Everything you wanted to know about zombies, but were afraid…

In the history of horror films, George Romero trilogy - "The night of the Living Dead", "Dawn of Dead" and "Dead Day" - has become roughly the same as "Star Wars" for kinofantastiki. And just as Lucas was condemned for many years to withdraw dzhedaev, Romero was living kadavrov hostage. Proof of this - his film "Land dead". Time Out talked about everything that you wanted to know about the Living Dead, but were afraid…

Zombie: Where did they

Unlike the Vampire, negotiable, raschleniteley and other horrific creatures, a movie came from the pages of Gothic novel or a detective, zombie characters were born in non-fikshn-prose. Living Dead was a favourite hero tabloids press the beginning of last century - catchy headlines on the cult of voodoo, practiced in Haiti, attracted public attention, and newspapers razletalis like hot cakes. In cinema zombies finally "established in rights" only in 1932, when the studio released a Universal White Zombie Victor Galperina. Here recent Dracula Bela Lugoshi performed the role of evil sorcerer, who, through magic vuduistskoy brings in the first tomb pretty blond Medzh Bellamy, and then raises it from there - just as well, but much more amenable. White zombistal cornerstone of the genre: except scandalous-sensational story film was remarkable sinister staging (Halperin clearly inspires gloomy fantasies of German ekspressionistov) and Soundtrack includes real Haitian musical theme.

"I Walked With a Zombie"

In the early 40 - x Vel Lyuton independent producer signed a contract with RKO studio production at eight low horror films. Two together with director Jacques Turnerom they have done several masterpieces of the genre, including tape I gulyala with zombies (1943). History sidelki hired to care for his wife anemic Haitian rich plantation owners and found that her patient forever remain silent - alive pokoynitsa, was filed authors as painful dream. The action has evolved with hypnotic slowness, as if the solution in the Haitian afternoon heat. The film is not so much frightening how much muddle audience.

In the early scenes of zombies at all difficult to find terrible : the authors of these films, dug out the corpse from the grave, not very well represented, what to do with him further. Therefore all forces to give priority setting magical rituals and explaining the origin of the Living Dead. These stories are poetic, mysterious, they heard echoes of ancient myths about the silent shadows of the deceased, returned from the dark realm of Aida. Eros and Thanatos walk under the hand of their decadent, surreal landscapes, the more that zombies are often young beauties.

Zombie: What they are engaged

Cinema 50 - x strongly renounced magic voodoo as morally outdated practice of resurrection. Place evil sorcerer took a crazy scientist unpredictable or aggressive aliens. It was at that time was withdrawn most ridiculous movie about zombies - "Plan 9 from outer space" (1959).

" Plan 9 from outer space"

Of the materials halturschik legendary Ed Wood built dichayshee movie about invaders from outer space, revives dead. Heated some heat ray deceased roam on the cemetery, accidentally breaking cardboard crosses. "plan" was the last film involving Bely Lugoshi - the legendary singer any unclean died during filming, and Wood did not think it replaces Rep.. It does not sedition that the new actor was not like a late: he ordered him to close the cloak hollow person.

Magic, the former in 50 out of favor - e, unexpectedly returned to the British film "Plague Zombie" (1966, dir. John Gilling).

" Plague Zombie"

It is useless to ask why the chief hero of the film, a provincial English skvayr, suddenly has a secret cult of voodoo priest: studio "Hammer", the main producer of horror films in Britain, never cares about believable. But the Living Dead here look almost like now: it is fine art, exhaustion with the actors to hurl vpalymi cheeks and eyes. So far they have not walk by themselves, and humbly serve their demonic master. No and worms, pieces of flesh otslaivayuscheysya and other attributes of today's upyr. All thanks to George Romero changed and his "Living Dead Nights." After this film will be important not something from which zombies have taken, but what they do (for example, eat chelovechinu). But that is another story.

Zombie: Hostage territory

Freed from the "master", zombies have begun to live independent lives, and immediately on all continents. Spaniard Amando de Ossorio famous series of films about the bloodthirsty dead-Knights Templar, starting with the "Graves Blind Dead" (1971) . Zombie De Ossorio proved an unusually provornymi: his morts could ride on horseback. Withdrawn slow shooting skeletopodobnye knights in polusgnivshih awarded the cloak similar to horsemen Apocalypse. They bite of living and drink their blood, but not for the sake of pleasure, and to maintain its eternal life. In fleshbekah we show how the Knights Templar worshiped Bafometu and commit ritual devouring a virgin.

