As a zombie aficionado is it impossible to not have watched the Romero zombie movies, especially as they are such big milestones in the zombie genre. And also as they are the zombie movies that has the most heart put into it, no pun intended.

This 1985 movie, directed by George A. Romero, is the third of zombie movies in his lineage of zombie storytelling. And it continues with the usual bleak world overrun by the living dead. Society has collapsed and the world is in disarray, with small clusters of people struggling for survival. But it is not the threat of the living dead that proves the only danger is the new dying world.

Romero does a great job at telling the story he has in mind, and it is presented in a very enjoyable manner, which makes his movies quite entertaining and watchable.

The story in the 1985 movie "Day of the Dead" is about a group of soldiers and scientists who have barricaded themselves in an underground bunker facility. Here they try to survive the dying world around them. Some scientists are studying the living dead in order to understand more about them and to control them, a study which does not sit well with the armed military forces.

Granted that this movie is from 1985, so the special effects and zombie make-up is a bit outdated by today's standards. But it still works fine though, and the effects are still believable. But in the Romero movies it is not the special effects that drive the movie, it is the story and the characters; the special effects just help to progress the story and add a visual imagery to the dying world.

The acting in "Day of the Dead" was quite good, and there is a very memorable gallery of characters in the movie. And there was even a very memorable zombie known as Bub. And they had managed to cast some good talents to portray the various role and characters. I must admit that I was surprised to find out that special effects master Greg Nicotero was in the movie.

I assume that you are already familiar with this 1985 classic zombie movie if you are a fan of the zombie genre. If you are not, shame on you, then it is about due time that you get around to watching it. In fact, watch all the Romero zombie movies, as they are important to the zombie genre.

I have watched "Day of the Dead" several times, as I have with all of Romeros movies, and it can sustain multiple viewings, because the story is so well-written and executed on the screen.

"Day of the Dead" receives a seven out of ten stars from me. This is a good, wholesome zombie movie.

I saw DAY OF THE DEAD at a drive-in; the second half of the double bill was DAWN OF THE DEAD (which I'd seen a dozen times by then, most often at midnight showings). I was stunned. DAY OF THE DEAD was as tight and as dramatic and as frightening as anything I'd ever seen. Although I'd championed Romero's movies in the pages of magazines like Famous Monsters of Filmland, Fantastic Films and Fangoria for years, I was totally blown away by the savvy evinced in DAY OF THE DEAD. No more of the tell-tale amateurishness of a "regional filmmaker," no more overindulgence: this is Romero at his very best, and a great movie by any standards. For critics who espouse the virtues of DAWN OF THE DEAD over DAY OF THE DEAD, take this simple test: watch them back to back, as I did the night DAY OF THE DEAD opened. If you're still not convinced, you may be a zombie yourself...

This final chapter in Romero's dead trilogy follows a logical progression and surmises that most of human society is now dead, a victim of the zombie plague. Only a few small pockets of survivors are alive - and the film concentrates on the actions of one of these groups. Once again the emphasis is on human confrontation, as well as the zombies, just like in the other two films. However this time the confrontation between the survivors makes up the brunt of the film, and indeed most of the running length consists of people shouting and arguing.

Many people dislike this film and the general consensus is that it's the worst of Romero's zombie trilogy. This may be true, but it's still miles ahead of much modern fare and remains an engrossing, frightening and disturbing film. The SFX are again expertly crafted by Tom Savini, and are the best of the trilogy (apart from the zombie makeup, which looks slightly 'cartoonish' and is a disappointment after the silly yet effective blue-faced makeup in DAWN OF THE DEAD),with plenty of spraying blood. The gore content is liberal, with guts falling from stomachs to slop on the ground, arms being cut off, you name it. Most of the grue is saved for the finale where a bunch of hostile and moronic army types find themselves on the main course for the marauding hordes. We've got head burstings, eyeball rippings and for the piece de resistance, a man has his legs ripped off and screams "choke on 'em, choke on 'em!". It's all very horrible and bloody yet stays in the memory long after viewing - a mark of success for Savini and his crew.

The characters in the film are pretty much one dimensional, and there is little characterisation. Out of the twelve survivors, only three are given any real depth - the heroine, the Irishman and the Jamaican - and the rest of the cast are either caricatures (in the case of Dr Logan) or merely being set up as zombie bait. Saying that, the acting is at least as professional as that in DAWN OF THE DEAD, and probably better. One character that stands out from the rest is Rhodes, played with manic relish by Joe Pilato. He's the one who delivers the best lines and comes across as a dedicated character - even if he's ruthless, arrogant and murderous with it.

DAY OF THE DEAD is a savage film, full of nightmarish images (the hands coming out of the wall at the beginning is a classic moment),ruined only by the decision to have zombies dressed up - as clowns, etc. which totally destroys any element of horror - it merely looks stupid. Also, there is a total lack of comic relief, and the film is thoroughly downbeat and depressing. This invites the viewer to sometimes laugh instead of scream, always a bad sign. However there are still some moments of genius, such as having a zombie, Bub, who actually becomes a kind of hero. DAY OF THE DEAD may not be a perfect film, but at least give it one thing: it's never boring.