The Glade 4.0

I am watching the Original Night of the Living Dead again, and I am noticing something; the flesh eaters in the original were smarter than their counterparts from all of the other movies. It seems the gorier the movies got the dumber they got.

In the first movie (Sorry I am not spoilering a movie from 1968) right near the beginning, the first of the flesh eaters we see, not only was it wrestling with Johnny. Then after it killed Johnny, it knew enough to try to use the door handle to open the car door. Then it was competent enough to pick up a rock and use it as a tool.

But in Day of the Dead (1985) they were only hoping they could teach the things, explaining that they lost their capacity for thought when they died. And they were just discovering for themselves how to use tools in Land of the Dead. Diary of the Dead really did not cover the subject at all...

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Darksiege
Traveller, Calé, Whisperer
Lead me not into temptation; for I know a shortcut

Huh. You might argue that the longer the plague or whatever went on, the dumber they got ... Or, you could just argue that in 1968, Romero just hadn't really thought all that through.

In Dawn of the Dead (1978, probably one of my favorite movies ever), they do mention that the dead remember their past lives, and mimic that behavior. But, you're right, that wouldn't explain the use of a rock to break open a window.

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This cold and dark tormented hell
Is all I`ll ever know
So when you get to heaven
May the devil be the judge

Coincidentally... I know I am over thinking it.

And Aethien, that is the only effing movie I do not have on DVD yet. /sadpanda

I even have that pile of **** Romero named Survival of the Dead.

For any who have not seen it...


*edit: I just corrected my issue. The movie will arrive at my home from Amazon On Wednsday. (I love Amazon Prime)

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Darksiege
Traveller, Calé, Whisperer
Lead me not into temptation; for I know a shortcut

Heh, I hear ya on the overthinking part. It's telling that I'm the only one who's replied, ya know?!

Enjoy your Dawn of the Dead. I'd be curious as to what kind of extras it has.

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This cold and dark tormented hell
Is all I`ll ever know
So when you get to heaven
May the devil be the judge

True, they definitely get smarter. I think that's partly due to the "brainless masses" analogy and romero's disenchantment with the mainstream film industry.

However, the zombie film landscape has changed significantly as well, with the introduction of the fast zombie.

Personally, I enjoyed Diary of the Dead.

Did you guys like the remake of Dawn of the Dead?

Survival of the Dead tried to address the intelligence thing too though I suppose. (Awful, awful, awful, awful, awful film).

DR:
I think another significant development is the new ambiguity of the zombie, in the originals they were clearly always the dead risen, however, now it is more vague and often plague-induced which opens the window of kill or cure morality that was not there in the originals IMHO.

I really enjoyed the remake of Dawn of the Dead. I think redoing it with modern technology brought zombie films into the current century rather nicely.

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Haven't seen the remake, or really much of anything after Day of the Dead. Need to catch up, I suppose.

And, fast zombies are dead to me. I did very much enjoy 28 Days Later, but I don't consider that a zombie flick.

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This cold and dark tormented hell
Is all I`ll ever know
So when you get to heaven
May the devil be the judge

That's because 28 days later isn't a zombie movie. Those were just infected humans, still living and breathing. Zombies don't do either.

Anyway, I did enjoy the Dawn of the Dead remake. It wasn't as good as the original, of course...but it was kind of a different movie. Fast zombies should be classified as a different type of movie than the traditional shambling zombie.

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Los Angeles Kings 2014 Stanley Cup Champions

"I love this **** team right here."
-Jonathan Quick

I think most people think of 28 Days later as a zombie movie, though.

I haven't seen the Dawn of the Dead remake, forgot that they went for fast zombies there. I agree with you about zombie classifications, however.

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This cold and dark tormented hell
Is all I`ll ever know
So when you get to heaven
May the devil be the judge

This is what separates a true fan and normal people.

(keep in mind that I enjoyed 28 days and weeks later)

_________________
Los Angeles Kings 2014 Stanley Cup Champions

"I love this **** team right here."
-Jonathan Quick

the remake of Dawn of the Dead was okay. I do not like the idea of fast zombies.

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Darksiege
Traveller, Calé, Whisperer
Lead me not into temptation; for I know a shortcut

Hah, very true!

_________________
This cold and dark tormented hell
Is all I`ll ever know
So when you get to heaven
May the devil be the judge

Exactly. I hate when folks consider that movie and it's sequal zombie movies. They are alive. They just have a rage inducing virus. They only reason they eat people is to survive, like some kind of animal.

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"It is true that democracy undermines freedom when voters believe they can live off of others' productivity, when they modify the commandment: 'Thou shalt not steal, except by majority vote.' The politics of plunder is no doubt destructive of both morality and the division of labor."

Well said.

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"Dress cops up as soldiers, give them military equipment, train them in military tactics, tell them they’re fighting a ‘war,’ and the consequences are predictable." —Radley Balko

I don't mind fast zombies, but they aren't as scary to me. To me, a lot of the horrifying aspects of a zombie is that it is relentless and single-minded in its pursuit: to kill you and eat your flesh/brains. They are slow, but they are coming. Always coming. And no matter how far and fast you run, they will catch up eventually.

It's really the difference between jump-out-at-you-boogie-woogie-woo scares in movies/video games and the psychological build-up scares. My own brain is far more effective at scaring me than some make-up artist and an orchestra performing a startling sound.

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Les Zombis et les Loups-Garous!