the Voodoo religion, but rather wrote the book on what a film zombie should do. His film Night of the Living Dead is a step-by-step guide to making a perfect zombie film. Don't bother explaining why zombies attack, they just do. Have a small group of characters board up in some sort of building, then wait for inter-personal relations to break down...and Voila! You have made an excellent zombie film. The question is however, is it his best work? Romero has made six zombie movies, known as the 'Of the Dead' movies. The two most commonly referenced as his best work, and the genera's best are Night of the Living Dead and Romero's second film Dawn of the Dead. But which is superior?

Dawn of the Dead was my first Romero movie and it impressed me quite a bit. I also saw Night of the Living Dead recently for the first time. (It can be viewed in full on youtube) Both movies are great as horror movies and as social commentary. Night, as I have mentioned, deals with the inability of people to co-operate even in life or death situations. Dawn of the Dead is set in a shopping mall and the zombies are a fairly obvious metaphor for consumerism. In both films the characters are relatively safe until everything goes to hell, but it's never caused by zombies, always by other people. Night of the Living Dead has a superior ending, a more direct plot, and is stripped down to bare bones. Every scene is important and every possible bit of flesh (I mean fat) has been cut away. Dawn of the Dead has more rounded, complete characters, a fuller story, and a greater insight into life after the zombie apocalypse. It's also extremely fun, where Night is grim and bleak. Who wouldn't want to run wild in a shopping mall? Dawn of the Dead is superior to Night of the Living Dead, but only by a hair. Both movies are masterpieces and mandatory viewing for anyone interested in horror, sci-fi, pop culture, or even film history.