The Fiercest Zombie Killer of Them All
by Will Colby of KillingBoxx.com
Most zombie outings feature at least one character, for reasons commonly explained in the second act, who are better at dispatching dead people. These “Dirty Harry’s” or “Harriet’s” of the dead, if you will, are blessed with the ability to act quickly in stressful situations. Smashing in a head, calmly shooting an infected member of the group, these icy, cold-hearted bastards do what’s needed to survive. It is these characteristics that make them attractive to audiences.
Over time, these survivors infect a collective imagination. Zombie lovers from coast-to-coast and country-to-country share favorite head-shot heroes, ass kickers like Ken Foree, or Rupert Everett in Michele Soavi’s Cemetery Man, maybe you prefer the ladies; Milla Jovovich’s Resident Evil character Alice. If you are a connoisseur of zombie cinema, chances are you have a favorite expediter.
Although I’m sure your favorite is serviceable, my choice is better. Why exactly is this you may ask? Well, I can’t really support my position with quantifiable facts; this choice comes from a place where facts are secondary considerations. Personal choice rules the day and first impressions often stick like glue. Who was the first zombie killer that ignited your interest? At some point a character leapt off the screen and dug into your subconscious. For you, this one badass epitomizes all you look for in a shooter. Granted this revelation probably weakens my position and yes my defense is complete conjecture, supported by zero facts but hey this is the internet right? As a true fan of my choice, I make my stand based solely upon the veracity of personal belief and nothing more. In short, I see what I need in the character and honestly don’t care why you think I’m wrong.
Zombies have been creeping around the cinema since 1932 when Bela Lugosi as Murder Legendre first utilized a zombie potion to reanimate corpses of the dead for plantation work in White Zombie. Despite the films’ deserved status as a classic of form, the zombies on hand simply didn’t have the bite required to make them much of a threat. It wasn’t until George Romero unleashed his apocalyptic vision in 1968 that audiences finally came around to the appeal of animated dead. Romero’s shuffling horde had a few new tricks.
In addition to the new improved zombies, Romero’s film offered audiences a hero they could sympathize with, an everyman thrust into a world out of control; the late Duane Jones, as tragically doomed Ben. Jones delivered a performance that easily places him at the top of the zombie killer heap, but, he isn’t my favorite, so let’s move on.
In 1978 Romero returned to the scene of his breakthrough success, with his independently released follow-up to NOTLD. This installment, Dawn Of The Dead, would change the face of horror film forever.
Dawn of the Dead roared with over-the-top mayhem delivered in the most graphically daring display of gruesome ever put on film. It raised a bar Romero himself set ten years earlier. This time, Ben came in the form of hulking 6’5” Ken Foree, appearing as Peter. Level headed and commanding, Peter was a natural progression in the development of the Romero protagonist. While the characters of Ben and Peter are very similar, Peter mirrored the jaded and cynical seventies, making him a better predator. Again, despite Peter’s many admirable qualities, not my favorite.
For a moment, let’s return to the year 1980, the setting a weed-infested drive-in, yours truly an impressionable fifteen year old, the movie playing; Dawn Of The Dead. In the previous sentence you may have noticed I used the word impressionable. I ask that readers remember what it felt like to be fifteen. In other words, I was a wet behind the ears, pusillanimous pud-pulling punk who enjoyed all the right things for the wrong reasons. Now that my character at that time of my life has been established, let’s move on.
What I saw that night changed my perception of film. In less than two hours Romero took a medium I thought of as nothing more than momentary diversion, and elevated it to the status of shocking art, capable of changing the way people thought. At the center of it all stood one character that captured my imagination more than any of the others, Roger.
It wasn’t a logical choice. Peter was definitely smarter, but his character was too level headed to appeal to a teenager. Instead I was drawn to Roger (Scott Reiniger), Peter’s less stable S.W.A.T. commando sidekick. Roger’s mistakes cost his companions a valuable gun and ultimately his life. But he was my choice. Taking all his foibles into consideration I’m sure you’re left asking, why him? Should be obvious I would think. Roger behaved more like a teenager than Peter. His intentions were good but his overzealous bravado made him a danger to himself and everyone else. His character was tragic; therefore a perfect fit for an angry misfit.
This same line of thought is traceable through many of my favorite films. I often prefer the subtle complexities of supporting characters. I think I will always prefer the loose cannon. Characters that move the stories along; their bad and sometimes stupid behavior makes the film memorable.
Since that day, the zombie has risen. Now assuming its rightful position in the monsters canon, the walking dead have even gone so far as to invade TV land. Surely, primetime acceptance is indicative of their status change. Many new slayers of the dead have risen as well and walk in Roger and Peter’s footsteps. No doubt you have your own favorite’s story and I would love to hear it. It won’t change my mind, I am as stubborn as a fuckin’ teenager, but I would like to hear who you think is the best (even if you are wrong).
Will Colby,
Managing Editor, KillingBoxx.com
