STORY STUDY (HORROR MONTH) - MEDIUM: FILM - “Land of the Dead”
- Oct 10, 2016
- 3 min read
Horror month continues with a look at one of George A. Romero’s works.
Romero is well known for the independent horror film Night of the Living Dead. This 1968 film created the popular belief of what zombies are: reanimated walking corpses hungry for flesh.
This week, it’ll be Romero’s fourth entry in his Living Dead series, Land of the Dead.
Set years after the zombie apocalypse, Land of the Dead focuses around an outpost in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Its population is split: the rich, who live in a tall skyscraper called Fiddler’s Green, run by a man named Kaufman, and the poor, who live on the outskirts, closer to the outside world, making them the first victims if a zombie (or “stenches,” as they’re called in the film) every broke through. The outpost (more like a city really) is surrounded by two rivers and an electric fence.
Every night, a crew is sent into zombie infested areas to collect supplies, such as food and medicine. They are led by Riley, who, when we are introduced to him, is focused on this latest run to be his last. He uses a vehicle that he designed (and which Kaufman has funded) called Dead Reckoning, basically a truck/train with lots of guns and a missile launcher.
They are able to “safely” go through town by sending fireworks in the sky, which distract the stenches by staring at them.
Riley’s second in command is Cholo (clearly a nickname, but a real name is never given) also claims it will be his last night as well. He has earned enough money and done enough favors for Kaufman that he believes is enough to get him an apartment in Fiddler’s Green.
Unfortunately, Kaufman denies his request, and when Cholo reacts to the news in a threatening way, Kaufman orders his security guard to kill Cholo. However, Cholo is able to escape. He is then, dead set on getting revenge by commandeering Dead Reckoning, and threatening Kaufman to either give him five million dollars, or he will fire upon Fiddler’s Green.
In response, Kaufman sends Riley, in exchange to give him whatever he wants.
Meanwhile, the zombies outside walls are slowly evolving…
If it sounds like the plot is all over the place and hard to follow, don’t worry. The character’s motivations and the obstacles they encounter are so clear you won’t realize time has passed by so quickly.
What I like about this film is its setting. Instead of starting at the beginning of the zombie apocalypse, like Night of the Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead, Land starts in the middle of it, and humanity is just trying to live in it. Resident Evil: Extinction and the game The Last of Us have this kind of setting and time placement.
It’s one thing to see humanity panic about what’s happening; it’s another to see humanity being used it.
There’s a huge theme going on revolving around rich vs. poor. Heck, the leader of the poor who wants to rally as many people to overthrow Kaufman, and get a fresh start is named “Mulligan.”
I don’t know what got me to want to watch this. I remember the poster being displayed at a movie theater. Despite me hating horror movies (especially at that time), I did have an interest in it. I successfully found it selling at a store, and quickly bought it without any kind of knowledge other than knowing that Night of the Living Dead existed.
It wasn’t until this movie that I learned that part of the Romero zombie lore involves people turning into zombies after ANY kind of death!
Land of the Dead is the fourth in his series of films, but they all have their own story and characters. Really, the only thing they have in common is the world they live in. It’s paced differently for a horror movie: it’s about humans trying to stop other humans from doing a terrible thing in a world full of monsters.
Gear up, and check it out.
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