Could the "NOTLD" situation realistically happen in the 21st century?

[JDFP]

Society is almost always connected today with the Internet and cell phones. Almost anywhere in the continental U.S. you can be connected to almost any other person (or group) just about anywhere you go (save for a few remote places in the country). Even from 1990 to now, a mere 20 years, society and the world has changed so much that I don't know that "Night of the Living Dead" would necessarily work the same, or possibly at all, in a contemporary society.

For one, Barbara and Johnny out on their visit to the grave-site. In Night '68 and '90 they are having issues receiving a radio signal ("Are we back on? We're back on the air, ladies and gentlemen..."), which I think would be a stretch of the imagination in today's age. Most mainstream radio transmissions have a satellite/internet link, and national networks can easily link into (9/11) local stations in the event of a crisis. If Johnny and Barb are out in the countryside of PA. and flip on the radio today, the thought that local stations wouldn't have any signal is a bit far-fetched as they would almost certainly flip across one or two satellite-linked radio stations still bringing the news. That also begs the question: What if Johnny had Sirius/XM? They would receive some type of radio signal saying that "something" was happening out there that's not usual/normal. I guess you could argue that this wouldn't necessarily change anything about what they decide to do in visiting the grave, but even though Johnny was an ass to his sister, I think this would have changed his opinion on letting his sister walk up to a complete stranger in the cemetery that's got a funny-looking walk while the radio is sending out a signal saying: "Mass murders are running rampant through the nation" or whatever else. Of course, I guess you could argue that their radio is broken or they listened to a CD all the way there.

What would be more puzzling would be if they flipped the radio on and they really didn't get any signal except dead air. I can't speak for everyone, but I can tell you that if I'm out driving in the countryside one day and turn on the radio and don't get anything but static (knowing my radio works perfectly well) I'm going to think: "Okay, that's strange, very strange" at the least and probably think it's a good idea to stop at a gas station to see if anything is going on out in the world. In our society, we want to know what is happening around us. We're just connected like that as a society now. Wouldn't you find it odd in not receiving any radio signals/transmissions enough to ask someone about it or call someone on your cell phone?

Second is the issue of cell phones. I suppose it's possible that neither Johnny or Barb have a cell phone (it's possible), but I'd imagine that one or the other probably would. Unless they have the cell phone turned off, or the towers in the area they are in are out for whatever reason, I have a hard time believing that a friend/relative of them wouldn't try to call them up and say: "Hey, where are you guys? Are you hearing what is happening on the news???". Even if someone doesn't call them, when Johnny or Barb turn on the radio and get news of "mass murders throughout the country" or turn on the radio and get nothing but dead air possibly, I think it's a bit extreme to imagine they would just ignore it and not try to at least attempt to call someone just to see if anything is remiss. Then again, it's possible that they wouldn't be able to get through to anyone on the cellular or that the towers are out in the area. So, you turn your radio on and nothing and get nothing on your cell-phone as well. Are you still going to stop by the cemetery to visit a loved one's grave-site before stopping somewhere along the way to ask: "Hey, anything up?"

In 1968 and even 1990 the world just wasn't as "connected" together like it is today. Unless you're intentionally attempting to ignore the outside world, most of us have some type of access to it. Okay, let's pre-suppose that everything happens the exact same way as the opening of Night '68/'90 and Johnny is killed and Barb makes it to the farm-house. Would a rural farmer out in the countryside have an internet connection? Maybe. Maybe not. But I can pretty much guarantee he'd have a television with a digital-converter box for local stations even if not also for cable/satellite access. Networks/television stations are more connected as far as news/news-feeds on a national/local level today than they were 20 years ago. More news about what was happening would be coming out. Judy and Tom (as Gen Y kids now) would probably have a laptop or cell phone with internet access. Would they be able to communicate for help through an internet capacity of a cell phone? Possibly. Probably yes if they are receiving internet connection and the local towers/internet hub is still working.

I just don't know that NOTLD could really work in the contemporary day and age. The days of being apart from society/information are in our past (for the most part). With internet/cell-phones/satellite it's more difficult to break away from society and be "reclusive" than it used to be. However, I do think NOTLD in a contemporary setting could be interesting to see the difference in how the characters (Ben and Barb as being Gen-X'ers, Judy and Tom as Gen-Y kids) would re-act to the situation. While society is more interconnected than it used to be, people, for the most part, just aren't accustomed to not being connected into the world through the internet/cell-phones/instant access to knowing everything happening around us. I think this would prove to be as frightening and morale-breaking to these people as the ghouls outside in some ways. That could definitely play an interesting role in the issue of having NOTLD set in a contemporary setting.

Anyway, just some food for thought...

j.p.

[rongravy]

I think most people would be in shock. Imagine having your reality turned upside down like that.
I'd be a head splitting motherfucker myself. I personally don't think it'd be some kind of epidemic. Once people got ahold of themselves, it'd be like any other day. As long as they are slow we be ok, lol. I personally wish this'd come true. I already look over my shoulder constantly...

[JDFP]

Post 9/11 the majority of Americans just aren't the same. Sure, we carry on like normal during the day and evenings (at least if we aren't whacked-out-government-conspiracy-like people), but all of us have that ingrained sense of knowing that something could go terribly wrong at any time. I think this is a benefit to us as all as well, we're more prepared for knowing that things could go very shitty at any time. Any realistic contemporary-setting for NOTLD would have to play on this to be a "realistic" interpretation of people and society. Things just don't fly like they used to 40 years or even 20 years ago.

j.p.

[rongravy]

Post 9/11 the majority of Americans just aren't the same. Sure, we carry on like normal during the day and evenings (at least if we aren't whacked-out-government-conspiracy-like people), but all of us have that ingrained sense of knowing that something could go terribly wrong at any time. I think this is a benefit to us as all as well, we're more prepared for knowing that things could go very shitty at any time. Any realistic contemporary-setting for NOTLD would have to play on this to be a "realistic" interpretation of people and society. Things just don't fly like they used to 40 years or even 20 years ago.

j.p.

