Written and directed by Jim Jarmusch. Starring Bill Murray, Adam Driver, Chloe Sevigny, Tilda Swinton, Steve Buscemi, Danny Glover, Caleb Landry Jones, Selena Gomez, RZA, Tom Waits, Rosie Perez, Iggy Pop, Larry Fessenden and Carol Kane.
Plot: the peaceful town of Centerville finds itself battling the undead.
Jim Jarmusch is not known for horror, but he is known for minimalism, eccentricities and saying that he’d rather “make a movie about a guy walking his dog than about the emperor of China”. Now if you mix that in with horror, you unabashedly have The Dead Don’t Die.
In the movie, polar fracking has caused the earth to go off it’s axis. And this has caused the dead to come to life. In the “normal” way, you have to kill the head, but in a little push, you usually need to wholly decapitate them in this film. Also, the zombies talk. Not immensely. Not “send more paramedics”. Just small words about the things that were most important to them while they were alive.
The whole movie is funny, but in a weird way. And the movie has a strange flow to it, like you’re not sure when it’s going to come to an end. The theme song was good. The actors were great. The characters were likable. SPOILER ALERT: Everyone died pretty much, but the bad certainly outweighed the good.
I suppose I could list my favorite movies here, but instead I'll give you a strange glimpse into what makes me TaraRomero.
1. I met George Romero. He was the kindest and sweetest man. He talked to me for longer than he should have with the line getting longer. He also held my hand. And when he noticed the ladybug I have tattooed on my wrist, he said he liked it and asked me it's name. Till then, it had not had a name. Now, I call him George.
2. I love stickers. All stickers. I just adore them. I even ask for stickers for Christmas! As a matter of fact, the birthday that just past, every member of my immediate family gave me sticker packs as gifts. Affordable and extremely appreciated.
3. I have never put much stock in astrology or horoscopes, but I LOVE the magic of the MBTI. Omg. I am an INFP and it actually sounds just like me. Introverted mostly. Creative always. Heart before head and not the most logical. Totally me! For better or worse.
4. It's no surprise I count horror so high up on the list of things that make me, me. However, it's so within my soul that I was part of the Horror Club in college. Interesting bunch. And even took a Horror Lit class as an elective. I got an A.
5. Coffee always makes me happy. Always. I'm particularly fond of caramel macchiatos. But I'll drink black coffee if it's the only thing available.
6. I hate shock for the sake of shock and endings that depress me. I always mention the movies Within (2016) and the Eli Roth produced, written and starred in, Aftershock (2012), as proof of this distate I have. I abhor the idea that just because I like horror, some people think I'd actually praise a movie that lets you think the "Final Girl" just made it through the night, only to slap her in the face with a tsunami.
7. We are big time animal people. I mean, if I could, I'd have an elephant, a bear, a zebra, a penguin, an otter and a meerkat, living with me. Seriously though. We have 2 dogs right now and 2 cats. Both cats we picked up when they each came to our front door hungry. And both dogs we got from 2 different sets of neighbors. Both who, unfortunately, don't know how to care for pets long-term. But they're happy and healthy now!!
8. Revisiting my love of horror, one of the above cats, my cat, is a little black guy named Church. Because Pet Sematary. His middle name is even Pascow. To give credit where credit's due, the name was DJ's idea. But he loves horror too!
9. I'm big into art. Along with movie posters and an Anne Frank quote, I have some actual paintings on my wall. I really think Dali paints beautifully when he wants to. And if I don't get to see Michaelangelo's Pieta in person some day, I will be very disappointed.
10. Lastly, I find Emily Dickinson's poetry intriguing. I took an elective course about her as well. But do you know I injected horror even there? I was given a poem to dissect and I picked one on death, of course. Then, I researched old "Death Photos" and even printed out copies for everyone in the class. They were so interested in looking at them that it stopped them from all looking at me, and I was able to deal quite well with my stage fright. Haha
View all posts by TaraRomero
Published
2 thoughts on “The Dead Don’t Die (2019)”
I haven’t had the chance to watch this movie. I have been having a growing distaste for modern comedy/horror films. So a few questions. Does the comedy of this movie outweigh the horror? Also, how does this measure up to zombie masters like Night Of the Living Dead or Return of the Living Dead?
Good questions. Night is one of my fave movies and Return is one of DJ’s, so we don’t think most things measure up to that. However, it’s still a decent watch. I think the humor outweighs the horror though. I don’t remember ever being really scared, but I do remember laughing out loud. It’s a strange movie though, so it’s hard to compare it to anything.
BLOOD RED REVIEWS 
I haven’t had the chance to watch this movie. I have been having a growing distaste for modern comedy/horror films. So a few questions. Does the comedy of this movie outweigh the horror? Also, how does this measure up to zombie masters like Night Of the Living Dead or Return of the Living Dead?
LikeLike
Good questions. Night is one of my fave movies and Return is one of DJ’s, so we don’t think most things measure up to that. However, it’s still a decent watch. I think the humor outweighs the horror though. I don’t remember ever being really scared, but I do remember laughing out loud. It’s a strange movie though, so it’s hard to compare it to anything.
LikeLiked by 1 person