Editorials
What Happened With George Romero’s Zombies?
Recently, I introduced George A. Romero’s 1968 revolutionary horror film Night of the Living Dead to a friend. She had never seen it and I, probably quite understandably, thought this to be a travesty. In fact, I was rather shocked that such a culturally important film, one that is so engrained in our mainstream society, had slipped her by, even if it is approaching its 50th anniversary.
Like any good horror fan, I rectified this situation. I put on the DVD, made some popcorn on the stove (microwave popcorn is the worst), and we watched the film, me seeing it for the countless time and her for the first, which made it all the more exciting to see how she would react during certain situations.
For some reason, as the film progressed I began to notice something that I hadn’t seen before. Perhaps it was because it’s been several years since I watched any of Romero’s Dead films, much less thought critically about them. But revisiting the original brought forth some scenes that made an eyebrow rise and questions start bouncing around in my head. Simply put, what happened with the zombies?
Okay, hear me out here. We all know that as the storyline progressed through Romero’s films, the zombies began to reenact the patterns and behaviors they were used to. Bub from Day of the Dead is a great example of a zombie that is trained to perform certain actions as a way of showing that they can remember, that there might be a way to live alongside them. Several zombies in Land of the Dead began to display these traits on their own. The “Big Daddy” zombie pretended to pump gas at the station, he managed to fire a gun, and he even acted as a leader to his zombie army, who clearly looked to him for guidance and assistance. But that pattern didn’t start in the later films. It began in Night of the Living Dead within the first 10 minutes!
After Johnny gets knocked out in the cemetery, the first zombie doesn’t begin eating him. Rather, it looks at Barbra and decides to chase after her. When she locks herself in the car, the zombie doesn’t just pound on the glass, it uses a rock to break the windshield after it tries, several times, to open the car door using the handle. I know that in Dawn of the Dead there are moments where zombies use tools in such ways. For example, there’s the zombie that uses a tire iron to break the truck window when Peter and Roger are trying to barricade the mall entrances. But the intelligence and resourcefulness of the zombies in Night of the Living Dead isn’t seen again for several films and, within that universe, several decades.
Remember when the zombies used rocks to smash the headlights of Ben’s truck? Or how they took turns reaching into the smoldering wreckage after the gas pump incident, each zombie grabbing a charred piece of either Tom or Judy and then letting the others have their fair share? There is a mentality to these creatures that was dropped in the sequels, which I must say is a shame.
Another example from Night of the Living Dead is Karen, the daughter of Harry and Helen. When Helen collapses against a basement wall, Karen doesn’t just kneel down and begin biting and eating her. Rather, she grabs a spade and begins stabbing her mother over and over again. This isn’t a mindless zombie, this is a cold-blooded killer.
So what happened? Why did Romero’s zombies change so much when it came to their intelligence and instincts? I’m writing this because I honestly don’t know and I want to hear your theories. Could it be that the zombies lost intelligence as their brains continued to decompose? If that’s the case, then how did they become smarter as the series continued? Could it be that the fresher the zombie, the more capable it is? I’m leaning towards this idea as it makes the most sense. But that still complicates the idea that they get smarter over time. Or could it be something as simple as, “Whoops! We didn’t realize and now we want to make them as mindless as possible?”
Chime in with your thoughts below and let us know how you view this interesting phenomenon!
No conversation about cartoons based on live-action movies is ever complete without mentioning The Real Ghostbusters.
This animated continuation is, warts and all, a notable example of turning a hit movie into a hit series. And although the new target demographic skewed a little younger, even kids-at-heart could partake in the further adventures of Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz, Winston Zeddemore and Egon Spengler.
For a good part of its run, the show required fans to wait at least a week for more Ghostbustin’. That’s torture for a kiddo. Luckily, though, the entire series, or at least most of it, is now available for streaming.
So, as you revisit The Real Ghostbusters on Tubi—for now it’s just the first five seasons there—use this guide to help prioritize some must-see episodes.
The Boogieman Cometh
“The Boogieman Cometh” (Season 1)
Season One’s “The Boogieman Cometh” is a classic episode featuring one of the show’s more iconic villains. It’s hard to forget the unique character design used for the Boogieman (whose creepy voice was provided by Ray and Slimer’s actor, Frank Welker). In this story, Egon is reunited with that bump-in-the-night entity who haunted his own childhood, all while trying to keep him away from his latest targets: the brother and sister claiming to have the Boogieman in their closet. Although the Ghostbusters do save the day here, the Boogieman eventually returns (“The Bogeyman Is Back“). That same episode also features the love-’em-or-hate-’em Junior Ghostbusters.