Yeah, but we've never had anything like THAT happen. I think people would still freak out and fumble with their stuff...
Nothing we've ever seen would prepare you for that.

[darth los]

Yeah, but we've never had anything like THAT happen. I think people would still freak out and fumble with their stuff...
Nothing we've ever seen would prepare you for that.


Agreed. Nothing in the course of human history could be looked to as a precendent for this, which would be an extinction level event.

:cool:

[JDFP]

Agreed. Nothing in the course of human history could be looked to as a precendent for this, which would be an extinction level event.

:cool:

Oh no doubt, it probably would be. And, I agree with you. But, that's not what my point/post was about. Back on topic... :)

What I was asking is if "NOTLD" could realistically happen in the 21st century with the inter-connectedness/technology available today. I don't think the film could take place in contemporary times as it did in 1968 or 1990. I just couldn't see the film being realistically set in today's time and age, and even if it was it would be something completely different (like Barb and Johnny holed up at a convenience store/gas station during the crisis).

j.p.

[SRP76]

It would happen just fine.

There would be plenty of warning signs, but most people would ignore them. The few zombie-savvy types in the world are a tiny, tiny minority. Something that sends up red flags for we deadheads on this site wouldn't even register to the common Joe.

[darth los]

What I was asking is if "NOTLD" could realistically happen in the 21st century with the inter-connectedness/technology available today. I don't think the film could take place in contemporary times as it did in 1968 or 1990.


There's a strong arguement for that it can. Look no further than diary. It was basically the same outbreak scenario set in modern times. They had all the technology they could ask for yet it they didn't seem to fare any better.

:cool:

[Philly_SWAT]

Oh no doubt, it probably would be. And, I agree with you. But, that's not what my point/post was about. Back on topic... :)

What I was asking is if "NOTLD" could realistically happen in the 21st century with the inter-connectedness/technology available today. I don't think the film could take place in contemporary times as it did in 1968 or 1990. I just couldn't see the film being realistically set in today's time and age, and even if it was it would be something completely different (like Barb and Johnny holed up at a convenience store/gas station during the crisis).

j.p.
I am not sure that I understand what you mean by "could the NOTLD situation happen today". Of course it could. Would we (in Western societies anyway) probably have more information at our disposal than if it happened in 1968? Certainly. Including faulty information. The faulty information that was occuring in 1968 would have been exponentially transmitted today. So yes we would have MORE information, including more WRONG information.

In any event, even if today we learned that the dead were rising to attack the living, and got constant updates to that effect on our iphones, that would not help us any better to get along with our fellow man, that would not help us implement plans any better, it would not keep us from dying. And remember, NOTLD was on day one. If you heard today, in real life, on a Sirius radio station that the dead were rising and attacking the living, would you immediately lock yourself in a basement, or assume it was a joke?

[DubiousComforts]

The answer to this question is the theme of DIARY.

Oh wait, I keep forgetting that nobody pays attention to that film.

http://learnjavafx.typepad.com/.a/6a00e54f133d69883401156f88b4c2970c-800wi
"Never mind."

[JDFP]

I guess I didn't do a good job in stating what I was trying to state...

And that is, could the film itself be set in today's time and age the same way. It's the events of the film I am referring to, I don't think the film could be made the same way today because I don't believe the film could be made like NOTLD '68 or '90 in today's time and age.

If the film were to be shot today and attempt realism, it would have Barb and Johnny finding out before arriving at the cemetery that something wrong was happening out in the world (even if that "something" isn't quite known: the point of misinformation) to where they would have never gotten out of the car there, and certainly would have never approached the ghoul there.

j.p.

[sandrock74]

Technology isn't the end all, be all that you seem to make it out to be. Philly mentioned how the wrong information would/could get broadcast much more easily, which was one of my first thoughts. Also, technology needs a lot to keep functioning properly. You are assuming that all the sattelites will keep doing their thing, no cell towers will be damaged, no phone/electrical poles will fall down, etc. It wouldn't take much to cause a lot of people to be in the dark...both literally and figuratively!

Remember what Ben said about the diner...it was a "war zone". Still going to assume that everyones technological doodads will be working properly? Personally, I do own a cell phone, but it does not have internet capability. The LAST place you will see me is surfing the net in a zombie apocalypse type crisis. If I can't get info from the tv or radio, it's not important enough for me to bother with it. There is no way in hell that I would have been sitting around online and watching that "documentary" that dipwad was making in Diary. In such a crisis, I would rely on what I have personally witnessed to make informed decisions...the news broadcasts would only be taken as a guideline, and to have an idea of how "big" the event is.

Our modern level of technology, while fairly impressive, will only work if the basic infrastructure is still up and running. Too much damage and/or neglect to that, and we are amish!

[deadpunk]

Who the hell would believe it, the first time they heard it? I think Johnny and Barbara would have rolled right on into the cemetary, without hesitation. Johnny probably would have used it as further fodder in his torments of Babs.

Ben and the Coopers were already out in the wide world...and that farmhouse, in that area, I'm doubting the internet or cable were high on the priority list.

The plot still holds firm, yes.

[zombieparanoia]

OMG! Zmbies cming. BRB.


Zombie outbreak in the age of text.

[JDFP]

OMG! Zmbies cming. BRB.


Zombie outbreak in the age of text.

Hopefully these twits would be the first to go. And good riddance.

j.p.

[sandrock74]

OMG! Zmbies cming. BRB.


Zombie outbreak in the age of text.

OMG! Oh noes!

[MoonSylver]

OMG! Zmbies cming. BRB.


Zombie outbreak in the age of text.

:lol::lol:

http://media.nowpublic.net/images/00/b/00bd7cf3e45a02f99916e99b5bd2219a.jpg

"LOL! Can haz brainz plz!?!"

