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Lori Cardille, Terry Alexander, Joseph Pilato, Jarleth Conroy, Antone DiLeo Jr. ... see more see more... , Richard Liberty , Howard Sherman , Gary Howard Klar , Ralph Marrero , John Amplas , Phillip G. Kellams , Taso N. Stavrakis , Gregory Nicotero , Don Brockett , William Cameron , Barbara Russell , Deborah Carter , George A. Romero , John Vulich , Bruce Kirkpatrick , Winnie Flynn , Debra Gordon , Jeff Hogan , Barbara Holmes , David Kindlon , William Andrew Laczko , R.H. Martin , Susan Martinelli , Kim Maxwell , Gene A. Saraceni , Mark Tierno , Michael Trcic , John Schwartz

Day of the Dead, the third and concluding chapter in George Romero's zombie trilogy is the most distinctly 1950s-style science fiction version of the lot. Set in Florida, as the film begins the dead h... read more read more...ave taken over the world, outnumbering humans 400,000 to one. The handful of surviving humans have taken refuge in an underground missile silo and argue and yell at each other like players in a Rod Serling Twilight Zone episode. Among the survivors are Sarah (Lori Cardille) -- a scientist who is trying to reverse the process whereby the dead turn into flesh-eating, irrational zombies -- and Dr. Logan (Richard Liberty) -- an out-of-his-mind psychologist who wants to capture the zombies and turn them into domestic help. Things heat up when the military tries to take over the scientific experiments. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

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72% liked it

61,692 ratings

Critics

79% liked it

29 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 31 min.

Directed by: George A. Romero

Release Date: July 3, 1985

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DVD Release Date: November 10, 1998

Stats: 3,625 reviews

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Day of the Dead Day of the dead Day of the Dead Day of the Dead Captain Rhodes 2 Zombie Day of the Dead Day of the Dead Day of the Dead Captain Rhodes Dr. Tongue and Title Logan Day of the Dead Day of the Dead Day of the Dead Bub again Bub Rhodes again
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Flixster Reviews (3,625)

  • FilmFanatik
    November 11, 2011
    FilmFanatik
    George Romero's original trilogy ends with Day of the Dead, a letdown for those who expected another fun party movie like Dawn of the Dead. Now given the passage of time, several things are apparent about it that make it a fantastic entry in the series. First of all, it has the b... read moreest acting to date. At times it can seem over-the-top, but it works well with the material. Second, the make-up effects have never been surpassed. Tom Savini's work earned him high praise and awards - richly deserved. Third, this is a return to the direness of the original Night of the Living Dead. Even though the original script was trimmed down to make the budget requirements, the film that was delivered is quite amazing, and still retains a lot of power even today.
  • fb1664868775
    October 27, 2011
    fb1664868775
    In no way on par with it's predecessor but still a worthwhile film. The zombies continue to be as terrifying as those in Dawn Of The Dead and the kills are even more brutal.
  • cosmo313
    July 10, 2011
    cosmo313
    Of Romero's original trilogy of zombie films, this one is by far the most gory, disturbing, and dark. It's not quite as amazing or brilliant as "Night" and "Dawn", but it is still an excellent movie that is done quite well. The special effects are magnificent, and are a definite ... read morehighlight.

    I was originally not as keen on this one, as were many people. Over time though, this one has really grown on me, and is one of Romero's best. As far as the social commentary aspect, the focus here is the military culture of the 1980s, and its conflict with science or the humanities. It really critiques mach bullshit quite harshly, although science isn't exactly given a nice treatment either, what with the idea of experimenting with the dead, and trying to treat them like meat puppets who are slowly evolving, trying to recliam their old lives.

    As this used to be the final Romero zombie film, the more overtness of the apocalyptic tone seemed more fitting than normal, with a much stronger finality. It still feels that way, even though the sage still continues.

    I liked the look of things, even though Pennsylvanis is not the setting. Also, the acting is pretty damn good. Jospeh Pilato, as Captain Rhodes, is one of the most intense and menacing human villains ever, and the performance really drives that aspect home. He's a guy you don't wanna mess with, but you can't wait for karma to catch up with him.

