Halloween is the best holiday of all because the celebration requires dressing in a costume and getting drunk. And if you’re like me, you’ve probably been a zombie at some point because you’re a fan of the dead. I’m talking about the films of George A. Romero of course.

Hardcore fans know Romero as not only a master of horror but also the creator of the zombie movie genre. In fact, he invented the rules of the zombie universe. And you know them all too well – zombies feed on living flesh, you must shoot them in the head to kill them, if bitten by a zombie, you will soon turn into one yourself... etc… But what sets his films apart is that each of his undead epics has a social message wrapped within. The 1968 original Night of the Living Dead is really about racial turmoil in the South during the 1960s. Dawn of the Dead has a particularly meaty subtext involving consumerism in the 1980s – the characters trapped in the mall have everything their hearts desire, money, clothes, guns, stuff, yet they are still unhappy. Day of the Dead is about an out of control military industrial complex. Romero’s most recent; Land of the Dead explores issues involving the growing class war and immigration. He doesn’t hammer the audience over the head with these themes, which is why his Dead movies stand up to repeated viewings.


The original Night of the Living Dead is about racial turmoil in the 1960s.

Now I don’t want to sound like a snob, but I can spot a fake zombie walking from a mile away. When I see someone during Halloween dressed as a zombie prancing around as if they are “alive” and not taking their role as a minion of the undead seriously, it bothers me. It’s not so difficult to slather on some pale make-up, apply some realistic-looking wounds and dress like you’re homeless or have been in a car accident. That’s the easy part. The hard part is selling it, y’know, walking around like a real zombie. It’s pathetic to see zombie wannabes putting forth no effort to sell their dead persona. I mean, that’s half the fun of the costume, it’s the act.

I think this stems from the fact that I actually played a zombie in the 1990 remake of Romero’s Night of the Living Dead directed by Tom Savini.

I had just moved to LA and became friends with the guys working on the make up effects. I begged them to allow me to be a zombie in the remake. They offered to let me sleep on their couch and I headed to Pittsburgh for a week. Everyone who signed up to be a zombie was a fan, and they all had tales about how the original NOTLD changed their lives in some way. I first saw the original black and white Dead on TV when I was 11. It was shocking to my senses. The character I came to identify with, Ben, the only guy with any sense of reason, looks as if he’ll emerge unscathed and is promptly shot in the head. Yeah, there’s no happy ending. As credits role we are treated to a montage that looks as if it were taken from a news report as Ben, along with other zombies, are burned. The music over this sequence is haunting. I recall sleeping with the light on for fear of something popping out from behind the couch. Repeated viewings only heightened my fear and bloodlust to see more.

To be surrounded by so many like-minded fanatics was like vacationing at a convention where zombie make up was required. It never felt like work. All the extras were put through a “zombie school” which was easy. However, based on your look and the quality of your performance, you’d either end up in the background or you’d be used as a featured zombie along with the main cast. There were several important things I learned at school:
- Never look at the camera. Keep up a glazed look, not focusing on anything in particular.
- Imagine the way you died and bring that injury into your zombie character. So, if your leg was crushed, limp. Or if you were in a car accident and broke your neck, lean your head to one side.
- Very important – be consistent. Once you’ve got your moves down, they must be repeated in every shot so that the editor can cut together a sequence in which each zombie moves the same from take to take.
- And, the most important element was “the walk.”

Now, that zombie walk was discussed over and over again, yes, it’s slow-moving. But I can break it down for you simply, just walk slow like you have to take a dump. It's not that hard. And during the long hours we were all to encounter, that walk might not even have to be faked.

Our day started about 6 PM and went until dawn. Like any film shoot, the hours were long and made more difficult since this was a night shoot. Make up was always fun and also was a determining factor in the zombie hierarchy, whether you’d be in the background (simply painted grey with highlights) or featured (grey make up with wound appliances). I recall being so tired upon returning home, I’d save make up removal for mornings which meant I sometimes stuck to my pillow.

My first scene was with about 20 extras in a grassy field. I was placed far in the back and this shot was not pivotal as it was intended to convey atmosphere. We’d do the “dump walk” down the hill for about a minute and then the assistant director would yell “Back to one.” So, we’d trudge back up the hill to our first position, hence “back to one.” We did this about five times and they filmed it once we had it down.

While all of the zombies in the film were fans, I was surprised to learn that the cast were Dead fans as well. Patricia Tallman, the lead female, loved Romero’s work and considered it an honor to be cast. Tony Todd, who went on to play in many genre films, was new to the biz and was cast as Ben, the guy we all root for. Todd hung out with us zombies and enjoyed telling stories about how much the original scared him. Tommy Towles was a madman, and was not just a fan, but the cast clown. Tommy took every opportunity to goof on the rest of the cast and loosened everyone up when people were tired or tense. I even met Romero on the set very briefly. He was like everyone’s uncle as he walked around the set greeting fan after fan.

After a week of “dump walking” and hanging with the cast, I finally was offered a chance to act with the main cast. Well, at least their charred remains. Tom and his girlfriend Judy, (played by Bill Butler and Katie Finneran) plot their escape in their truck; as they get gas, the vehicle blows up. Their crispy demise is tragic especially when you discover their bodies being devoured by zombies. My role was as the zombie who starts the barbecue. Tom Savini directed me in this scene, and, well, he didn’t have much to tell me. Savini said, “Just drag the burning body about 6 feet and begin to dig in and eat.” Easy Tom!

We did about three takes – I’d grab Billy's fake body, which had some weight to it, drag it, then I was the first to take a bite. The guts consisted of the worst chicken ever. This cold chicken was covered in fake blood made from watered down Karo syrup and food coloring. There were gallon sized milk jugs of this stuff everywhere and it does not mix well with chicken. While we were on camera, I feasted on the grotesque concoction, but as soon as Tom yelled, “Cut!” we all spit out that crap. I could do the zombie “dump walk” all day, but a zombie feast was something I did not want to repeat.


That's my ass on the far right chomping on a burnt corpse. The "flesh" was undercooked chicken covered in fake blood. Hey. Stop looking at my ass.

So, dressing as a minion of the undead for Halloween holds a particular charm for me. Behind every glazed look, underneath the pale and bloody zombie make up there’s always a Romero fan. Just don’t forget to work on that walk.

Gore gone!

Chris_Gore is an author, a filmmaker, the creator of Film Threat, and begins planning his Halloween costume each year on November 1st.