;)

[Philly_SWAT]

The answer to this question is the theme of DIARY.


LOL I had considered typing this as well!

---------- Post added at 12:41 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:34 PM ----------


I guess I didn't do a good job in stating what I was trying to state...

And that is, could the film itself be set in today's time and age the same way. It's the events of the film I am referring to, I don't think the film could be made the same way today because I don't believe the film could be made like NOTLD '68 or '90 in today's time and age.

If the film were to be shot today and attempt realism, it would have Barb and Johnny finding out before arriving at the cemetery that something wrong was happening out in the world (even if that "something" isn't quite known: the point of misinformation) to where they would have never gotten out of the car there, and certainly would have never approached the ghoul there.

j.p.
I tend to disagree with your assertions here. Again, the story is set on Day One. Most people would disregard information about the dead coming back to life on Day One, unless they had seen it with their own eyes. Add to this all the stuff we have going on right now in 2010... sites like TheOnion.com with false news, internet hoaxes such as "Barack Obama is a Muslim" etc. being out there...a large number of people are becoming accustomed to quickly ignoring as untrue information that they receive from modern technology devices. Therefore, even if for some reason that info were to reach Johnny and Barb in the beginning, it would not be far fetched at all for them to ignore it.

In fact, I dont think it is illogical that for a few hours on a somber ride to their dads gravesite they might decide to NOT check out twitter to see what was going on, and instead actually ...GASP...talk face to face with someone who is literally 2 feet away from them.

[Mr.G]

LOL I had considered typing this as well!

---------- Post added at 12:41 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:34 PM ----------


I tend to disagree with your assertions here. Again, the story is set on Day One. Most people would disregard information about the dead coming back to life on Day One, unless they had seen it with their own eyes. Add to this all the stuff we have going on right now in 2010... sites like TheOnion.com with false news, internet hoaxes such as "Barack Obama is a Muslim" etc. being out there...a large number of people are becoming accustomed to quickly ignoring as untrue information that they receive from modern technology devices. Therefore, even if for some reason that info were to reach Johnny and Barb in the beginning, it would not be far fetched at all for them to ignore it.

In fact, I dont think it is illogical that for a few hours on a somber ride to their dads gravesite they might decide to NOT check out twitter to see what was going on, and instead actually ...GASP...talk face to face with someone who is literally 2 feet away from them.


I think the 'reality' is somewhere in between. I don't think many people would ignore real news from NBC/ABC/FOX/CBS if it would actually happen. I agree our society is good at filtering out the BS but this would spread quickly once discovered. Just my 2 cents.

[JDFP]

I tend to disagree with your assertions here. Again, the story is set on Day One. Most people would disregard information about the dead coming back to life on Day One, unless they had seen it with their own eyes. Add to this all the stuff we have going on right now in 2010... sites like TheOnion.com with false news, internet hoaxes such as "Barack Obama is a Muslim" etc. being out there...a large number of people are becoming accustomed to quickly ignoring as untrue information that they receive from modern technology devices. Therefore, even if for some reason that info were to reach Johnny and Barb in the beginning, it would not be far fetched at all for them to ignore it.

In fact, I dont think it is illogical that for a few hours on a somber ride to their dads gravesite they might decide to NOT check out twitter to see what was going on, and instead actually ...GASP...talk face to face with someone who is literally 2 feet away from them.

I can't buy that people wouldn't respond to the fact that something strange is happening out there. I can't speak for most normal people (much less normal people at all I suppose), but even if you're going on a nice country ride and you turn the radio on to hear insane things on it, unless you're completely screwed up as a person, you're going to react to it. If I turned the radio on and someone was saying that mass murders were happening out in the world, I'd probably nervously laugh at first as well. And then I'd turn the radio dial and if I keep hearing the same thing over and over that "something strange" is going on in the world -- yeah, I think that would get my attention. Hoax or not, something that was intense enough to warrant every radio station to broadcast this (as well as affiliated stations with the Big 3 Networks: which after Rathergate are hesitant to broadcast any information without having some measured degree) then I'm not going about my normal daily routine like usual.

It's not a matter of the dead coming back to life, at least not at first, it's a matter of getting unconfirmed reports of mass murders / "unknown assailants" over the eastern half of the U.S. I don't need the dead coming back to life to worry, hearing about mass murders throughout the country is enough for me and most. That would be enough to have my attention, as well as I'd imagine most folks. I'd be hesitant to believe any of it at first, but I'd think most normal people would probably stop somewhere to see if anyone else knows what might be going on in the world. Of course, this is pre-supposing that they do check the radio on the way there.

I think a modern telling of "NOTLD" would be more similar to "The Mist" in nature. Barb and Johnny have the radio on and hear that strange things are happening in the world (of course, being Day One we don't know what those strange things are until later that evening) but at hearing this information decide to stop by a little mom and pop diner (Beekman's perhaps?) or a convenience store / gas station on their way to visit the cemetery to get some more information. Then again, maybe they decide to stop by the cemetery first anyway, but it's still something to ponder.

j.p.

[sandrock74]

Then again, maybe they decide to stop by the cemetery first anyway, but it's still something to ponder.


You might be on to something, my friend. Think about it...during any sort of crisis and/or national emergency, have cemetaries ever been a place of danger? Hell, even in zombie films, there's not a lot of action in a cemetary (ROTLD is probably the biggest exception). It's concievable that they would still hit the cemetary, figuring that there's nothing in an extremely rural cemetary to be afraid of, and if what they are hearing is some sort of hoax, it could be sorted out by the time they are leaving for home.

People's fear of cemetaries are based on nothing more than superstitions and fear of death. I'm sure the crime rates of cemetaries are near 0%...about the safest place you can be!