"Graves Blind Dead"

French Jean Rollen not kept pace with Spanish colleagues. In his "Lake Living Dead" (1981) waterfowl zombie-fascists, okopavshiesya at the bottom of the lake, they like to miss for the stalk and pretty kupalschits utaskivat them under water. Rollen year later withdrew the film with a simple name and effectively "pokoynitsa Alive", played by Marina pornozvezda Perro . To maintain poluzhizni she needed blood, which zombie-Beauty extractive unusual way: vtykala fingers with long sharp nails into the body of the victim, then oblizyvala them. Victims vampirshe supplied childhood girlfriend (live), is experiencing a constantly about their cooperation with the forces of evil.

"Lake Living Dead "

In the following years fashion for films about the Living Dead captures not only the U.S. and Europe, but also Japan, Turkey, India, Mexico and the Philippines. Most incredible come alive Dead in Indonesia: it is called "penangalan" and constitutes a flying female head with the spine and its surrounding organs. You can admire him in the movie "Secrets of Bali" (1981) . And in Hong Kong "Koldune-police" (1990) Living Dead involved… delivery of drugs. In Hong Kong by mid-80 - x altogether a separate genre, who still called: "tszyanshi dyanin" (literally - "corpse movies").

Most films about zombies, George Romero withdrew not, and Italian Lucio Fulci . He started with "Zombi-2" (1979) , which tried to show the events preceding the romerovskomu "Dawn of Dead", and continued informal trilogy 80 - x: "The house on the edge of the cemetery" ; , "The horror in the city of the Living Dead" and "For the feature" . Director himself claimed that these films - a tribute to the famous avant-garde 30 - ies Antonenu Artaud, proclaiming the impact on viewers through brutality and epatazh. The method of execution in Artaud Fulci looks like this: human flesh is undergoing the most unnatural transformation, the corpse worms appear to be the size of elephants, on the screen rashazhivayut blind girl, and fountains of blood almost filled the spectators.

" Return of the Living Dead "

Living morts reproduced and raspolzlis for a variety of genres. Now a film about zombies could be comedies, like "Death to face it." Or melodrama like "Return of the Living Dead-3", where the most desperate variation on the theme of Romeo and Juliet, as Romeo - alive and Juliet - dead. Finally, "Thriller" Michael Jackson proved: zombies do not blow into the mud, even in the face of musical. And only Western remained untapped living dead. A pity. Chief quite zombies could play one of the heroes in the brief history of film sound - Clint Istvud. And the older he becomes, the more frightening might get a zombie in his performance.

" Thriller"

" The night of the Living Dead"

Probably something is not something happening in 1940 - m on the Sun - other than to explain the strange coincidence, on which it was in that year were born three greatest horror film director: postmodern thriller master Brian De Palma, Dario Ardzhento Baroque aesthetes and "Dead King" ; George Romero. And this similarity is not limited to them. A careful biographer would find in their fate and other parallels. For example, all three started to inquire and cinema, and the motives of death still being teenagers.

George Romero tried to withdraw his first movie camera at vosmimillimetrovuyu in 14 years. Alas, badly: the police arrested the young director when he set fire to at art mannequin on the roof of his house. Hence, begins Romero author's style: innate love for the horrors joined it acquired with the authorities dislike - both public and studio.

In 1962, Romero left his native New York to found his own Production Company in Pittsburgh. He did advertising and educational films, and in 1968 - m finally ventured to the game shooting a movie. Lack of funding was going to compensate the original George solutions for scenarios: in his film dead the first time in history there were survivors. First, film and called - "Night pozhirateley flesh", but during filming Romero changed the name to "The night of the Living Dead", rightly considering that one should not disclose in advance cards.

Ultramalobyudzhetny (114 thousand), black and white, not too made a movie became a hit drive-ins. Paradoxically, it is imperfection "Nights Living Dead" has led to the success of the film and making it religious phenomenon. Romero resolutely refused all cliches, written over half a century of horror films. In "Nights" has neither the coffins opened, no dusty old crypt, nor okrovavlennyh hands, skrebuschih burial ground. Similar to the homeless weak actors to roam the district, showing interest in living. What raised the dead from their graves - is unknown, they simply eat, and all here. In this horror.

Lack mizanstsen carefully built and not very clear picture withdrawn to shake manual camera, attach documentary photographing events (reception, later successfully used in "Blair Witch from"). DSC Plot: a group of people barricaded themselves in an empty house, and keeps defend against superior forces zombies. The situation seems quite hopeless, and the name of the film becomes ambiguous connotation. In fact, all the heroes of the painting - the Living Dead, only some of them still do not know about it.

" Dawn Dead"

As often happens, a successful debut became a curse for this novice filmmaker. In vain Romero tried to prove that could shoot more subtle mystical thriller movies like "witches Season" (1973) made under the clear influence of Bunyuelya, or genius vampirskogo uzhastika Martin (1978). Fans demanded from him only Carrion.

