Halloween Horror Movie Marathon, Night One

With no classes today, Halloween tomorrow, and a half dozen or so horror films begging to be watched, a two night horror movie marathon seemed in keeping with the spirit of the holiday.

Kicking things off was a zombie double header. Dawn of the Dead (Remake) followed by 28 Days Later.

Dawn of the Dead:

Where Snyder lost me was his treatment of the zombies themselves. Them not being of the shambling sort ups the ante to a point. Compared to 28 Days Later's zombies, however, Snyder's seem cartoonish.

And it doesn't feel so much like a Dawn of the Dead remake as it does a Snyder film that just so happened to have that particular film as source material. From his signature montage to his use of slow motion which can often border on abuse, that personal flair is undoubtedly there.

All that said, its humor is its redeeming factor. Without it, I fear it'd be another throwaway zombie flick.

28 Days Later:

Here is a film that transcends the zombie sub-genre. It is a sharply written satire that happens to have a zombie apocalypse backdrop.

Bolstered by a strong cast, 28 Days Later is nothing if not sincere. Never anything less than heartfelt, it runs the gamut of human emotion. Nothing can squelch the human spirit. 28 Days Later is a testament to that.

The Fly:

A film quite applicably named. Goldblum, The Fly, is the film. His performance carries the film to respectability and beyond it. It is not until Goldblum is let loose that the film stops meandering and hits its stride. And it is not until the final transformation that the film lets up.

Everything else, I could have done without, admittedly. Nevertheless, The Fly is a movie that knows what it is and doesn't waste time trying to be something it's not. And a classic of the Monster Film sub-genre is what it is.