[DubiousComforts]

I think a modern telling of "NOTLD" would be more similar to "The Mist" in nature. Barb and Johnny have the radio on and hear that strange things are happening in the world (of course, being Day One we don't know what those strange things are until later that evening)
NIGHT actually takes place on the third day of the crisis. There are already news reports of mass murder, soon followed by confirmation of the dead coming back to life (at least by the time Ben flicks on the TV a few hours later that night, but perhaps even sooner). Barbara and Johnny were unaware of the situation simply because the car radio couldn't pick up a news program in rural Pennsylvania.

I'm uncertain what it was like in the 1960s, but it can still be difficult tuning in anything but local radio while driving through rural PA when all you have is an antennae. Had they arrived at the cemetery five minutes later after the radio station had come back on the air, they would have heard the news and hightailed it out of there. It's one of the film's many ironies.

Films like NIGHT aren't supposed to be exactly like real life. Instead, they employ verisimilitude, a stylized version of real life in order to get a point across as well as entertain.

[bd2999]

I think so, I mean we are really dependent on computers and the like to give us our information. All you need is one guy running into a transformer or power line to kill power in an area and alot of information would be cut off for alot of people.

Cell phones are great, but they can get messy if alot of people are trying to use them at once, or in a given area the military or others are scrambling things. Not to mention they help at best to determine where others you know are to meet up with or check if they are ok. A great thing for sure, but it still does not help you directly given your situation. That is if you are in the graveyard checking a grave out.

The radio did say they were having some issues, but to be fair I think the problem now would not be technical as much as when they decide to tell you. There might be minor mentions at first, then as things got worse you would get more and more conflicting reports and information and so on. The amount of media we have is insane and would make things complicated. I think Romero was on to something with the idea behind Diary but did not pull it off as well as he could have.

So in the end yes I think it is very possible to have a situation like Night. Isolated from the rest of the world in a house with who knows what going on. Depending on where you are, you might have no signal and who knows what else. The chaos an event of this scale would cause is just massive. I imagine it would not take much to find yourself isolated, confused and terrified.

[sandrock74]

All you need is one guy running into a transformer or power line to kill power in an area and alot of information would be cut off for alot of people.


That guy had better hope it's not a Decepticon he runs into! :lol:

[Debbieangel]

I live in rural PA and we sometimes lose power due to weather conditions. Right there your communications are cut off unless you have a generator or head out to your vehicle to listen to the radio.
Back in the 60's you could only get local radio stations and you had to play with the radio if you took a ride out in the country to get a radio station to come on.
If something were to happen today I still believe a majority of us would be clueless as to what was going on. I think everyone would be running around like a chicken with its head cut off.(sorry I couldn't resist)We would have officials running around flapping their jaws barking orders making things worse than they already are all the while sitting comfortably with his/her family in a bunker type safe place.
Like I said earlier in my post I think we would be clueless really til the proverbial shit hit the fan.
The news would probably color it as people going nutso in the first 24 hours and killing people, then there would be zombies all over the place killing and making more zombies. imho

[Philly_SWAT]

NIGHT actually takes place on the third day of the crisis. There are already news reports of mass murder, soon followed by confirmation of the dead coming back to life (at least by the time Ben flicks on the TV a few hours later that night, but perhaps even sooner).
Third day of the crisis? What leads you to this conclusion?

Barbara and Johnny were unaware of the situation simply because the car radio couldn't pick up a news program in rural Pennsylvania.
Johnny said it took 3 hours, not 3 days to get there! :)

[SRP76]

Since when do people give a shit what "emergency" is going on unless it's right there in their neighborhood? Never.

"People are massacred 50 miles away". Reaction: "sucks to be them. Hey, someone pass me a beer".

---------- Post added at 06:56 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:50 PM ----------


Third day of the crisis? What leads you to this conclusion?


The news reports while Ben is boarding things up (right around when he finds the rifle). The radio reporter talks about "Friday" when some "family of seven" got munched on or whatever. Can't remember the exact words.

Since the film is established as taking place on Sunday, and things began Friday, the film is during the 3rd day.

[Philly_SWAT]

Since when do people give a shit what "emergency" is going on unless it's right there in their neighborhood? Never.

"People are massacred 50 miles away". Reaction: "sucks to be them. Hey, someone pass me a beer".
You are absolutely correct on this one.


The news reports while Ben is boarding things up (right around when he finds the rifle). The radio reporter talks about "Friday" when some "family of seven" got munched on or whatever. Can't remember the exact words.

Since the film is established as taking place on Sunday, and things began Friday, the film is during the 3rd day.
I see. Well, although then the events may actually occur on Day 3, I submit that the newscasts come across that they are just now (on Sunday) realizing that the dead are rising, so it is a de facto Day 1, if not an actual one.

[DubiousComforts]

Third day of the crisis? What leads you to this conclusion?
While Ben is searching the closet, the radio announcer mentions that the crisis began with a report of a family of seven being murdered in Gulfport, Louisiana two days earlier.


Johnny said it took 3 hours, not 3 days to get there! :)
I wasn't saying that it took three days for them to drive to the cemetery by mentioning the start of the crisis. The phenomenon is reported to have originated in the southeast, spreading outward exponentially. It took a couple of days to affect the western Pennsylvania area, and for the news reports to go national. Johnny and Barbara left for the cemetery in the afternoon of the third day, still unaware of the situation.

Based on this, one of the bigger continuity errors is how the posse would have been mobilized so quickly. Since the posse news footage is said to have been filmed in Butler County earlier in the day, the search-and-destroy operation would have had to have been in effect since the early morning, well before Johnny and Barbara embarked on their trek.

Actually, the film's greatest continuity error is Johnny mentioning the three-hour drive from Pittsburgh even though they're still obviously in western PA based on the list of local rescue stations. The only direction one can drive for three hours and still remain in Pittsburgh would be east.

[SRP76]

Actually, the film's greatest continuity error is Johnny mentioning the three-hour drive from Pittsburgh even though they're still obviously in western PA based on the list of local rescue stations. The only direction one can drive for three hours and still remain in Pittsburgh would be east.

