Survival of the Dead | 2009
Survival of the Dead
"Survival of the Dead" is a 2009 horror film written and directed by George A. Romero, featuring Alan Van Sprang, Kenneth Welsh, and Kathleen Munroe. This film is the sixth installment in Romero's "Night of the Living Dead" series. The story follows a group of AWOL National Guardsmen, briefly mentioned in "Diary of the Dead."
This film is the last directed by Romero before his passing in 2017.
The prologue begins with National Guardsman "Nicotine" Crockett, who, along with Kenny, Francisco, and Tomboy, abandons his mission to rob the protagonists of previous films. Meanwhile, on Plum Island near the Delaware coast, two feuding Irish families, the O'Flins and the Muldoons, are in conflict. The O'Flin family, led by Patrick O'Flin, organizes a group to eliminate the undead on the island. Patrick learns that the Muldoon family is keeping their undead loved ones safe. The conflict escalates when Patrick and his group arrive at the Muldoon home to eliminate the undead children, resulting in a shootout that leads to a woman's death. Unable to kill the children, Patrick lowers his weapon, and Seamus Muldoon contemplates killing Patrick, but Patrick's daughter Janet suggests they banish him from the island.
A boy joins the National Guard, and through him, they learn about Plum Island. They watch a video made by Patrick and follow its instructions to the nearby dock. At the dock, the O'Flins attempt to rob the Guardsmen, but a shootout ensues. Francisco steals a ferry boat, biting off a zombie's finger in the process. The O'Flin family, except for Patrick, is killed by zombies, and Patrick boards the ferry. On the way to the island, Patrick reveals that he sent others to Plum Island to anger the Muldoons.
Upon arriving, the group discovers that the Muldoons have chained their undead to mimic their previous lives. They also witness the deaths of those sent by Patrick. Patrick sees his daughter Janet riding by, but she has already died and turned into a zombie. Patrick tries to gather allies, but two Muldoons attack them, shooting Crockett and Kenny. Kenny dies from his injuries, and Patrick shoots him in the head to prevent him from reanimating. Francisco realizes he has been infected after biting the zombie's finger and asks Tomboy to shoot him. Tomboy complies and is later captured by the Muldoons.
Patrick learns that the daughter he initially saw is actually Janet's twin sister, Jane. Janet is still alive, and together with Patrick and the Guardsmen, they attack the Muldoon family. A standoff occurs on the bridge dividing the two families' lands, and the O'Flin group is taken captive. Boy and Janet manage to escape. Muldoon reveals he attempted to feed the undead something other than human flesh and makes Jane his test subject. He tries to persuade the dead woman to bite a horse, but instead, she attacks and bites her sister Janet. Chaos ensues as the captured zombies are released, devouring people from both sides. Muldoon and O'Flin declare a truce, but Muldoon shoots O'Flin, who then kills Muldoon with a hidden gun.
Crockett and his group attempt to leave the island. Janet witnesses her sister being bitten by a horse and tries to inform Crockett's group, but before she can, Patrick strikes her in the head, killing her. Patrick, trying to prevent his daughter from changing, ultimately succumbs to his injuries. Crockett, Boy, and Tomboy board the ferry and escape the island while zombies feast on the horses, and Crockett reflects on the purpose of war. The reanimated O'Flin and Muldoon aim their empty guns at each other once more.
This film was inspired by William Wyler's 1958 western "The Big Country." Romero decided to use the concept of this film as a message about war and conflict in his sixth zombie film. When asked about the film, he stated: "No... the idea was to make a film about war or the undead, about conflicts and strife that people cannot resolve. Whether it's Ireland, the Middle East, or the Senate... that was the idea. And I decided what the best way to depict that was. And I thought of the island as a logical place for people to go, and this idea is something I've dealt with in other films. So I thought the best way to tell this story was to have the protagonist go to the island and ultimately find himself in the midst of an undead war. When that moment came together, I remembered 'The Big Country.' I was always looking for something stylistically different in these films, so it wouldn't be the same and would make it more interesting for our producers. Everyone on set, the production design, the DP, my good friends all work like a big family. So we all got together, and I had everyone watch 'The Big Country.' And my thought was, 'Let's really push this, go widescreen, don't mute the colors, and make it look really like William Wyler.' So we did it as a fun exercise to give it a different flavor."
The film was produced independently and distributed by Artfire Pictures. The budget was $4 million. Romero filmed in Port Dover and Toronto, Ontario, with a cast and crew composed entirely of Canadians. He mentioned tax incentives as a reason for filming in Toronto.
In September 2009, George A. Romero's "Survival of the Dead" was screened at the Toronto International Film Festival, the Venice Film Festival (where it was shown for the Golden Lion), Trinity of Teras, Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas, and the New Cinema Festival in Montreal. The film was released on DVD in the UK on March 15, 2010.
In the U.S., it was released on VOD on April 30, 2010, and aired for one day on HDNET Movies on May 26, 2010. "Survival of the Dead" opened in 20 theaters on May 28, 2010, grossing $43,757 in its opening weekend, averaging $2,188 per theater. As of August 1, 2010, the film had earned $101,740, with an international total of $41,451, bringing the total gross to $143,191. The film headlined the Texas Frightmare Weekend from April 28 to May 1, 2010. Additionally, on May 16, 2010, "Survival of the Dead" was screened alongside a zombie walk in Madison Square Park, attended by George A. Romero, with the first 300 participants receiving a screening. The film was released on Blu-ray and DVD on August 24, 2010.
On the review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes, 30% of 91 critics gave positive reviews, with an average rating of 4.85/10. The consensus on the website states, "Survival of the Dead shows a glimpse of Romero's brutal wit, but it lacks the polish and new ideas to compensate." On Metacritic, it scored 43/100 based on 22 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews."
Leslie Felperin of Variety described the film as "packed with gore to please fans, but lacking in ideas or originality (aside from new ways to kill zombies) or the director's talent."
Ray Bennett of The Hollywood Reporter referred to the film as "a slick, fast-paced, fun movie."
Janet Maslin of The New York Times wrote, "'Survival' is calmly shot and lacks urgency, showing the living resisting fate while the dead merely flounder."
Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film 2/4 stars, stating that there is little new in the film, only death. Brad Miska of Bloody Disgusting rated it 1.5/5 stars, criticizing the film for lacking a clear protagonist, antagonist, and theme.
On July 30, 2017, film critic Scout Tafoya included "Survival of the Dead" in the video series "The Unloved" on RogerEbert.com. He noted that while the film received mixed negative reviews, he believed it possessed artistic value. He mentioned that the "brutal" reactions from critics might be due to the absence of films made before Romero's death, stating, "Survival of the Dead is a deeply flawed but uniquely Romero-style western, one of the most intense chapters in his ongoing quest for a place where the poor and weary can finally find peace... Romero's most endearing trait is that he never stopped imagining a place where the poor and weary could finally find peace. They just have to let go of consciousness and brutality to become their own masters, but many still cling to the old world like a lifeline."
