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Day of the Dead
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Day of the Dead (1985) More at IMDbPro »

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Day of the Dead (1985) -- A small group of military officers and scientists dwell in an underground bunker as the world above is overrun by zombies.

Overview

User Rating:
7.0/10   19,193 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 6% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
George A. Romero
Writer:
George A. Romero (written by)
Contact:
View company contact information for Day of the Dead on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
19 July 1985 (USA) more
Genre:
Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller more
Tagline:
The Dead have waited. The day has come. more
Plot:
A small group of military officers and scientists dwell in an underground bunker as the world above is overrun by zombies. full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
2 wins more
NewsDesk:
(61 articles)
A Chilling Pair Of Clive Barker Premieres
 (From SoundOnSight. 2 July 2009, 12:12 AM, PDT)

Blood, Bats and Future Shock - Chosen Survivors
 (From Fangoria. 24 June 2009, 1:45 PM, PDT)

User Comments:
"Dark Days, Bright Nights" more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
Lori Cardille ... Sarah
Terry Alexander ... John
Joseph Pilato ... Capt. Rhodes (as Joe Pilato)
Jarlath Conroy ... William McDermott
Anthony Dileo Jr. ... Pvt. Miguel Salazar (as Antonè DiLeo)
Richard Liberty ... Logan

Sherman Howard ... Bub (as Howard Sherman)
Gary Howard Klar ... Pvt. Steel (as G. Howard Klar)
Ralph Marrero ... Pvt. Rickles
John Amplas ... Dr. Ted Fisher
Phillip G. Kellams ... Pvt. Miller

Taso N. Stavrakis ... Pvt. Torrez
Gregory Nicotero ... Pvt. Johnson
Don Brockett ... Featured Zombie (chief)
William Cameron ... Featured Zombie
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Also Known As:
George A. Romero's Day of the Dead (USA) (complete title)
more
Runtime:
102 min | Argentina:101 min | Norway:97 min | Australia:97 min | Canada:96 min (Ontario)
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono
Certification:
UK:18 (original rating) (cut) | UK:18 (video rating) (1986) (cut) | UK:18 (video re-rating) (1997) | Canada:18+ (Quebec) (video rating) (1998) | Canada:(Banned) (Nova Scotia/Ontario) (uncut version) | Canada:R (Ontario) (cut) | Canada:R (Manitoba) | Finland:(Banned) (original rating) | Chile:14 (uncut DVD version) | Canada:14A (Ontario) (Re-rated 2008) | Portugal:M/16 | Argentina:16 | Australia:R | Denmark:16 | Finland:K-18 | France:-12 | Hong Kong:III | Ireland:18 | Italy:VM14 | Japan:R-15 | Norway:(Banned) (original rating) | Norway:15 (re-rating) | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | USA:Unrated | West Germany:(Banned) | Germany:BPjM Restricted
Filming Locations:
Florida, USA more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
In the cafeteria scene, William McDermott (Jarlath Conroy) says that "All of the shopping malls are closed." This is a clear reference to the film's predecessor Dawn of the Dead (1978), which is set in a shopping mall. more
Goofs:
Revealing mistakes: An obvious stunt-double for Anthony "Miguel" Dileo for the scene where he's thrown off of the platform by "Steele". (The stuntman appears to be Taso Stavrakis, who also plays the character of "Torrez" in the film.) more
Quotes:
[first lines]
McDermott: Nothing, nothing at all.
Sarah: Send again.
McDermott: I've been sending up and down the coast from Sarasota to the Everglades and still getting back the same dead air. There's nothing! There's nobody or at least nobody with a radio.
Sarah: All right then let's set down, we'll use the bullhorn.
McDermott: Set down? Wait a minute, that's not in our contract!
Sarah: It's the biggest city within 150 miles and we're going to give it every chance.
McDermott: Jesus, Mary and Joseph!
Sarah: Set down, John!
John: I'll set us down. But I won't leave my seat and I'll keep the engine running. Now the first sign of trouble, I'm going up. If you ain't on board when that happens, you're likely to have a lousy afternoon.
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in "Stroker and Hoop: Just Voodoo It (#1.9)" (2005) more
Soundtrack:
Escape Invasion more

FAQ

What are the movies in the "Dead" series?
more
28 out of 31 people found the following comment useful:-
"Dark Days, Bright Nights", 19 September 2004
9/10
Author: dee.reid from United States

The third film in George A. Romero's immensely popular "Living Dead" trilogy is by far the bleakest and most complex film the director has ever worked on. "Day of the Dead" received a lot of negative press upon its release in 1985 - people picked apart unsavory characters, OVER-acting from a no-name cast, and outlandishly gory special effects that only Tom Savini himself could be proud of.

But none of this makes it a bad experience really, does it? I don't think so. For the reason that I usually detest zombie flicks, I have worked up a fondness for the works of Romero and over the last two weeks have separately watched each film in his trilogy.

"Night of the Living Dead" (1968) virtually defined a new genre of horror movie-making and basically set the standards for the many zombie flicks that would follow in its footsteps. Next up to bat was the most praised film in the trilogy - "Dawn of the Dead" (1978) - which was more of an action film than a horror movie and was nothing short of epic. Then came "Day" in 1985, which got the tongue-lashing that I described earlier.

However those that did like it, praised the Savini effects, its complex, plot-driven characters, and satire. While "Day" is certainly a step down from "Night" and "Dawn," "Day" is more of a claustrophobic horror movie and that allows it to stand on its own as a fitting end to Romero's trilogy. It's more in sync with the tension of "Night" than it is with the adrenalin-laced action, zombie-slaughterfest that was "Dawn."

A team of civilian scientists and a loose army unit clash with each other's motives after they have taken shelter at an underground military base from the hordes of living dead that storm the surface above. The civilian scientists aren't seeking to eradicate the zombies like the soldiers are hell-bent on doing, but are instead trying to get to the bottom of what is causing them to be what they are.

In doing so, they need live zombie specimens, which are held captive in a maze of dark underground tunnels where they're corralled like cattle. We later get what is one of the most profound and moving experiences in the entire trilogy with "Day," when we see one zombie, nicknamed "Bub" by one particularly eccentric scientist, who eventually learns what it means to be "alive," so to speak.

"Day of the Dead" obviously isn't a perfect movie, but is more or less a fitting conclusion to one of the most daring film trilogies in the horror genre. It may be best to not watch "Day" thinking it'll be anything like "Dawn" just because it has military men blasting away mercilessly at the living dead. Zombie slaughter is few and far between and much of the first hour of the film is clashing dialogue between the characters.

The darkest day in the world - "Day of the Dead."

9/10

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Weakest of the Romero zombie films? karlgalvan123
Zombie survival. unseen0
Rank Romero's Dead Series From Best To Worst cbabyc007
Dead Community Message Board commandofans
Something that still bothers me to this day ... tyler_hamilton_1986
Anyone know who or what killed Major Cooper? veisbier
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