Dawn of the Dead (1978)
The zombie situation is only growing worse, with no idea how it started and how it can be stopped. The undead are growing in number and they are everywhere. Two guys from a Philadelpia S.W.A.T. team, along with a traffic reporter and his pregnant television executive girlfriend take shelter in a shopping mall in the seeming middle of nowhere. But, of course, the dead are everywhere.
At first they think they're safe from the zombies outside of the mall, but that, of course, proves to be a false hope as the dead enter the building. Now it becomes a matter of surviving the restless horde so they can make some sort of escape. Things only grow worse when a motorcycle gang sees an opportunity and becomes part of the problem.
The second installment in George Romero's Dead franchise is in color, but that isn't necessarily an
improvement over the first film, which was in black-and-white. The blood is red, yes, but it's obvious also that it isn't blood. The effects and costumes are cheesy, and I kept wondering about these so-called zombies. I mean, they're dead and they're risen from the dead (no idea how any of them were killed or where they came from, but surely some at least were buried), and yet they are pristine. Clean clothes, no sign of blood (until someone shoots them which begs the question do zombies have blood circulation), and the gray shade of make-up on their faces that passes as a sign of death is lacking.
Attempts at humor are definitely made, such as the appearance of the young Hare Krishna as well as the nun, but I didn't really find anything funny. I'm not sure if there is some sort of social commentary here either, maybe against consumerism. Such as the two S.W.A.T guys who go full-on thief mode and attempt to steal anything that's not nailed down, and even knock over the bank in the mall (what do they think they can spend it on with the world in such chaos?) The pilot and his girlfriend get dressed up and have a candlelight dinner for two, and she also gives herself a makeover. Oh, did I mention she's pregnant? My guess is that allows for the passage of time because she is like 3 or 4 months pregnant at the start, and a lot more by the end. Also, there is a horrible scene at the beginning where she is asleep, and Peter (Ken Foree), a S.W.A.T. guy and Stephen (David Emge) the pilot are discussing her pregnancy, and Peter asks Stephen does he want to terminate the pregnancy. Wtf? Seriously? I know it's that infuriating 1978 way of thinking, but it was upsetting to me, so imagine how Francine (Gaylen Ross) must have felt.
This film lacks the things that made the first one interesting, including characters we care about. I didn't care about anyone, honestly, and plot and character development was lacking. The zombies were more comical than scary, thus eliminating most of the horror element. I kind of figured out how it was bound to end, and I was right. All in all, this is a weak follow-up to the original. I hope the remake is better, but I'm going to follow the original franchise for now, so Day of the Dead should come next. I give this one 2.5 Stars.
Sinister 2
A single mother, Courtney Collins (Shannyn Sossamon) and her twin sons (Robert Daniel & Dartanian Sloan) move to a new home to escape her violent husband. She freaks out when a man seems to be watching them at the grocery store and uses the code word rutabaga, which tells them to run. The so-called stranger danger is actually the ex-deputy who had befriended the late author Ellison Oswalt. Unable to let Oswalt's death go, he has been destroying the houses where the deceased families once lived.
Things are getting creepy at the new house. Dylan is having weird dreams. Worse than that, he sees the children of the deceased, the missing children. They force him to watch their home movies, each of which entails the gruesome death of each family. Dylan doesn't like it but he feels helpless. He can't even stand up to his own twin, Zach, who bullies him too often, much as Dylan's father once did.
The ex-deputy finally convinces Courtney that he hasn't been sent by her husband to take the boys, and explains that he is researching what happened to Ellison Oswalt. She agrees to let him look around, with the proviso that he tell no one they are there.
To make matters worse, the boys' father, Clint (Lea Coco) shows up to take them back. The ex-deputy
talks him down - for now - but it's just a matter of time until he returns. The children are pressuring Dylan to finish watching the movies, but he really doesn't want to. They warn him that if he doesn't, Bughuul (Nick King) will be very angry.
The sequel to Sinister carries on where the other left off, sometime after the death of Ellison Oswalt. You may remember the deputy from the first film. He was supposed to collaborate on the case with the author, but of course that can't happen. If he wants to provide support to his theory of the children and their mysterious leader, he has to investigate himself.
I actually liked the second film more than the first. The kids who played the ghostly children did a good job of being creepy, as did Bughuul's Nick King. The story seemed to make more sense, although we never did find out what Bughuul's backstory is and why he kidnaps vulnerable children, like he's the warped patron saint of little kids.
The scene where the ex-deputy prevents Courtney's ex from taking the boys is great. There are more than a few jump scares to be had, as well as some strong creepy vibes. I am giving this a solid 4 stars.
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