In case you missed The Infinity Lessons’ stated aim, see here. For those that know, the list doth grow; here, below:
“GEORGE ANDREW ROMERO”
The forefather of modern US horror, spotlit, at the first MIFF to feature horror front and centre. Whilst it’s not exhaustive, included in the program is all of his epochal “Dead” series, the Australian premiere of his newest, and his two most interesting non-Dead works. And, in case you didn’t know, he’ll actually be here for the whole festival. Get excited.
NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD — As this film’s influence on not only zombie films but on horror cinema and even genre cinema simply cannot be overstated, I will assume you have seen it, or will see it. It is, for the record, excellent.
JACK’S WIFE — His ‘mature filmmaker’ breakout, this witchcraft psuedo-drama came after his apparently awful second feature There’s Always Vanilla, one of only two only non-horrors he helmed, the only feature of his he didn’t write, and one “he doesn’t really care for“. This celebrated work, however, is one he does care for: he wants to remake it himself. As for which version will be screened, the cut of this work titled Jack’s Wife runs 104 minutes; the original 130 minute version – Hungry Wives - was for US theatres only, the later Season Of The Witch an 89 minute US home video cut.
THE CRAZIES — A large scale disaster in a small town involving military experiments and martial law is an awful way to ration a $275,000 budget (significantly more than any of his previous works’ allocations) but Romero makes with the hysteria like its free. Speaking to the “American love/hate relationship with authority“, it is the most significant work in Romero’s bloom as the 1970’s pre-eminent horror specialist.
MARTIN — Romero’s oddest film, his most melancholic, and possibly his most underrated. A re-drawing of the vampire myth in the light of a new era, it’s at once funny and sad. It’s Bill Murray.
DAWN OF THE DEAD — Capping a genuinely stellar progression of works, this, his most acclaimed film (his own favourite, even) is widely adored as the greatest of the Dead series. A scathing indictment of consumerism, it has helicopters, exploding heads, and other things that are exciting.
KNIGHTRIDERS — Perhaps Romero’s most audacious work – Arthurian myth meets motorcycle jousting – it is also one of his least seen and most overlooked.
DAY OF THE DEAD — For many years the Dead series’ whipping boy, its commercial and critical failure seemed to initiate Romero’s exile into the horror-anthology-ism of the 1980’s.
LAND OF THE DEAD — After Dawn Of The Dead’s 2004 studio remake, interest in another Dead was everywhere, but was outweighed by the outpouring of sentiment that greeted news of Romero’s return.
DIARY OF THE DEAD – His most recent work, premiering at MIFF. A group I believe nominally to be a “ragtag” one do the thing where they deal with a zombie holocaust thing and film it on a digital camera like the kids do “nowadays”. Comparisons to Cloverfield abound. Unfavourable ones. It has not been received well.