And in 1978 Romero surrendered. Look in the town Monrovill huge supermarket with escalators, shining display cases and razukrashennymi manikins, wrote the script "Dawn of Dead". In general, "Dawn" repeated plot "Nights", but was more ambitious and ambiguous: under the roof of the supermarket - this bastion of civilization twentieth century, where you'll find everything from stock water and food to weapons and cartridges - find refuge movie heroes , Among them a pregnant woman, two National Guard soldier and journalist. Movie satirical subtext was clear: defend the supermarket of the Living Dead may well be interpreted as it was parody of a prosperous relationship with the West poor third world countries that most critics did.

Romero could not lift "Dawn of Dead" by their own means, but contact with the major Hollywood studios, he categorically did not want: the producers probably would require major changes in the scripts. Hearing that Dario Ardzhento wants to try himself as a producer, Romero contacted the Italian colleague and flew to Rome for talks. In his admission, Romero always admired decadent masterpieces Ardzhento Krovavo-red and Suspiriya and very worried that does not make a proper impression on the living classic. But at the meeting revealed that Ardzhento himself experiencing the holy trembling before the Romero films. The cooperation of two directors turned out an unusually successful. Ardzhento was the ideal producer, - recalled Romero. - He does not interfere in my work, not something that any Spielberg.

True, the producer still be imposed its director-rock group Goblin. It Ardzhento wrote the soundtrack to Rassvetu dead. Frankly, it was not quite what I had planned - Romero noted. - But the guys had such incredible energy that I insert these themes in the movie.

As a reward for kompaneysky customs and amenable Ardzhento obtained the right to mount its own version of the film for the European rolled products. It was called "Zombie" and different from the original romerovskogo lack of irony and abundance of blood.

Zombie become box-office hit in Europe, and "Dawn of Dead" has collected 40 million dollars worldwide. By the standards of 70 - x it was a huge sum, especially considering that "Dawn" was one of the few American films have not been the rating commission and distributors kinoproizvoditeley Association (MPAA), without which, as was considered, the cash can not be achieved success.

" Day of Dead"

After the triumph Rassveta Dead Romero and Ardzhento decided to release continued. They even composed scenario, but here the way they perebezhal fecundity halturschik Lucio Fulci. In 1979, Fulci withdrew its own film about the living corpses. In the European car forgery was called "Zombie-2" and sikvel zagublen Romero was at the root. The incident began a fierce hostility between Ardzhento and Fulci. For 15 years they have exchanged mutual insults in the press and pomirilis only in mid-90 - x, shortly before his death Fulci.

"Zombie-2" Lucio Fulci

A Romero continued with varying success in America to withdraw. The film-Almanac for Works of Stephen King horror parade spectators was graciously accepted. But finally withdrawn in 1985, the final part of the trilogy, "The Day of Dead", in which a crowd of zombies besieging for the diversity of living bunker with several people did not bring those profits, which had a director.

In 1990, Romero worked with over the film Ardzhento Two evil eye - Screening novels by Edgar Po. However, this picture has already waited a frank failure. In 90 - e because of a decline in interest to cheap horror movie budgets Romero paintings are becoming less and its relevance to American reality - all aggressive. For example, in the tape Bruiser (in Russian rental - Vyshibala;) hero, a typical representative of the middle class, in the true sense of the word loses its face.

"Land dead"

In 2002, Romero tried to move on the screen the most popular computer game 90 - x "Resident Evil", but the producers preferred him to a young director Paul Anderson. From the despair he even conceived the musical project horrors Dead diamonds, but delayed the project indefinitely. Last year, director obokrali second time: remeyk Rassveta dead bespardonno borrowed some ideas they chose for them "Resident Evil". And then Romero decided to re-resurrect their zombies and prove to everyone that he was still the best-director eksgumator.

"Land dead"

Trilogy has become a tetralogy. Initially the new series was called Counting corpses, but Romero finally decided not to depart from tradition and renamed it in the dead Earth. This is the most expensive movie series: its budget was 18 million dollars. Among the performers - known actors like Dennis Hopper and John Leguizamo. At the main female role Romero invited Ardzhento Asia - in memory of the multi-year friendship with her father. In general, involved heavy artillery. For George Romero is actually the last chance to restore the ailing reputation of the founding fathers of the genre. If this time everything will turn out, then in the future, perhaps, we are waiting for new series. Given the habit Romero with each film to expand coverage (house, supermarket, military base, now - the city), the film will be called "Dead Planet". If not - it would have to cede their lovely zombies other directors. During the first two weeks of hire in the U.S. film has collected nearly 20 million dollars.

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