What ever happened to the three survivors in Day of the Dead?

[goesaround]

What do you think happened to the three survivors in Day of the Dead? We know the plague continued at least until the time of Land of the Dead. How long after 'Day' is 'land of the Dead' supposed to be. Did they bring guns with them?

[Airborne]

As I recall they made it to some island (or a beach area) in the helicopter. If it was an island, they were most likely stranded without fuel but could, hopefully, survive. Not sure how many weapons they left with as they were in a bit of a hurry after getting put into the zombie cave. Unless the helicopter was stocked with supplies I doubt they had much.

[kanUsurvive]

I say they took a few essentials. I think it was meant to leave us guessing as to what happened to them. I like to think that the island was safe and could be lived on.

[UNDEAD FRED]

They were killed by a Cat 5 hurricane 4 months later.:lol:

[BarnabusBlackoak]

THe Irishman got a job as a desk clerk at a cheap motel somewhere :lol:

[info]

They were killed by a Cat 5 hurricane 4 months later.:lol:


Good stuff.

[MorganaLeFaye]

THe Irishman got a job as a desk clerk at a cheap motel somewhere :lol:

Thats better :)

[Roy RFC]

I never got the end of this movie. When all the hands grab her inside the helicopter is that a dream? She escaped but we don't see? She just has crazy mind flashes?? Any help?

Good film besides that.

[corgi37]

How anyone can accept the ending of this movie is beyond me. I guess it's a classic case of Romero having no money. In fact, i still have no answer ever from George on why Miguel opened the gates. We all got theories, but i was so distraught Romero didnt explain it in the DAY dvd commentary.

I think they survived for a while. But i feel for Sarah as the 2 dudes were gay.

Werent they?

[Steve P]

I never got the end of this movie. When all the hands grab her inside the helicopter is that a dream? She escaped but we don't see? She just has crazy mind flashes?? Any help?

She's dreaming. Remember the scene that opens the film? Sarah has nightmares about dead hands grabbing at her.

The ending is weak, of course. The whole arc of the film points towards everybody dying. Romero either became too attached to the characters or, if you want to be cynical, thought the film would have greater commercial possibilities if the main protagonists survived.

Do what I do. Stop the film just before the end and then you have Romero's best work, and by some distance.

[MaxVeers]

She's dreaming. Remember the scene that opens the film? Sarah has nightmares about dead hands grabbing at her.

The ending is weak, of course. The whole arc of the film points towards everybody dying. Romero either became too attached to the characters or, if you want to be cynical, thought the film would have greater commercial possibilities if the main protagonists survived.

Do what I do. Stop the film just before the end and then you have Romero's best work, and by some distance.

It's an 80s escapism fantasy. Romero himself said, "the 80s [politically and socially] were all about giving up," and that's what the characters were doing. They were giving up, getting killed off, and we all saw the "everyone dies" ending coming. In true 80s fashion, a shocker ending comes out of nowhere and feeds the need for escape once more with a fantasy, dream-like ending where somehow, for no apparent reason, and despite all efforts to destroy everything, everything is ok. Seem familiar?

[zombiekilling101]

Werent they?

seemed so..:)

as for the ending.. I guess it was safe enough for them to chill on the beach.. so looks like they lived out their "lives". I would like to imagine them being overrun but whatever.

[Steve P]

It's an 80s escapism fantasy. Romero himself said, "the 80s [politically and socially] were all about giving up," and that's what the characters were doing. They were giving up, getting killed off, and we all saw the "everyone dies" ending coming. In true 80s fashion, a shocker ending comes out of nowhere and feeds the need for escape once more with a fantasy, dream-like ending where somehow, for no apparent reason, and despite all efforts to destroy everything, everything is ok. Seem familiar?

Ah, he's using the post-modern defense. :-)

[Hurshem]

I don't know about you guys but this is my theory on what happend to them, well as you know they landed on an island ... as you have heard and seen Romero's new movie is dealt with an island sooo my point of theory is maybe they are the creators of the foundation of this town/society.

But that's my theory on that. :lol:

[secretcog]

The nice thing about empty plot ends is that we can hash out countless possibilities. Do all of you remember the "What If" comics? These questions could be easily answered in a "What Happened to" comic book, or in pulp.

[UNDEAD FRED]

What happened to Peter n Fran in Dawn of the Dead 78?

[DarthJoe8]

What happened to Peter n Fran in Dawn of the Dead 78?