Mr. Sandman, Dream Me a Dream
“Mr. Sandman, Dream Me a Dream” (Season 1)
You could say the namesake of “Mr. Sandman, Dream Me a Dream” had good intentions for putting mankind to sleep for the next few centuries—he wanted to end war and keep everyone dreaming. Sounds nice until you remember that whole free will business. But when it seems like the Ghostbusters have lost to their latest foe, the last one standing, Winston, gains a sudden ally. Janine’s dream of becoming a Ghostbuster is manifested, and she helps put this rogue spirit to bed.
When Halloween Was Forever
“When Halloween Was Forever” (Season 1)
Before the show’s execs capitalized on Slimer’s popularity by making him the focus of later episodes, early stories like “When Halloween Was Forever” better utilized that gooey ghost. Here, the spirit of Halloween itself, Samhain, hopes to make the holiday a permanent thing by stopping time. And who does the embodiment of All Hallows’ Eve use in his nefarious plot? Slimer, of course. Thankfully, the lil’ green bud knows where he really belongs, and Samhain is banished (at least until Season 3’s “Halloween II 1/2“).
Night Game
“Night Game” (Season 2)
Because Season Two was rather long, in comparison to other seasons, it accumulated quite a few solid episodes. One of the most beloved, though, is that ultimate good-versus-evil story, “Night Game“. Winston gets to shine here as he participates in a battle that was 500 years in the making. Except this time, the fighting is done on the baseball field. The other-dimensional settings in The Real Ghostbusters are always great, but the one here is particularly memorable.
Drool, the Dog-Faced Goblin
“Drool, the Dog-Faced Goblin” (Season 2)
Not all ghosts and whatnot were bad in The Real Ghostbusters. As “Drool, the Dog-Faced Goblin” showed, some were actually benevolent. Sadly, it took a lot of convincing, and one very heroic act, for Peter and the others to see past this goblin’s grotesque appearance. The heroes find more than one shapeshifter at a sideshow carnival in the Poconos; a sinister Class-4er called the Metamorph does a swell job of menacing the Ghostbusters before they finally realize Drool’s not their culprit. The good guys indeed win here, but that victory is a bittersweet one.
The Collect Call of Cathulhu
“The Collect Call of Cathulhu” (Season 2)
While “The Collect Call of Cathulhu” does misspell “Cthulhu” in the title (probably to avoid legal issues), it is clearly the Old One in this Lovecraft-inspired episode. The story kicks off with the Necronomicon being stolen by the deity’s modern-day cult, who then raise their ancient god at Coney Island. From there, the Ghostbusters’ typical methods don’t work on the big guy, so they seek advice from an old issue of Weird Tales (or “Wierd Tales”, as it’s spelled on screen). That build-up to the finale comes with a decent amount of dread before the Ghostbusters, as well as a scholar named Alice, face off with one of the show’s most powerful entities.
Knock, Knock
“Knock, Knock” (Season 2)
A number of Real Ghostbusters episodes could be reworked into big-screen features, but perhaps “Knock, Knock” is the most hopeful. It helps that this story feels in step with the first two movies. Here, some ignorant construction workers accidentally uncover and open an ancient door in the subway. What’s behind said door is none other than those unspeakable evils that only the Ghostbusters can quell. A good deal of the imagery here is prime for adaptation.
The Grundel
“The Grundel” (Season 3)
One of the darker episodes, which was written by the prominent J. Michael Straczynski, is “The Grundel“. Here, a boy is being influenced by the titular entity, a type of ghost who ultimately turns his targets into new Grundels. The episode does have something of an after-school special quality to it, but that doesn’t take away from the eerier moments. For more Grundel lore, be sure to check out the episode “Grundelesque” from the sequel series, Extreme Ghostbusters.
Standing Room Only
“Standing Room Only” (Season 4)
It’s no secret that The Real Ghostbusters experienced multiple changes after the second season. Out of all of them, though, retooling the show so that Slimer would get more of the spotlight is maybe the most egregious. Thankfully, Season Four (the first to be called Slimer! and the Real Ghostbusters) didn’t completely obey that new directive; episodes like “Standing Room Only” felt more like the old days. The focus here was on the well-being of the city and its people, rather than on the series’ green mascot (or the Junior Ghostbusters). In the episode, Peter’s new ghost attractor isn’t to blame for the ensuing chaos; the ghost-eating Mee-Krah is what’s really imperiling everyone. And the Ghostbusters must dish out everything they have to avoid a doomsday situation.
The Halloween Door
“The Halloween Door” (Season 5)
While many fans will skip the later seasons in their rewatches, episodes like “The Halloween Door” are still worth checking out. This colorful helping of Halloween pandemonium premiered on primetime, so the animation is better than usual. And save for a random musical moment, it’s an enjoyable event. Here, a group of anti-Halloweeners tries to cancel the holiday, but they only end up making things worse by unleashing a baddie named Boogaloo.
The first five seasons of The Real Ghostbusters are available on Tubi, starting on July 15.
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