 DAWN OF THE DEAD
2004 / d. Zack Snyder
  
Proof that not all remakes are bad, the director of 300 and WATCHMEN injects new life in George Romero's classic commentary on the horrors of commercialism. Provided you're not a zombie purist and can get past the fast moving brain-munchers, you're sure to dig this new take on an old classic. Very highly recommended.
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 DEAD ALIVE
1992 / d. Peter Jackson
There's something you should know about DEAD ALIVE: in all likelihood, you'll never see a gorier film for the rest of your life. Peter Jackson's splatter-comedy classic lives up to the hype in every way imagineable. You'll laugh. You'll cringe. You'll be blown away. There's enough gratuitous graphic grue to gross-out gorehounds: litres of thick, chunky intestinal muck strewn everywhere; a lawnmower massacre; festering pus-filled boils bursting at high velocity; organ removals; skeleton removals; skin removals; oh my! Better in many ways than Jackson's other over-the-top cult classic: BAD TASTE. Put this one on your movie-menu, and your guests are sure to leave satisfied!
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 DEAD SNOW
2009 / d. Tommy Wirkola
Just like in the movies, you can't seem to kill Nazi Zombies. In fact, these flesh-craving-fascists continue to pervade our mainstream culture more and more, be it in film or even in the ever-popular CALL OF DUTY franchise of video games. Regardless, if you're seeking some truly epic Nazi Zombie action, stop your search immediately. DEAD SNOW offers everything, and more, than you could ever hope to see, including (but not limited to): a man climb up the side of a cliff using a zombie's intestines, sew up a blood-spurting neck wound with nothing but a fishing hook, and then transform a snowmobile into a zombie-killing-death-machine fully outfitted with rifles. This film will kick your adrenal glands into full throttle as you cheer, cringe, and gaze in amazement. If DEAD SNOW doesn't satiate your appetite for Nazi Zombie films, be sure to also check out: SHOCKWAVES (1977), ZOMBIE LAKE (1981), OASIS OF THE ZOMBIES (1981), and HORRORS OF WAR (2006).
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 DEMONS
1985 / d. Lamberto Bava
Italian gore-fest that delivers all the graphic grotesqueries that a horror fan could hope for. Shoestring plot features individuals trapped in a movie theatre while a demonic force possesses them one by one. Corny but entertaining transformation scenes, an eye gouging to rival Fulci, and an extended demon-slaying involving a motorcycle and a samurai sword. It's ridiculous, but it works.
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 DIARY OF THE DEAD
2007 / d. George A. Romero
The fifth installment in the revered Dead series is not a bad film per se, but certainly is not up to the calibre we're used to seeing from Romero's earlier output. Through a documentary-style presentation, it tells the story of a group of film students who struggle to survive during a zombie outbreak. The film, which Romero described as a "rejigging of the myth", begins on the same day as the 1968 original, though the setting is obviously modernized. Overall just not as compelling to watch as the first installments of the Dead series, but it still manages to boast a british professor whose zombie killing weapon of choice is a goddam bow and arrow. Classy!
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 DR. BUTCHER, M.D.
1980 / d. Marino Girolam
People be warned: we're dealing with some savage shit here. If exuberant gore, graphic gut munching, putrefying cadavers, and fiendish medical experiments aren't your thing, then for godsakes turn back now. This unrepentent assault on the retinas isn't for everyone, and even hardened horror fans may flinch while watching this one. But if you can hack it, well boy, you're in for a bloody wild ride. All puns intended! Also released in North America as ZOMBIE HOLOCAUST.
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 THE DRILLER KILLER
1979 / d. Abel Ferrara
The infamous video nasty may not be as brutal as all the hubbub has led one to believe. Ferrara stars as the jive-talking artist protagonist whose mind begins to crack when the pressures of his relationship, job, and the annoying punk band boarding below him begin to drive him cuckoo. How’s a fella expected to act other than taking all his aggression out by sticking power drills into hobos? The drill-head scene is perhaps the goriest we get here; the rest of the fare is your typical slasher madness with Ferrara gleefully twisting his tool of death in the writhing bodies of his tortured victims. The film seems to be confused as to what path it wants to take: disturbing psycho drama or schlocky exploitation flick. While the movie still retains some original touches, in the end the clashing of these two genres leaves the viewer a tad disappointed and underwhelmed. (JC)
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