In this very special Halloween edition of Natter Cast, Natter Caster Jason and Oscar Blogger Andrew throw George Romero's Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead and Day of the Dead into the arena to fight it out. Which of the three films contributed the most to the modern zombie horror phenomenon?
Our first contender is...
Night of the Living Dead
...in which we learn the Johnny is already damned to hell, that "they're" coming to get Barbara too, that farmhouses are creepy places even without a zombie apocalypse to worry about, that Ben escaped from the ghouls in an exciting scene that would have been far too expensive to film, that race relations get strained when the living dead are closing in, that Tom really knows how to drive that truck, that Judy likes staying put and that the dead...are all messed up
Our next contender is...
Dawn of the Dead
...in which we learn that Fran's professional ethics are just about the only thing to survive the apocalypse, that Stephen doesn't know a thief from a bad guy even when he qualifies as both, that rednecks enjoy killing zombies, that people still think there's respect in dying, that when there's no more room in hell we must stop the killing or lose the war, that Roger's got this (man) he's got this by the ass, that there are no charges against Martinez or any of his people, that the only thing more annoying than a Hare Krishna is a zombie Hare Krishna and that bikers are generally down on people who don't share.
Rounding off the ticket is..
Day of the Dead
...in which we learn how people of Hispanic descent might feasibly pronounce "yellow," that for some reason no one thought to bring a powerful radio to a hidden bunker, that Captain Rhodes has professional monkey farm running skills that might come in handy in the civilian world, that Major Cooper loses face, that John thinks they're living in a great big 14 mile TOMBSTONE! (witanepitafonitnobudygonnaboddatoread), that Aunt Alicia screens her calls, that Bub has issues with Rhodes and that zombies, who do not breathe, might hypothetically still choke.
Check out our epic throw down and be sure follow the Oscar Blogger at academyhistory-oscarblogger.blogspot.com!
What's your favorite zombie film? Tell us in the comments below or join us on Facebook at Natter Cast!