The living dead before Night

[triste realtà]

List dead movies before 68. (Really I'm just saying I like Ed Cahn movies.) Invisible Invaders trailer: Invisible aliens inhabit dead bodies. And Zombies of Moro Tau which they showed on TMC underground Friday. I haven't watched all of it yet but it looks good. It's about voodoo risen zombies. Both movies are b/w.

[capncnut]

DAAAAAAAMMMMMMNNNNN!!!! I have been after this movie for the last few days since the Book of the Dead listed it as a must see. Thanks for posting this man!

[triste realtà]

Well, that sucks. I just checked and it's not in print anymore (although you could probably find it after some searching). I got it a year or 2 ago on the MGM Midnite Movies double features disc and wouldn't have known about it if it wasn't for TNT's 100% Weird that came on after Joe Bob Brigg's Monstervision. It's relatively short like all the Cahn movies I've seen, 1 hr 8 min I think. Zombies of Mora Tau isn't on DVD yet (gonna have to record to DVDr) but even though they're voodoo zombies, they swim and aren't natives. I find the native voodoo zombie movies boring. Other movies I think that would be listed here, but I haven't seen yet: Planet of the Vampires(or whatever that Mario Bava movie is) Astrozombies (I have no idea what this is like, have to go watch the trailer) You know I should just go find the chronological list of zombie movies and post the link.

[capncnut]

Astrozombies (I have no idea what this is like, have to go watch the trailer) Oh, it's great! Actually it's crap but VERY watchable crap. The zombies have a heartbeat and it works to creepy effect when you see a terrified woman onscreen and then suddenly hear the slow heartbeat coming closer. If you can find it, you should definitely check it out. You know I should just go find the chronological list of zombie movies and post the link. Well here's the complete list from 1932-2004.

[triste realtà]

Well that explains those Misfits lyrics about the heart pounding. Those zombies in the Mora Tau movie were hilarious. You couldn't do anything to them, they were like stone and super strong but afraid of fire. There was a hilarious scene where a girl became a zombie, came after a dude, he threw a silver candle holder at her, nailed her in the forehead and she didn't even flinch.

[C5NOTLD]

This surprised me. If you haven't seen a movie called THE KILLER SHREWS (1959) starring James Best (Yes - the James Best from the original Dukes of Hazzard tv series) search the film out. Just saw it and there are some strong ties between this movie and NOTLD made about 9 yrs later. In The Killer Shrews, a group of people are held up in a house that is being attacked (in NOTLD by zombies, in this movie by giant shrews). At one point, James Best's character runs down to the ocean where his boat is - the music playing is none other than one of the Capitol music tracks from NOTLD. In fact the whole movie has tracks from the capitol library so it is interesting to listen to as probably some of these selections were considered and not used when NOTLD was being scored. Later the shrews (zombies) start to attack and break into the house. A Shrew bites one guy in the leg - Because of a poison in the shrews if you get bit or scratched you will die (Ben brought up Karen Cooper's bite about not knowing about the infection). But the incident in the film that really made me sit up and take notice - James Best's character is running back to the house with a rifle. Another character, who is whiney, gets inside first and closes/locks the large fence surrounding the house. As Best is being pursued by the shrews who close in - he shoots at them trying to hold them off and then he pounds on the fence to let him in. (Remember Ben pounding on the door since Harry Cooper locked it as the zombies close in). Best then climbs up and over the fence. Once on the other side - the whiney character starts to defend why he couldn't open the fence door and Best jumps on him - punching him during a short fight sequence. Guess what plays - the SAME Capitol music track from the NOTLD fight from when Ben is punching Harry Cooper. If you recall at the end of the NOTLD scene Ben says "I ought to drag you out and feed you to those things." In the Killer Shrews, at the end of the scene Best picks up the whiney guy and gets ready to dump him over the fence so the shrews can feed on him. Remember the same music track is playing.. I could almost hear the Duane Jones' line here - as if you dubbed it in to the Killer Shrews at this point, it would fit perfectly. The fact that the action/music match NOTLD's scene is very interesting. After the shrews attack, the people throw up a board across the window which they hammer/nail in. The group make a break for the boat while the whiney guy stands on the roof of the house insisting that "the house is the safest place". Ok it's not the basement, but still.. I have to think that Romero/Russo probably saw this film and took it as a influence as it obviously was a 1959 drive in picture. The similarities are really there.