They could have been facing a three-hour drive. They likely weren't on open road in a straight line, and probably had to go through Pittsburgh itself before even beginning the "real" journey.

This also points to things perhaps beginning: the journey may have been slowed due to increased traffic, and detouring in some populated areas. They wouldn't know it was due to zombies at the time, but things like that would be likely to happen in the early stages.

[FoodFight]

Actually, the film's greatest continuity error is Johnny mentioning the three-hour drive from Pittsburgh even though they're still obviously in western PA based on the list of local rescue stations. The only direction one can drive for three hours and still remain in Pittsburgh would be east.

Actually their mother must live in the vicinity of Pittsburg, which would make moving the grave beneficial for her to visit. Presumably Johnny and Barbara live elsewhere, not with their mother, within a 200 mile radius of the cemetary in any given direction.

[sandrock74]

This also points to things perhaps beginning: the journey may have been slowed due to increased traffic, and detouring in some populated areas. They wouldn't know it was due to zombies at the time, but things like that would be likely to happen in the early stages.

That's a great point! In the begining, people would probably notice strange things like traffic snarls and what not, but brush it off as soon as they get past it. Unless they see something graphic firsthand.

Initially, the whole thing would probably be recognized an nothing more than an annoyance.

[Trin]

Here's how it goes today.

Johnny - "What's going on with all these goths? Get out your cell and call the cops."
Barbara - "Oh, Johnny, I forgot I used it last night to talk to mom and now the battery is dead. I forgot to charge it last night even though I knew we were going to be driving today."
Johnny - "I don't know why you even have that stupid thing. You never have it in an emergency."
...Johnny pulls out his BlackBerry... goes into roaming...
"Aw, screw this. I'm not paying 40 cents a minute just cause of some punks pretending to be zombies."
...Johnny pulls out a magnum... blam, blam. Done.

[DrSiN]

Re: Cell phones. Typically in an major crisis, both cell and land lines become quickly overloaded. There are numerous examples of this happening in the real world. So it wouldn't matter if they had a cell or even access to the land lines. They would quickly become useless. Ditto for your data plan.

Re: The radio or TV. There are plenty of reasons why they might be coming back on the air. Maybe the station was attacked. Maybe there was a power error. Also, many of the "local" stations run on a loop where the show is prerecorded. For example, Clear Channel is somewhat automated. It would to totally possible to have a "normal" radio broadcast. BUT..

In a crisis like this, those systems would be quickly changed over to the emergency broadcast system. So it's best to just have them listening to a cd.

[Trin]

I imagine whipping out my cell phone and having that whole mass of Verizon guys show up behind me... except they're zombies.

[Albert Wesker]

I think it's very much in the realm of possibilities that it could become an epidemic.From a political standpoint left wingers running the country are sympathetic to rapists,child molesters,murderers and Muslim terrorists and would ignore the majority of the populations demand that the problem be dealt with.There would be a call for restraint and to recognize zombie rights,in which case it would lead to tighter gun control laws and the administration would push through bills making it a severe crime to kill zombies, even if a few of them were breaking in your house and attacking you and your family.This would let them slowly build up their numbers until it became a widespread problem and very difficult to deal with because citizens were denied their basic right to bear arms and defend themselves.

[EvilNed]

Another interesting "21st century twist" to the tale of zombie apocalypse is that, yes, perhaps we have alot of information at our hands, but we are also more dependant on a shitload more.

In the 60's food was produced locally to a greater degree. Today, almost everything is imported from another country. And for those imports to work, everything has to work smoothly. That truckdriver that was going to drive to your local food mart with the latest foodstuffs might have been bitten by a zombie and turned. And maybe his colleague decided to go home and check on his family rather than doing his work. There'd be a lot of stuff like that going on. Supplies would, within days, stop being delivered to our stores. Our food would run out much quicker than it would 40 years ago.

[DubiousComforts]

Actually their mother must live in the vicinity of Pittsburg, which would make moving the grave beneficial for her to visit. Presumably Johnny and Barbara live elsewhere, not with their mother, within a 200 mile radius of the cemetary in any given direction.
We know their mother lives in Pittsburgh (or nearby) because Johnny says "we'll either have to move Mother out here or move the grave into Pittsburgh." We also know that the cemetery is a three-hour drive (approximately 200 miles) from where Mother lives because that's how long Johnny states the trip will take ("six hours back and forth") and Barbara notes "she can't make a trip like this."

So if Mother lives in Pittsburgh and can't make the three-hour drive to the cemetery which we know to be somewhere in the PA boonies, then it must be located west. PA is only 300 mlies across. If the cemetery is supposed to be north of Pittsburgh (in Evans City where it is really located), it would take less than 45 minutes to get there--a trip which even invalid Mother could make.

I believe the film is suggesting that Johnny and Barbara grew up in the country (somewhere around the area where the cemetery is located because they played there as kids) and relocated to the city as adults (Pittsburgh). Pop died when they were young, so he's buried out in the country. Mom later became ill after they'd left the nest and so she's moved in with (or near to) her adult children.

The only reason there is a continuity error at all is because the filmmakers listed real western PA towns for the rescue stations seen on the local TV broadcasts, figuring that this might help attract locals to the theater for a homegrown film. The actual script states they were driving to Parkville, which is well over 3 hours from Pittsburgh, but it makes a lot more sense.

[deadpunk]

Re: The radio or TV. There are plenty of reasons why they might be coming back on the air. Maybe the station was attacked. Maybe there was a power error. Also, many of the "local" stations run on a loop where the show is prerecorded. For example, Clear Channel is somewhat automated. It would to totally possible to have a "normal" radio broadcast. BUT..


In Evans City, a person can receive the following on their radio (FM band):

WDVE, a classic rock station (Or as I like to call it, W-OPLZ...We only play Led Zeppelin)
The Pickle (I think its called), an oldies station
Wish 99.7, a soft rock station
And 3 Country Stations that are all identical because they are Clear Channel Stations.
And a variety of those shitty stations way down the band that all sound like karaoke night in Mexico.

