1968, America was in upheaval. The Vietnam War was, sadly, in full swing. Atrocities were shown on nightly news. Riots were taking place in the streets. Crazed, lone gunmen were killing people from towers. Given the time and situation that our country was going through, perhaps it was inevitable that Romero's classic NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD is thought to be a product of that era. Not only that, but it was made entirely independent from any major studio, in Pittsburgh of all places! Not in California or New York! Nonetheless, the groundbreaker changed the face of horror as we know it. 1988, the Vietnam War has ended but trouble brews in the Middle East. The Cold War is winding down. Dead teen flicks were all the rage during the late 70s and 80s. Perhaps it was inevitable that someone would come along and try to remake Romero's classic. While a remake would come several years later, I believe this was a first attempt. The basic story is the same, and even features a few of the same cast members, S. William Hinzman as the lead zombie (again.) What's different is the sensibility. Where the original worked by building up the suspense to a near claustrophobic pitch, this movie wants to achieve it, but never quite reaches that level of terror. In fact, most of the movie isn't terrifying at all. Good make-up and special effects can't make up for paper-thin characterization, poor acting, and bad dialogue (not to mention ill-timed humor.) The movie's main focus seems to fluctuate between young actresses uncomfortably taking their clothes off and over-the-top gore. Halfway through, the movie seems to repeat itself. The movie opens with a party of young people (college age I think, though they act like high-schoolers) and halfway through, the survivors of the first party stumble upon another party of young people. Oh, and the music is SO DAMN ANNOYING! You're not even given a single second where the music isn't played over and over and over again! The same music played over and over and over again! Can you sense my annoyance?! Nice try guys, but we've seen it all before. As a remake or a sequel, it sucks. For a better remake, please refer to NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1990.) As an unintended comedy, it's wonderful!
Review of FleshEater