[major jay]

Wow, that's a heck of a connection. Invisible Invaders has many of the same connections. The whiney guy arguing with the tough guy over how to deal with the living dead.

[triste realtà]

I saw Killer Shrews on TCM underground awhile back and probably made those connections but the music thing I didn't catch. I'll have to check it out again and record it if that's true. Yeah, Invisible Invaders does the same thing and Major Jay and the whiny guy get into a fight, too. I can hear the narrator's voice everytime I see your name and avatar major jay. That's John Agar's asking-a-question face.

[Yojimbo]

These films remind me of Plan 9 from outer space which also had an alien plan to take over earth by ressurecting the recently dead as their army. Isn't there usually a whiney idiot in all of these siege films?

[major jay]

Major Jay and the whiny guy get into a fight, too. Except in this fight I think major jay is the one who ends up on the floor. The library music from NOLTD is also used in the all time classic Teenagers From Outer Space. Unfortunatly there's no zombies in this movie. Just a lobster and some really old looking teenagers.

[C5NOTLD]

I found the clip of what I talk about below on youtube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PU43OtiVMdU About 2:40 into the clip is when the run back to the house begins and the whiney character shuts the door behind him - locking out the hero - and the fight (which is similar to Ben fighting Harry Cooper) happens around 3:20 with the same music as the fight in NOTLD. This surprised me. If you haven't seen a movie called THE KILLER SHREWS (1959) starring James Best (Yes - the James Best from the original Dukes of Hazzard tv series) search the film out. Just saw it and there are some strong ties between this movie and NOTLD made about 9 yrs later. In The Killer Shrews, a group of people are held up in a house that is being attacked (in NOTLD by zombies, in this movie by giant shrews). At one point, James Best's character runs down to the ocean where his boat is - the music playing is none other than one of the Capitol music tracks from NOTLD. In fact the whole movie has tracks from the capitol library so it is interesting to listen to as probably some of these selections were considered and not used when NOTLD was being scored. Later the shrews (zombies) start to attack and break into the house. A Shrew bites one guy in the leg - Because of a poison in the shrews if you get bit or scratched you will die (Ben brought up Karen Cooper's bite about not knowing about the infection). But the incident in the film that really made me sit up and take notice - James Best's character is running back to the house with a rifle. Another character, who is whiney, gets inside first and closes/locks the large fence surrounding the house. As Best is being pursued by the shrews who close in - he shoots at them trying to hold them off and then he pounds on the fence to let him in. (Remember Ben pounding on the door since Harry Cooper locked it as the zombies close in). Best then climbs up and over the fence. Once on the other side - the whiney character starts to defend why he couldn't open the fence door and Best jumps on him - punching him during a short fight sequence. Guess what plays - the SAME Capitol music track from the NOTLD fight from when Ben is punching Harry Cooper. If you recall at the end of the NOTLD scene Ben says "I ought to drag you out and feed you to those things." In the Killer Shrews, at the end of the scene Best picks up the whiney guy and gets ready to dump him over the fence so the shrews can feed on him. Remember the same music track is playing.. I could almost hear the Duane Jones' line here - as if you dubbed it in to the Killer Shrews at this point, it would fit perfectly. The fact that the action/music match NOTLD's scene is very interesting. After the shrews attack, the people throw up a board across the window which they hammer/nail in. The group make a break for the boat while the whiney guy stands on the roof of the house insisting that "the house is the safest place". Ok it's not the basement, but still.. I have to think that Romero/Russo probably saw this film and took it as a influence as it obviously was a 1959 drive in picture. The similarities are really there.