I'd wager that Johnny would be listening to either the soft rock or the oldies station, and I can tell you (because my father-in-law works for Wish and because my wife loves the oldies) that neither of those stations are known for their updates of important information.

And lets face it...when I hear that emergency broadcast signal, I always assume its a test and start scanning the stations for music. Who doesn't?



We know their mother lives in Pittsburgh (or nearby) because Johnny says "we'll either have to move Mother out here or move the grave into Pittsburgh." We also know that the cemetery is a three-hour drive (approximately 200 miles) from where Mother lives because that's how long Johnny states the trip will take ("six hours back and forth") and Barbara notes "she can't make a trip like this."

So if Mother lives in Pittsburgh and can't make the three-hour drive to the cemetery which we know to be somewhere in the PA boonies, then it must be located west. PA is only 300 mlies across. If the cemetery is supposed to be north of Pittsburgh (in Evans City where it is really located), it would take less than 45 minutes to get there--a trip which even invalid Mother could make.

I believe the film is suggesting that Johnny and Barbara grew up in the country (somewhere around the area where the cemetery is located because they played there as kids) and relocated to the city as adults (Pittsburgh). Pop died when they were young, so he's buried out in the country. Mom later became ill after they'd left the nest and so she's moved in with (or near to) her adult children.

The only reason there is a continuity error at all is because the filmmakers listed real western PA towns for the rescue stations seen on the local TV broadcasts, figuring that this might help attract locals to the theater for a homegrown film. The actual script states they were driving to Parkville, which is well over 3 hours from Pittsburgh, but it makes a lot more sense.

:lol::lol::lol: I never caught that! Man, you could drive to Erie from Evans City in about 3 hours! Pittsburgh is more like an hour +, though. 79 being the major route between the two, which is hard to get to in Evans City and almost always under construction.

[FoodFight]

The only reason there is a continuity error at all is because the filmmakers listed real western PA towns for the rescue stations seen on the local TV broadcasts, figuring that this might help attract locals to the theater for a homegrown film. The actual script states they were driving to Parkville, which is well over 3 hours from Pittsburgh, but it makes a lot more sense.

Still, no. Although the script is explicit, and the movie implies it, there is nothing in the movie to prove that Johnny and Barbara are making the trip from Pittsburg.


We know their mother lives in Pittsburgh (or nearby) because Johnny says "we'll either have to move Mother out here or move the grave into Pittsburgh." We also know that the cemetery is a three-hour drive (approximately 200 miles) from where Mother lives because that's how long Johnny states the trip will take ("six hours back and forth") and Barbara notes "she can't make a trip like this."


The assumption there being that Pittsburg is home. As I stated, Johnny and Barbara could live anywhere in said 200-mile radius from the cemetary and the mother could live in Pittsburg and both conditions would still be met.

[JDFP]

And lets face it...when I hear that emergency broadcast signal, I always assume its a test and start scanning the stations for music. Who doesn't?


Call me paranoid, but every time I hear that beeping/buzzing for the Emergency Broadcasting Station, it always freaks me out. I just have that inkling in the back of my mind that: "Oh God, what if it is real this time!!!???"

Anyway, couple of quick conclusions. My thoughts on "NOTLD" are this: If the film were to happen today, present day, and start off the same way with Johnny and Barbara could things take place the same way where they reach the cemetery? Yes. I think that there is a greater chance with contemporary technology (radio, cell, etc.) that they could have found out "something" was wrong before ever reaching the cemetery, this doesn't mean they would, but could find out that "something" (mis-information probably running rampant) was going wrong out there in the world. And, if they did find out -- would it have any impact on their decision in visiting the cemetery before stopping somewhere? Possibly. The catch is, we'll never know for sure :) (unless some film-maker comes along and decides to butcher "NOTLD" with a senseless stupid re-make, which is probably more likely than not all in good time).

I always find it interesting to look back at older films and imagine how different the events of the film may have come to pass in a more contemporary time. Hypothetical fiction, it's fun to think about sometimes: What if Lee's Army of Northern Virginia had won against the Yankees in ther War of Northern Aggression at Gettysburg? What if JFK had not been shot, or shot but not killed? What if Nixon had not been impeached? It's these type of hypotheticals, inside and outside of reality, that are fun to discuss and consider. It's part of the reason I enjoy this board so much, we can all consider different paths/ways that Romero's films could have "unfolded" if set in today's time and age instead of 40 or 30 or even 25 years ago. Man, can you believe it's been 25 years since "Day" was made?

j.p.

[sandrock74]

Call me paranoid, but every time I hear that beeping/buzzing for the Emergency Broadcasting Station, it always freaks me out. I just have that inkling in the back of my mind that: "Oh God, what if it is real this time!!!???"



Me too! Good to know I'm not alone.

[Trin]

I think that driving with Barbra and her 70 year old mom could take 3 hours just to get across town. And by the third time they turned around to go get something they forgot or had to use the bathroom Johnny would be adding to the ranks of the dead through self-inflicted wounds.

[Wyldwraith]

Actually,
I believe that services like YouTube might dramatically decrease the interval until at least a portion of the Gen-X/Ys were aware something was very, VERY wrong. I mean, most of us have learned to distinguish between manipulated and legit images for one thing, and "actors" on YouTube are never what you'd call first-rate. I believe if I saw a 3 minute video of someone being torn apart, or people being pursued by undead with terrified looks on their faces that my Inner Bullshit Detector would declare the video legit.

Now, I don't discount the inherent bias we deadheads possess. I'm just saying that people going about their business online, who are still in safe areas might develop a feeling that something had gone 9/11-level wrong between the confused snippets of info on TV news reports and what would be flooding onto YouTube, Photobucket etc.

