Review by Peter Syslo
FAN OF THE DEAD (2008) is another DVD release from the company that brings the obscure to the masses, Cheezy Flicks (www.cheezyflicks.com). This film is a documentary of the journey of Frenchman Nicolas Garreau, who is a die-hard fan of George Romero’s “DEAD” films (NOTLD, DAWN, DAY, and the 1990 NOTLD re-make); it follows him on his trip to Pennsylvania as he visits various locations from the four films. All in all, I have to say that this is a pretty decent documentary of the “fan experience” and the locations were nice to see. I thought that it was geared towards the fan who is very familiar with the films, but it should also provide some interest for novice “Romero Dead” fans.
FAN OF THE DEAD is produced, directed, and filmed by Nicolas Garreau. The sound is by Antonio Martino and Sebastian Munoz and the film is edited by Oliver Andre.
The documentary focuses on the various locations. First off, Garreau visits locations from CREEPSHOW (the University from “The Crate”) and DAWN OF THE DEAD (1978). Before I forget, he refers to DOTD as ZOMBI – it took me a minute to remember that overseas, they sometimes call it ZOMBI and call Fulci’s film ZOMBI 2. A little confusing but interesting, all the same. Regarding DAWN, we see: Romero’s office building, where a rooftop scene was shot; the apartment building from the opening of the film; of course, the Monroeville Mall; the airstrip where the helicopter first landed; and a stretch of road where the motorcycle gang appeared. Also, we see several of the film's stars at the Comicon convention including: Ken Foree, etc. and several of the bikers/zombies from the film. The stars actually give a guided tour of the Monroeville Mall, at night, which was a treat to see.
Next, Garreau moves on to a bit of scenery from DAY OF THE DEAD (1985). First off, we briefly get to see the military area/elevator pad which is predominant at the end of the film. Then, we get an extended tour of the underground tunnels (which is actually a warehouse and an operating business). This was my favorite part of the film because DAY isn’t talked about as much as the other films and it was exciting to see all of the little nooks and crannies where events in the film took place. Honestly, a lot of the place looks pretty much the same as it did in the film. Another great part about this segment is that the tour is conducted by a guy who worked for the original company and who was cast as a zombie extra in the film. This guy was really knowledgeable of the film and he fully described each area of the warehouse where a scene was shot. For the true “Romero Dead” fan, I would say that this segment is as good as it gets.
Finally, Garreau visits locations from the original NOTLD (1968) and the 1990 re-make. He travels to the cemetery from NOTLD 1990 and we also get to see the farmhouse that was at the heart of the film. The owner of the house actually let him in, so it was pretty cool to get a look inside. Actually, I have never seen the remake, but from what he was saying, it looked pretty much the same as what was in the film. From NOTLD 1968, we see some of the road leading in to the house and the cemetery. The original farmhouse is no longer there, but we do see the house that is built upon the foundation. At the beginning of this documentary, where he visits Romero’s office building, we do see the basement from NOTLD 1968. That was another highpoint, when he got to look around the actual basement from the film - which also looks pretty much the same as it did in 1968. In the last segment of the film, Garreau takes the viewer to the iconic cemetery, where he re-enacts certain key scenes and points out specific gravestones where events occurred. I have to say, this guy really knows his stuff; he must have seen these films many times over to pick out those details.
Gnawing through the flesh: FAN OF THE DEAD was a good documentary of the “Romero Dead” fan experience. I thought that Garreau's camerawork captured and related the experience well, for the most part. On occasion, he focused on actors who weren’t speaking, in order to get their reactions – which for me, was a little distracting. For instance, when the helicopter-scalped zombie from DAWN is speaking about the experience on the airstrip, Garreau shifts the camera to get Foree’s and other actor's reactions. I understand, it is like being “starstruck” seeing all of the actors, but I just wanted to see a little more attention on the person who was speaking at the moment. Also, a few of the scenes where cut a little short – like the military elevator-hatch from DAY. I just wish that he took more time for the shot, so the viewer could take it in fully. But overall, it was a very cool documentary and Garreau's enthusiasm and kindheartedness is contagious; it enhanced the fun of the experience and it was neat to see things from the perspective of a foreigner (it makes me want to take the trip to Pittsburgh, someday, to see some of these sights). FAN OF THE DEAD was a nice travelogue to compliment the series of films and I recommend it to fans – especially for the DAY OF THE DEAD tour. I give it an 8/10.