[C5NOTLD]

I found the clip of what I talk about below on youtube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PU43OtiVMdU About 2:40 into the clip is when the run back to the house begins and the whiney character shuts the door behind him - locking out the hero - and the fight (which is similar to Ben fighting Harry Cooper) happens around 3:20 with the same music as the fight in NOTLD. This surprised me. If you haven't seen a movie called THE KILLER SHREWS (1959) starring James Best (Yes - the James Best from the original Dukes of Hazzard tv series) search the film out. Just saw it and there are some strong ties between this movie and NOTLD made about 9 yrs later. In The Killer Shrews, a group of people are held up in a house that is being attacked (in NOTLD by zombies, in this movie by giant shrews). At one point, James Best's character runs down to the ocean where his boat is - the music playing is none other than one of the Capitol music tracks from NOTLD. In fact the whole movie has tracks from the capitol library so it is interesting to listen to as probably some of these selections were considered and not used when NOTLD was being scored. Later the shrews (zombies) start to attack and break into the house. A Shrew bites one guy in the leg - Because of a poison in the shrews if you get bit or scratched you will die (Ben brought up Karen Cooper's bite about not knowing about the infection). But the incident in the film that really made me sit up and take notice - James Best's character is running back to the house with a rifle. Another character, who is whiney, gets inside first and closes/locks the large fence surrounding the house. As Best is being pursued by the shrews who close in - he shoots at them trying to hold them off and then he pounds on the fence to let him in. (Remember Ben pounding on the door since Harry Cooper locked it as the zombies close in). Best then climbs up and over the fence. Once on the other side - the whiney character starts to defend why he couldn't open the fence door and Best jumps on him - punching him during a short fight sequence. Guess what plays - the SAME Capitol music track from the NOTLD fight from when Ben is punching Harry Cooper. If you recall at the end of the NOTLD scene Ben says "I ought to drag you out and feed you to those things." In the Killer Shrews, at the end of the scene Best picks up the whiney guy and gets ready to dump him over the fence so the shrews can feed on him. Remember the same music track is playing.. I could almost hear the Duane Jones' line here - as if you dubbed it in to the Killer Shrews at this point, it would fit perfectly. The fact that the action/music match NOTLD's scene is very interesting. After the shrews attack, the people throw up a board across the window which they hammer/nail in. The group make a break for the boat while the whiney guy stands on the roof of the house insisting that "the house is the safest place". Ok it's not the basement, but still.. I have to think that Romero/Russo probably saw this film and took it as a influence as it obviously was a 1959 drive in picture. The similarities are really there.

[C5NOTLD]

I found the clip of what I talk about below on youtube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PU43OtiVMdU About 2:40 into the clip is when the run back to the house begins and the whiney character shuts the door behind him - locking out the hero - and the fight (which is similar to Ben fighting Harry Cooper) happens around 3:20 with the same music as the fight in NOTLD. This surprised me. If you haven't seen a movie called THE KILLER SHREWS (1959) starring James Best (Yes - the James Best from the original Dukes of Hazzard tv series) search the film out. Just saw it and there are some strong ties between this movie and NOTLD made about 9 yrs later. In The Killer Shrews, a group of people are held up in a house that is being attacked (in NOTLD by zombies, in this movie by giant shrews). At one point, James Best's character runs down to the ocean where his boat is - the music playing is none other than one of the Capitol music tracks from NOTLD. In fact the whole movie has tracks from the capitol library so it is interesting to listen to as probably some of these selections were considered and not used when NOTLD was being scored. Later the shrews (zombies) start to attack and break into the house. A Shrew bites one guy in the leg - Because of a poison in the shrews if you get bit or scratched you will die (Ben brought up Karen Cooper's bite about not knowing about the infection). But the incident in the film that really made me sit up and take notice - James Best's character is running back to the house with a rifle. Another character, who is whiney, gets inside first and closes/locks the large fence surrounding the house. As Best is being pursued by the shrews who close in - he shoots at them trying to hold them off and then he pounds on the fence to let him in. (Remember Ben pounding on the door since Harry Cooper locked it as the zombies close in). Best then climbs up and over the fence. Once on the other side - the whiney character starts to defend why he couldn't open the fence door and Best jumps on him - punching him during a short fight sequence. Guess what plays - the SAME Capitol music track from the NOTLD fight from when Ben is punching Harry Cooper. If you recall at the end of the NOTLD scene Ben says "I ought to drag you out and feed you to those things." In the Killer Shrews, at the end of the scene Best picks up the whiney guy and gets ready to dump him over the fence so the shrews can feed on him. Remember the same music track is playing.. I could almost hear the Duane Jones' line here - as if you dubbed it in to the Killer Shrews at this point, it would fit perfectly. The fact that the action/music match NOTLD's scene is very interesting. After the shrews attack, the people throw up a board across the window which they hammer/nail in. The group make a break for the boat while the whiney guy stands on the roof of the house insisting that "the house is the safest place". Ok it's not the basement, but still.. I have to think that Romero/Russo probably saw this film and took it as a influence as it obviously was a 1959 drive in picture. The similarities are really there.