Most people who make YouTube videos dont have the resources to make someone we just saw moving about convincingly alive-wise a few moments ago look like they were just torn limb from limb by half a dozen ghouls, some of whom would be sporting non-fakeable wounds like their entire abdominal cavity having been emptied.

If you saw that, combined with reports of exponentially spreading mass-murders, and speculation on FOX News that terrorists had released a chemical agent thats making people behave like mad-dog psychos...wouldn't it at least make you take a few minutes to try and get more information?

Just me, as a general rule whenever I see a news story on TV that catches my interest I tend to go explore the issue on Wikipedia, because TV news reports are always bare-bones accounts of the issue. That's just one example of the tech interconnectedness the OP was talking about.

As for the original scenario, I think it would still hold water, but only because of the ass-end-of-nowhere Barbara and her bro were driving through...

Just some thoughts.

[sandrock74]

"explore the issue on Wikipedia"? :eek:

[JDFP]

"explore the issue on Wikipedia"? :eek:

You mean to tell me that Wikipedia isn't the ex cathedra truth on anything to do with everything in existence? :stunned:

j.p.

[Debbieangel]

You know what would cut the bullshit o meter for me?
I have family that work at our local hospital and believe me if my hubby came running home in the middle of his shift or calling me on the phone saying..."Deb, your zombie movies came alive...I had to go help take a body down to the morgue and the thing jumped up off the gurney!"
That would be getting me in surviving mode, I would be boarding up the house before my hubby got home. Plus calling my family warning the ones that were just pondering on what was going on.
All the while shaking like a leaf wanting to hide in a corner.lol
Plus, checking HPotd cause for at first I would be shitting myself hoping you guys were here to confirm the obvious, that I wasn't in my worst nightmare dreaming.
We speak in general of how things would go down, but, personally, wouldn't we all be having a heartattack if this would really happen. We all love discussing zombies for sure but, if it were to really happen what would we do?
We like to think we would be rational and be able to handle it all coming down, but, I got to thinking even one person turned into a zombie fighting that thing would be well, so, surreal. Do you know what I mean?
Fighting one and keeping myself safe from becoming one well, heck, you would have to preserve yourself in plastic wrap.
Ok, I am rambling but, I hope you get what I am saying.

[strayrider]

Plus, checking HPotd cause for at first I would be shitting myself hoping you guys were here to confirm the obvious, that I wasn't in my worst nightmare dreaming.

Nothing going on here, Deb. It's all a hoax. Hold on, some dipstick is pounding on my front door.

BRB

...

:D

-stray-

[sandrock74]

Nothing going on here, Deb. It's all a hoax. Hold on, some dipstick is pounding on my front door.

BRB

...

:D

-stray-

He was never heard from again. :confused:

[Skippy911sc]

I imagine whipping out my cell phone and having that whole mass of Verizon guys show up behind me... except they're zombies.

:lol:

I lived in the suburbs of Chicago for most of my life and would have come to the conclusion that there is no way NOTLD could happen in today's time, however a few years back I moved to the country. Now my perspective is different. I have, on several occasions, lost my cell signal for a whole weekend (tower went down). The radio station here often goes black in the middle of the broadcast... it eventually comes back. During a long road trip it is unlikely I listen to the radio (I do not have Sat. Radio) I rather enjoy talking to my friends or family. Around here I can drive 50 miles and lose my cell signal multiple times. I must admit that it took me a LONG time to get used to this and I did find it very frustrating but it is the way it is. We have lost power for 4 full days in the middle of winter... The electric coop's response deal with it. If there is a storm coming I prepare myself for the possibility of being unable to leave the property for an extended period of time, and it is not unusual, during the summer time, for me to not leave my property for almost a week (I work from home). I have satellite tv, both cell and hard-line phone, little to no radio reception and it is the life I have gotten used to. I say it IS possible for NOTLD to occur in this day and age.

[hadrian0117]

I don't see any reason why Johnny and Barbara would be any more informed now. Just have them not listen to the radio. They could be listening to a CD or more likely their own iPods. Johnny would be driving, Barbara could just be reading or napping. They both turned their cellphones off because Mother has a tendency to keep calling to "check up on them" and see if they're there yet. So they reach the cemetary notice a confused old man or a drunk guy stumbling around. Johnny still get's attacked and killed. Barbara flees to the car and trys to escape (even if she does get her phone out to call 911 she drops while being chased by a zombie).

So she makes it to the farmhouse, meets up with Ben, etc. The landline's dead. Her phone's gone, maybe Ben's is too. Maybe house is just in a blind spot and get's shitty reception. Tom, Judy, & the Coopers eventually come upstairs and maybe they are better informed, but still have no way of calling for help (no reception). They could even end up less informed nowdays. Wasn't the farmhouse owned by Tom's elderly uncle? Maybe Tom's uncle was to cheap to get cable and never bothered buying a new TV or digital converter so the TV became usless for watching anything other than DVDs (or VHS). So they only have radio. Oh, and maybe for the scene where Zombie Johnny is coming after Barbara is cellphone got turned back on for some reason and it's ringing cause Mother is trying to call him.;)

[Debbieangel]

Nothing going on here, Deb. It's all a hoax. Hold on, some dipstick is pounding on my front door.

BRB

...

:D

-stray-


He was never heard from again. :confused:


woah...STRAY....STRAY....I hollar again STRAY...yep he is gone!

[DubiousComforts]

Oh.... yoooooouuuu! :D


Still, no. Although the script is explicit, and the movie implies it, there is nothing in the movie to prove that Johnny and Barbara are making the trip from Pittsburg.
Yes, there is.

First, Johnny mentions moving Mother "out here" (near the cemetery) or "the grave into Pittsburgh." Hence, Mother lives in Pittsburgh or the surrounding area or else there would be no reason to move Father's grave there.,

Next, Johnny says "we trot two hundred miles into the country and she (Mother) stays at home." By complaining about the long drive into the boonies, Johnny obviously lives in the city which means either Pittsburgh or Philadelphia.


