31 Days of Halloween 2019: The Dead Don't Die

[Once again I'm going to attempt to do a horror(ish) movie review a day for the entire month of October. I've done this the last few years on The Cleveland Movie Blog. Most of the time I succeeded. Other times I didn't. We'll see if I can pull it off this year.] 

Review by Bob Ignizio

It’s too slow. That’s the common refrain I keep hearing from those who don’t enjoy the new Jim Jarmusch zombie film THE DEAD DON’T DIE. And yes, the film is as slow moving as a classic Romero zombie. It also has an extremely deadpan sense of humor, a tendency to go off on pointless tangents, and a sense of self awareness that is sure to grate on many viewers. So if you go into this movie hoping for anything close to a typical undead romp, there’s a high probability you will be disappointed. If, on the other hand, you’re a fan of Jarmusch’s quirky sensibilities, or are in general open to unusual, idiosyncratic cinema, this may be just the thing for your Halloween viewing pleasure.

31 Days of Halloween 2018: Martin Freeman Carries Precious 'Cargo' Through A Zombie Infested Australia

[Once again I'm going to attempt to do a horror(ish) movie review a day for the entire month of October. I've done this the last few years on The Cleveland Movie Blog. Most of the time I succeeded (usually with the help of a few other writers). Other times I didn't. We'll see if I can pull it off this year.]  

Call them zombies, call them infected, it doesn’t really matter. If you get bit by one, you’ve got about 48 hours before you become one yourself. You’ll have orangeish goo pouring out of your eyes, mouth and nose, an urge to attack and eat humans, and the need to occasionally bury your head in the ground or otherwise get yourself out of the light. Those are the rules of the pandemic depicted in the new Australian horror film (and Netflix original) CARGO.

Andy (Martin Freeman) and Kay (Susie Porter) have been riding out the apocalypse on a house boat they found. The plan is to stay afloat until they can reach a military base, but food is running low, and they have to worry not just about themselves, but their one year old daughter Rosie.

Darkest Before the Dawn

George Romero's Dawn of the Dead is like cinematic comfort food for me.  Spending two hours with Peter, Fran, Roger, and Stephen is like getting together with old friends.  Even though I think Romero made a better zombie film with 1985's Day of the Dead, this is the one I always come back to.  I can't help but put it one on at least once a year, and what better time of year to do that than the Halloween season?

A Zombie Film Without Zombies

Got six minutes to kill? Like subtle horror? Subtle horror involving zombies without actually showing any zombies? Then check out this clip directed by my Myspace pals Mike & Ike. It kind of gives me a 'Blair Witch' vibe, which I'm sure will scare some of you off. Anyway, what I like about it is the way it puts some real emotion into the zombie concept. Outside of that one scene in 'Dawn of the Dead' where Roger comes back to life, no one ever seems to be all that bothered about putting their former friends or loved ones down with a bullet. Either that or they're totally hysterical about it and wind up zombie food.