[C5NOTLD]

found it on youtube - Here is that scene from The Killer Shrews I was talking about below. It starts around 2:20 into the clip. The fight like Ben Vs. Harry Cooper with NOTLD music happens around 3:20 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PU43OtiVMdU This surprised me. If you haven't seen a movie called THE KILLER SHREWS (1959) starring James Best (Yes - the James Best from the original Dukes of Hazzard tv series) search the film out. Just saw it and there are some strong ties between this movie and NOTLD made about 9 yrs later. In The Killer Shrews, a group of people are held up in a house that is being attacked (in NOTLD by zombies, in this movie by giant shrews). At one point, James Best's character runs down to the ocean where his boat is - the music playing is none other than one of the Capitol music tracks from NOTLD. In fact the whole movie has tracks from the capitol library so it is interesting to listen to as probably some of these selections were considered and not used when NOTLD was being scored. Later the shrews (zombies) start to attack and break into the house. A Shrew bites one guy in the leg - Because of a poison in the shrews if you get bit or scratched you will die (Ben brought up Karen Cooper's bite about not knowing about the infection). But the incident in the film that really made me sit up and take notice - James Best's character is running back to the house with a rifle. Another character, who is whiney, gets inside first and closes/locks the large fence surrounding the house. As Best is being pursued by the shrews who close in - he shoots at them trying to hold them off and then he pounds on the fence to let him in. (Remember Ben pounding on the door since Harry Cooper locked it as the zombies close in). Best then climbs up and over the fence. Once on the other side - the whiney character starts to defend why he couldn't open the fence door and Best jumps on him - punching him during a short fight sequence. Guess what plays - the SAME Capitol music track from the NOTLD fight from when Ben is punching Harry Cooper. If you recall at the end of the NOTLD scene Ben says "I ought to drag you out and feed you to those things." In the Killer Shrews, at the end of the scene Best picks up the whiney guy and gets ready to dump him over the fence so the shrews can feed on him. Remember the same music track is playing.. I could almost hear the Duane Jones' line here - as if you dubbed it in to the Killer Shrews at this point, it would fit perfectly. The fact that the action/music match NOTLD's scene is very interesting. After the shrews attack, the people throw up a board across the window which they hammer/nail in. The group make a break for the boat while the whiney guy stands on the roof of the house insisting that "the house is the safest place". Ok it's not the basement, but still.. I have to think that Romero/Russo probably saw this film and took it as a influence as it obviously was a 1959 drive in picture. The similarities are really there.

[triste realtà]

I found that I hadn't taped over this movie yet so I watched it again to see if you were right and not only were you right about that but they used another Night cue when Jerry and the Captain go to the beach the day after to see about getting to the boat. The cue when Barb is being chased away from the cemetery by Bill Hinzman plays! Now, the music doesn't sound like it's the exact same recording, it sounds a little faster, but it's definitely the same songs. I could be wrong, though, it could be the same but slowed down a tad for Night. EDIT: I just reread your post and you mention the other cue. Woops. I think I missed this when I first watched it and how the **** did that happen? Wait, wait, wait... you're telling me that's Roscoe P. Coltraine? edit 3: from imdb trivia: The music used in the film was from a Capitol/EMI Records Hi-Q stock music library, on which the copyright was in the public domain, and cost the filmmakers $1500. It was originally used in Teenagers from Outer Space (1959). Uses the same music as The Killer Shrews (1959)