"How does the Army get involved in anything? I don't know."

This sits in a strange middle ground between horror and social commentary, leaving it a little unpolished.

The setup is simple, yet terrifying. But the film feels rough and we never really get a solid pace throughout.

Hooptober 12

"How does the Army get involved in anything? I don't know."

This sits in a strange middle ground between horror and social commentary, leaving it a little unpolished.

The setup is simple, yet terrifying. But the film feels rough and we never really get a solid pace throughout.

Hooptober 12

77/100 Horror Movies in 92 Days 2025

24/31 Hooptober XII 2025

I love Romero's directing, and more than that I love his biting social commentary, which feels more relevant than ever and this is over 40 years old. His seeming contempt for bureaucracies and chains of command, the ineptitude of those in power, the lack of faith in humanity to pull together and function for the good of all, it's all present here.

What's missing, however, is the thing that makes his original Living Dead trilogy work so much better: characters. There's no one here to really root for. The 'crazies' or Trixie virus affects everyone differently and starts off subtle, so you can't tell what is the plague and what is a character being a dick. Or worse, a character just not written very well.

There's still a lot to take from this, and it's an interesting step in Romero's filmmaking journey, but it didn't really all come together for me.

77/100 Horror Movies in 92 Days 2025

24/31 Hooptober XII 2025

I love Romero's directing, and more than that I love his biting social commentary, which feels more relevant than ever and this is over 40 years old. His seeming contempt for bureaucracies and chains of command, the ineptitude of those in power, the lack of faith in humanity to pull together and function for the good of all, it's all present here.

What's missing, however, is the thing that makes his original Living Dead trilogy work so much better: characters. There's no one here to really root for. The 'crazies' or Trixie virus affects everyone differently and starts off subtle, so you can't tell what is the plague and what is a character being a dick. Or worse, a character just not written very well.

There's still a lot to take from this, and it's an interesting step in Romero's filmmaking journey, but it didn't really all come together for me.

Could have been crazier in all honesty.

Could have been crazier in all honesty.

2.2/10

2.2/10

2.2/10

2.2/10