Age you were introduced to GAR

[AcesandEights]

Reading through some of the responses here I've often wondered what age some people were introduced or happened upon their first GAR film. Sometimes people will say things like, "I remember as a little kid going to see Dawn with my Dad" or the like and it always floors me to think of little kids being introduced to this sort of cinema at young ages. Each to their own, I suppose. I did, however, think it'd be interesting to get an idea of what age you were introduced to your first GAR movie. I put the poll above for the 1st time ever, but I'm interested in what ages people first saw these movies and at what ages they first saw them uncut. So when and at what ages did you see Night, Dawn and Day? For me it went like this... Night: Cut version - Late 80s (my mid teens), Less cut VHS version - a year or so later Day: Heavily edited for TV - probably about 16 on USA network, uncut version - early 90s Dawn: Uncut version early 90s (late teens) Night 90: 2007 (my early 30s) on DVD

[bassman]

I have to go with early teens. That was when I really became aware of the series, anyway. Throughout my entire childhood I knew of Night and had seen it on TV every so often. Especially around Halloween. Then when I was aroun 10-14 or so, my brother worked at Blockbuster Video and brought home Day because a co-worker told him it was great. That's when I realized it was the same series and I was hooked from that point on. I bought Day, then Night, then Night90 and it took me FOREVER to get my hands on a copy of Dawn. This was before the new anchor bay editions, so I eventually had to order the old Anchor Bay release. "US Theatrical Cut" I believe it was. The one with the rainbow colored squares and Romero's autograph on the cover. So yeah, I was a pre-teen and the obsession started with Day. Which is still my favorite...

[Mike70]

between 6 and 10. my mom was a big horror fan. i used to sit up on fri night and watch old horror stuff with her. i can't remember exactly how old i was the first time i saw night 68 but it was definitely before the age of 10.

[darth los]

This is how it went for me: Day: About 8 years old. Dawn:About 11 years old. night(original):11 years old. night(90):12 years old. That's a hell of alot of gore to be exposed to, but hey i don't think i turned out THAT bad.

[MikePizzoff]

I was under 5, not quite sure if I was 3 or 4... but, my Grandmother would watch me on Saturday nights for all of my youth and she's a huge horror buff, so she'd always be showing me horror movies. I can remember seeing/loving Night, at least a few times, when I was very young. I remember a lot of you flipped out a year ago when I showed my 3 year old brother Dawn, saying I'd "damage" him or whatever... but I've turned out fine and I was exposed to far more/worse horror movies since that age. Although, I don't think this is the proper place for that argument to start up again.

[Danny]

my gran made me watch a lot of movies thatcher would have frowned on.

[MinionZombie]

First heard about zombie movies in a BBC2 series called Clive Barker's A-Z of Horror, and of course Z was for Zombies - this was where I first saw clips from Day of the Dead (if memory serves) and no doubt other zombie classics, but it's so hazy. That was goodness knows when though... *runs off to the internet, comes back informed and slightly horny* ...1997 is when it first aired. Not sure if that was before or after the May 1997 issue of SFX magazine though, which I bought during a rest break on the way to France on a school trip. I bought it as I saw a side-title on it saying about Romero and zombies, so I think I wanted to find out more as a result - so I'm guessing that the Clive Barker thing was early 1997, ergo BEFORE the SFX magazine. Incidentally, the A-Z of Horror was also where I found out about Ed Gein, in the "A for American Psycho" section, that really captured my imagination, but then again pretty much ALL teenage boys are interested in serial killers and go through that phase in their early teens, I know I did - helped by shows like the ones on Channel 5 in it's early days which profiled a different killer with each episode. ... Anyway, back to GAR. Aged 14 I bought a VHS of Day of the Dead (I was actually looking out for Dawn of the Dead first, and tried to rent it - but the store copy was broken - SO WHY LEAVE THE BOX ON THE F*CKING SHELF?! Their horror section was a thing of magic and wonder for me, all these examples of graphic cover art all over an entire wall. It was awesome. So yeah - Day of the Dead, on VHS tape, bought for £5.99 in Woolies. I loved it from the first viewing. Then, ON my 15th birthday, I got Dawn of the Dead and watched it that evening - ever since it's been my all time number one, and is the reason I've ultimately chosen to pursue a career in film & television. Then, shortly afterwards (something like two or three weeks, maybe less), I saw Night of the Living Dead (a friend dubbed me a copy of the colourised version, so I'd turn the telly colour off in order to watch it in proper black and white). Then of course, Land of the Dead - saw it opening day here in the UK, which was something like September 23rd. Then again, earlier this year, I saw Diary of the Dead on the opening day (first showing I knew about on the opening day). And that's my GAR zed movie history.

[Mike70]

I remember a lot of you flipped out a year ago when I showed my 3 year old brother Dawn, saying I'd "damage" him or whatever... but I've turned out fine and I was exposed to far more/worse horror movies since that age. Although, I don't think this is the proper place for that argument to start up again. my son is 2 1/2 and i've already watched some of the old universal films with him. i've also showed him some scenes from night 90 and 68 of the zombies creeping around. nothing gory or violent, just zombies. he loves it. he is mad about werewolves too, i mean big time. so he's seen some of the transformation scenes from a few of the better known werewolf flicks. again, nothing violent or over the top. the kids monster crazy.

[Skippy911sc]

I saw night before I was in Kindergarten. I remember sitting up late with my mother and watching this movie...I may have fallen asleep during some of it. I was always a horror fan as was my mother.

[Bub666]

Early Teens for me.

[capncnut]

I first saw Dawn Of The Dead at about 9 or 10. Changed my life.

[Khardis]

I got into horror movies and sci fi by the time I was 3 or 4, my dad was a big fan and every week it was our ritual to go to the movie store and rent a new horror movie. From 1984 and on I never missed one it seems.

[Debbieangel]

I actually got to see "Night" at the drive in when it first came out and I was between 10 and 11 yrs old. Back then it was a ground breaking movie with all the gore it had in it. I went with my brothers in laws and I sat in backseat of car sooo scared, I tried to cover my eyes and plug my ears it was so so FRIGHTENING! But, I peeked constantly, lol It was AWESOME!!! "Dawn" I saw in '78 with my hubby at the drive in also and it was also AWESOMELY FRIGHTENING! Kindof freaky driving home after watching that one. lol

[Dillinger]

I was lucky enough to have a baby boomer father and an older brother cool enough to turn me on to Romero when I was a kid. Night and Dawn on VHS were my first introductions to GAR. The Return of the Living Dead and Day of the Dead double billing at a Cross Timbers, MO Drive-in was my first zombie experience outside of home, around 1986, maybe '85. My mother and father were married in May of '71, and one of their first dates was seeing Night at the drive-in. So in all honesty, I was probably about 8 or 9 when I started watching zombie films. But prior to that, I use to stay up with my oldest brother and my father and watch Friday Fright Night on channel 5. From that program, I was introduced to Tomb of the Blind Dead, Phantasm, The Last Man on Earth, Salem's Lot, movies like that.

[SRP76]

I was 7 or 8 when I saw Dawn of the Dead. It was rented from the videostore. About a year later, I spotted Day of the Dead in the videostore, and got it rented. I finally saw Night of the Living Dead a few years later, when I was 13. It came on TV at about 4 in the morning.