Check out Dead Reckoning: Dawning of the Dead :scare:

[MaxVeers]

Ah, he's using the post-modern defense. :-)

I wouldn't say "post-modern," but... it's a movie. It's an escape fantasy, and no era of cinema is better for that than the 80s. If Romero is sticking to his "I call em as I see em by decades" ethos, then this is the one.

[Dogg Thang]

I agree with the idea that the end of Day is an escapist fantasy. John and McDermott's little hideaway was itself an attempt to escape from the reality. The place they end up in at the end of the movie echos that.

Where it goes from there is anyone's guess. I imagine, being an extension of that attempt to escape reality, that the island paradise wouldn't have been a paradise for long. Reality - the need for water, hurricanes (as already pointed out), simple problems in relating to the same tony group of people every single day for ever - would soon kick in. Though we don't see it, there's probably a 'be careful what you wish for' story just after the end of the film.

That or you could take the ending itself to be complete fantasy in the mind of Sarah before she is torn apart by zombies. The mind's last attempt to give her some peace.

Either way, I don't think the ending is as happy as it may initially appear.

[Steve P]

I wouldn't say "post-modern," but... it's a movie. It's an escape fantasy, and no era of cinema is better for that than the 80s. If Romero is sticking to his "I call em as I see em by decades" ethos, then this is the one.

I suspect Romero is saying that from hindsight. He made an film that reflected the eighties because he made it in the eighties. There's nothing wrong with that, but I don't believe that he was parodying eighties sensibilities and was aware of doing so.

[MaxVeers]

I suspect Romero is saying that from hindsight. He made an film that reflected the eighties because he made it in the eighties. There's nothing wrong with that, but I don't believe that he was parodying eighties sensibilities and was aware of doing so.

I dunno, he captured the 60s and 70s pretty well, and we seem to think those were intentional enough...

[Amish]

I agree with the idea that the end of Day is an escapist fantasy. John and McDermott's little hideaway was itself an attempt to escape from the reality. The place they end up in at the end of the movie echos that.

Where it goes from there is anyone's guess. I imagine, being an extension of that attempt to escape reality, that the island paradise wouldn't have been a paradise for long. Reality - the need for water, hurricanes (as already pointed out), simple problems in relating to the same tony group of people every single day for ever - would soon kick in. Though we don't see it, there's probably a 'be careful what you wish for' story just after the end of the film.

That or you could take the ending itself to be complete fantasy in the mind of Sarah before she is torn apart by zombies. The mind's last attempt to give her some peace.

Either way, I don't think the ending is as happy as it may initially appear.

The simplest explanation is sometimes right. John and McDermott are already spacing out, creating their own little world. Sarah is creating something in her own mind to combat her emotions and emotionalism. Three potentially unstables in a small space... you've got wrong brewing. Paradise isn't always Paradise; Hell isn't always Hell; sometimes Paradise is Hell; sometimes Hell is Paradise. We've got the latter going on here. Sarah, McDermott and John all create/d their own Paradise, and really, it was Hell for them. So, in our travel down Plot Line Road, why would we assume that this island Paradise really is a Paradise? Do we want a happy ending? It wouldn't hurt. But then, wouldn't that be a fantasy itself?
In my own mind, I think they go cannibal on each other, with the last survivor probbably being wiped out by a hurricane.

[Steve P]

I dunno, he captured the 60s and 70s pretty well, and we seem to think those were intentional enough...

In terms of the socio-political, he was bang on the money throughout the trilogy.

But you have to remember that Romero went into the production of Day with two relative disappointments behind him. Knightriders sank without trace and Creepshow did far less business than expected. Then United Film Distribution wouldn't give him the budget he wanted for his initial script. I suspect the 'happy ending' more reflected his need for some box office action, rather than a parody of the wide-eyed US optimism of the time.

[MaxVeers]

In terms of the socio-political, he was bang on the money throughout the trilogy.

But you have to remember that Romero went into the production of Day with two relative disappointments behind him. Knightriders sank without trace and Creepshow did far less business than expected. Then United Film Distribution wouldn't give him the budget he wanted for his initial script. I suspect the 'happy ending' more reflected his need for some box office action, rather than a parody of the wide-eyed US optimism of the time.

Maybe, but parody had done him well twice before, despite recent, non-genre failures.

[Steve P]

Maybe, but parody had done him well twice before, despite recent, non-genre failures.

I think we'll have to agree to disagree on this one. :-)

[Amish]

Well hey!

Maybe it's a little of both. Maybe Romero was still deep into the parody, while at the same time dismissing his naysayers with the 'happy ending'. Right? It's the best of both worlds, I say.

Amish
:)