Oct 27 2007
Book: Gospel of the Living Dead
I’ve just finished Gospel of the Living Dead: George Romeros visions of a hell on Earth by Kim Paffenroth, a detailed overview and analysis of Romeros trilogy(?) of Night, Dawn, Day and Land of the Dead with the 2004 remake of Dawn of the Dead added for good measure.
The fact that Romeros movies take a shot at racism, consumerism, sexism and other societal ills is nothing new to anyone even passingly familiar with these films, but Paffenroth provides a guided tour of the subtext that is both entertaining and educational. While there is some political bias evident, it’s not so pervasive as to put one off the material covered.
I’ll be rereading the book with a more critical eye the second time through (and hopefully fewer three year old interuptions) but feel certain that any fan of the genre would welcome this book on their shelves.
It’s available here if you want to take a gander.
Glad you mostly liked it. If it gets people talking, and thinking about the films and their ideas again, then it’s a success.
Sounds pretty interesting. I will have to see about picking it up.