    Give this one a shot. It's dark, uncompromising, and really doesn't have a nice outlook on the world, but that's the point, and it's all done quite amazingly.
  • blacksheepboy
    March 4, 2011
    blacksheepboy
    Leaving aside the brilliant satyrical humor of Dawn of the Dead, Romero makes an attempt at a zombie drama but fails with a poorly executed plot. The unidimensional characters are so badly developed and unlikable that we never care about them, and so everything falls flat.
  • sanjurosamurai
    January 6, 2011
    sanjurosamurai
    when romero dropped off, he dropped pretty far. his loose sequels are simply expanding the scope of the zombie apocalypse, and although we get a sense of that at the start of the film it just gets worse and worse as time goes on. i actually really enjoyed the final 15 minutes o... read morer so and the design of the zombies was great, but the acting, dialogue, and overall plot were fairly weak and the film had nearly no terrifying moments as opposed to the many in romero's first installment. overall, a pretty poor film.
  • matertenebraum
    November 2, 2010
    matertenebraum
    There is a lot in this movie to enjoy and respect. There is just as much to jibe with. To be fair, let's start with the merits of the third living dead installment, Day of the Dead. It was created with the largest budget of any of the George Romero zombie-fests up to that point, ... read morea 3.5 million dollar shooting budget. In Romero land that moolah translates to some kick ass zombie effects. One asset this flick had was Tom Savini. That guy never ceases to impress me when it comes to special make-up effects. Some of the gore in this movie is engrained into my memory. People standing up and spilling their guts on the floor, zombies reduced to half-a-brain connected to a spinal cord, and so on. Even the general look of the zombies was impressive. The make-up and prosthetics had come a long way from the grayish-blue faced zombies in Dawn of the Dead. So why was Dawn so much better than this movie?

    For one, this was the beginning of the end for the Romero-zombies that you love to hate. The first two movies, Night and Dawn, had a genius mix of social commentary and straight-up gore, which is a difficult balance to maintain. In Day, that balance was completely abandoned. I was reading user reviews on imdb for this movie and someone remarked that this movie came the closest to making him cry of any movie ever. That's exactly my gripe with this zombie-loving-pansy fiasco. This movie bends over backwards to make the viewer empathize with the plight of the zombies and vilifies the survivors. I don't want to relate to the walking dead! I want to scream with glee when they get their heads blown off. The same touchy-feely zombie lover who made the crying remark said that this movie had the best zombie ever: Bub. Bub is a zombie that the scientists in this flick are working to socialize. He reads, he speaks, he enjoys music, and he can even shoot a gun. Whoopty shit. He would still eat your brain if he got the chance.

    My gripe is not just with the sides Romero takes in this movie. You might not agree with my callous distrust of the zombie race. There are a host of other problems with this movie, though. Apparently Romero has been quoted as saying this is his favorite movie he's ever made. I think that says something about his filmmaking style. In writing a movie, it really doesn't matter how many high minded principles you put into it. High concept movies with elaborate messages to send the viewer are just that: concepts without substance. A movie's quality is based on the strength of its characters. It can be the greatest political message ever made, but if the characters aren't interesting and the dialogue doesn't pop, then the audience won't respond. When someone dies in this movie I didn't give two shits. It was just another body. At the end of the movie I didn't think, "Wow, this movie really made me think about myself and my relationship to society." I thought, "A zombie movie with a happy ending? Excuse me while I vomit."

    But, it is a good movie.
  • DrBenway
    October 8, 2010
    DrBenway
    Having to follow in the footsteps of two of the most high regarded zombie movies in history (Night Of The Living Dead and Dawn Of The Dead respectively) Day of the Dead had its' work cut out. Luckily, it's a solid follow up to complete (in my opinion) Romero's great trilogy. Th... read moree first hour takes a little while to get things going, but the dreary setting and cold atmosphere of living in a military bunker sets a solid tone for things to come.

    It's much more violent than its' predecessors and by adding in a great soundtrack really helps to keep things moving. There is a lot of overacting and poor acting here (Joe Pilato and Antone DiLeo Jr. come to mind) and in a film that relies heavily on dialogue to create the sense of claustrophobia, that's a bad thing. You don't feel the same for the characters in this film as you have done for the characters in the previous two films. What makes up for all of this are Tom Savini's special effects with some of the most disgusting blood and guts and best looking zombies. All in all, Day of the Dead is a nice way to end one of the best trilogies. It's much more appreciated when watching them back to back.

    day of the dead bub Pictures, Images and Photos
  • LorenzoVonMatterhorn
    October 2, 2010
    LorenzoVonMatterhorn
    "You want to put some kind of explanation on all this? Here's one as good as any other. We're bein' punished by the Creator. He visited a curse on us. Maybe He didn't want to see us blow ourselves up, put a big hole in the sky. Maybe He just wanted to show us He's still the Bo... read moress Man. Maybe He figure, we gettin' too big for our britches, tryin' to figure His shit out."

    A small group of military officers and scientists dwell in an underground bunker as the world above is overrun by zombies.