The assumption there being that Pittsburg is home. As I stated, Johnny and Barbara could live anywhere in said 200-mile radius from the cemetary and the mother could live in Pittsburg and both conditions would still be met.
I think we can at least agree that Johnny and Barbara live near each other since they're driving in the same car. A 200-mile radius is not possible just "anywhere" in PA. You're either driving west to east or east to west in order to cover that amount of territory. Even Pittsburgh to Erie (south to north) is only 120 miles.

Since it's established that 1.) Mother lives in Pittsburgh, 2.) Johnny and Barbara live near each other and 3.) the grave is too freakin' far away for Mother to make the trip, then Johnny and Barbara live near or with their mother in Pittsburgh. Otherwise, Mother would have to live as far away from her dumb kids as apparently she is from Dad's dumb grave and the state of PA just ain't that big.

This thread has possibilities of attaining lasting greatness.

[FoodFight]

Wow, you've got all the tools at your disposal and you still aren't connecting the dots.


First, Johnny mentions moving Mother "out here" (near the cemetery) or "the grave into Pittsburgh." Hence, Mother lives in Pittsburgh or the surrounding area or else there would be no reason to move Father's grave there.,

I never argued against that point. It's part of the movie, after all.


Next, Johnny says "we trot two hundred miles into the country and she (Mother) stays at home." By complaining about the long drive into the boonies, Johnny obviously lives in the city which means either Pittsburgh or Philadelphia

Wrong. It means that he has travelled 200 miles and that his mother did not have to make a similar journey. Note that it is a similar journey and not necessarily an accompanied journey.


think we can at least agree that Johnny and Barbara live near each other since they're driving in the same car. A 200-mile radius is not possible just "anywhere" in PA. You're either driving west to east or east to west in order to cover that amount of territory. Even Pittsburgh to Erie (south to north) is only 120 miles.

Here you're making the unsupported assumption that their journey originated in Pennsylvania. As I stated, it could have originated anywhere in a 200-mile radius. Even outside of Pennsylvania. There are contiguous states.


Since it's established that 1.) Mother lives in Pittsburgh, 2.) Johnny and Barbara live near each other and 3.) the grave is too freakin' far away for Mother to make the trip, then Johnny and Barbara live near or with their mother in Pittsburgh. Otherwise, Mother would have to live as far away from her dumb kids as apparently she is from Dad's dumb grave and the state of PA just ain't that big.

Your point 3 is still an assumption, not an established fact that Johnny and Babs live in Pittsburgh.

As I have stated before, I believe that the kids live in the vicinity of their mom, but the movie data is so thin, that it doesn't support that as being fact. Especially when you introduce the idea that the trip would have to be contained within the state boundaries of PA, which is a flight of fancy.

[Epidemic79]

It would happen just fine.

There would be plenty of warning signs, but most people would ignore them. The few zombie-savvy types in the world are a tiny, tiny minority. Something that sends up red flags for we deadheads on this site wouldn't even register to the common Joe.

Most peeps would simply blow off any early warnings anyway. Especially in this day and age when the Zombie gimmick is so big rite now. Undead flicks being the most popular now since the 80s. Even with your buddies/family/co-workers were calling,texting,or emailing you about abnormal activity in their vicinty or in your neigborhood. Most will not likely buy into this easy.

And now,post 9-11,if announcemnts for a true national emergency did go out,the number 1 thing the average person is gonna be thinking about is Terrorists,not Walking Dead.

Hell,knowing me,a zombie buff,I doubt any of my friends would even believe me is I started going off about the Dead Rising!

As for my personal self,first of all I barely even watch the news anymore. I gave up on that years ago. I listen to way more radio these days,and when I'm listening to the radio,or watching TV,the last thing I want to sit thru is commercials or people blabbing about crap! So I turn the station.

I do have a cell phone w/out internet connection. (Why pay extra for something Im not gonna use or need) And my only internet access is thru my work computer.

So if something like this did begin,even tho I live in a city,it may be a while before Im actually aware! Not to mention that I do go on forays into the country several times a year,further cutting myself off from the world......Crap,maybe I am actually wanting this to happen-lol

[childofgilead]

But you're overlooking a huge issue..in NOTLD this was unprecedented, there were no zombie movies to glean knowledge from, there was no basis for them to form ideas on what was happening.

In the context of what was asked, if the NOTLD situation could occur in modern times as it did in the original, throw out any and all undead type movies that we've seen in the past 40+ years.

If we act from a position of no knowledge, I guarantee that the first time someone heard information on the radio about mass murders, terrorism would be the first assumption that most would make.

Then, people would begin to congregate in front of televisions and computer screens, probably calling (or trying to call) friends and loved ones, trying to get more information.

Depending on location, it would get just as bad just as fast, at least up until the word started to spread that it wasn't terrorists, and just every damn body who died that was causing the mayhem, but I still think you'd get alot of faces talking on television wondering if this was some sort of terrorist action aimed at causing confusion, or if they found some sort of drug that made people wig out.

I think that this would be a very interesting scenario to explore on a sociological level, just as the original films were.

[Wooley]

Oh, and maybe for the scene where Zombie Johnny is coming after Barbara is cellphone got turned back on for some reason and it's ringing cause Mother is trying to call him.;)

That would make a cool scene. Or from Night '90 have the militia guys answer Johnny's phone while he's lying there with his de-animated zombie pals in the bed of the pickup.

Militia guy-"Hello?"
Mom-"Hello? Who's this?"
MG-"Bob."
M-"Bob? Where's Johnny? Where's Barbara?"
MG-"Johnny? Dorky looking guy, fruity driving gloves, suit?"
M-"Yes, where is he?!"
MG-"Sorry lady. I blew his head off a few hours back. Johnnykins was a zombie, you know."

[Publius]

xkcd's perspective:

Outbreak (http://xkcd.com/734/)