    REVIEW

    There are some who say that Romero lost his way with his third 'dead' movie, Day of the Dead; I disagree. Whilst it is true that the first hour may be a little heavy on the talking and rather light on the old blood and guts for some fans, the director sure delivers the goods in a rip-roaring final act in which he ramps up the action and allows top FX man Tom Savini to paint the screen red with some astoundingly gruesome gore. Personally, I love the slow burn approach Romero takes with this with chapter in his long-running tale of world domination by zombies; it gives you a chance to get to know the characters before they have their legs ripped off, and that's a good thing, methinks. This time around, the action takes place in an underground complex where a bunch of scientists and some nasty soldiers attempt to figure out what to do about the whole 'walking dead' situation.

    Day of the Dead is unmissable entertainment for those who like their movie monsters to smell bad, walk slow and have really bad teeth. The film starts brilliantly with a search party landing in a town, searching for survivors, but finding maggoty flesh-eaters are the only inhabitants. The next hour is spent introducing the characters and building the tension (with the occasional mutilated corpse or graphic gut-spill thrown in to remind you that this is still a Romero film). The final half-an-hour or so is packed with full-on over-the-top carnage, culminating in a couple of the nastiest death scenes it has been my pleasure to witness.
  • TheDudeLebowski65
    June 8, 2010
    TheDudeLebowski65
    Day Of The Dead, the third entry in George Romero's Living dead series is more serious than usual and the special effects are more revolting this time around. Day Of The Dead is still a very accomplished film from Romero and still manages to entertain you in all its zombie glory.... read more George Romero still manages to conjure another zombie Armageddon film with Day Of The Dead, and this film has some terrific gory moments which makes a Romero zombie flick so special. Tom Savini again takes care of the special effects, and his special effects are stunning as humans are ripped apart by decaying zombies. This is essential viewing for zombie and gore fans alike. Day Of The Dead overall is a solid third entry and won't disappoint the die-hard George Romero fan, its a satisfying film from start to finish and its definitely a winner.
  • flixsterman
    November 30, 2009
    flixsterman
    Of Romero's original trilogy, this one DEFINITELY has the coolest freakin' zombies.

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Critic Reviews

Rob Humanick
June 4, 2011
Rob Humanick, Projection Booth

The director's favorite of his zombie trilogy is an unrecognized masterpiece. Full Review

Dennis Schwartz
April 9, 2011
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

The third leg of an entertaining and thought-provoking but not completely satisfactory 1950's zombie trilogy. Full Review

Rob Humanick
October 28, 2007
Rob Humanick, Projection Booth

This deconstruction is so thorough and encompassing that the climactic explosion of zombie mayhem - revealing and awesome though it is - is practically an afterthought. Full Review

Rob Gonsalves
July 29, 2007
Rob Gonsalves, eFilmCritic.com

It feels frustrated, embittered, made by a man who's fed up with the business side of the movie industry. Full Review

Nick Schager
May 3, 2005
Nick Schager, Lessons of Darkness

The film's frosty pessimism about mankind's future does eventually get under your skin. Full Review

Widgett Walls
April 1, 2005
Widgett Walls, Needcoffee.com

Excellent message, excellent carnage. Two great tastes that taste great together.

Jeffrey M. Anderson
November 25, 2004
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid

Darker and more contained than the first two, this is one film that deserves a second look. Full Review

Gabe Leibowitz
March 16, 2004
Gabe Leibowitz, Film and Felt

The most flawed in the series, but also the most ambitious. Full Review

Walter Chaw
October 3, 2003
Walter Chaw, Film Freak Central

Far from the weak sister that critics and fanboys have branded it. Full Review

Eric Henderson
August 18, 2003
Eric Henderson, Slant Magazine

Day of the Dead is unquestionably the most controversial and debated entry in George A. Romero's unrivaled zombie trilogy. Full Review

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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Facts

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    • Dr. Logan: Is there food?
    • Capt. Rhodes: I'm running this monkey farm now Frankenstein and I wanna know... what the fuck you're doing with my time?
    • Capt. Rhodes: [screaming] I'm running this monkey farm now Frankenstein and I wanna know... what the fuck you're doing with my time?
    • Dr. Logan: You can just sit there in the dark, and think about what you've done.
    • Capt. Rhodes: They're dead! They're fucking dead, and you wanna teach them tricks!
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Day of the Dead Trivia

  • Which famous horror zombie Director directored night of the living dead, dawn of the dead, day of the dead & land of the dead, he has also has directored creepshow  Answer »
  • What movie did they use real blood and guts for a scene where a man gets torn apart?  Answer »
  • what movie is this quotes from:you want me to salute that pile of walking pus? salute my ass.  Answer »
  • What movie(s) has Tony Todd not been in?  Answer »
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