Review of Day Of The Dead 2 Contagium

Introduction

The original "Day of the Dead" film by George A. Romero is said to be classic amongst horror film buffs. Made in 1985, it tells the story of a world taken over by the "living dead", with only a small group of uninfected military personnel and scientists left to save the human race. "Day of the Dead 2: Contagium" is purported to be both a prequel and a sequel to Romero`s original, the prequel portion coming at the beginning of the film, where in 1968 a virus sweeps through a military hospital. In the sequel section of the film, a group of people discover a Thermos flask by a ravine, and are curious as to what it contains…

Starring John Freedom Henry & Joseph Marino, "Day of the Dead 2: Contagium" was released in 2005.

Video

Video is presented in 1.78:1 anamorphic PAL is rather good, especially so when you place this film in comparison with some of its equally-low-budget predecessors.

The same cannot be said, however, for the poor gore effects that are prevalent throughout the film. I understand that the "living dead" must look somewhat grotesque, but in several instances here they are more ridiculous than intimidating. Furthermore, I haven`t seen such poor fake blood since Scorsese`s "Taxi Driver", released in 1976. And at least that had the excuse of being a notion of the censors.

Audio

Audio is presented in Dolby Digital 2.0 and is also of good quality. Dialogue is relatively clear, and whilst there is really only background music set against the action, there is still enough to happening to keep your subwoofer from being redundant.

Features

There are no extras whatsoever. Inexcusable, especially considering the American release contains an audio commentary.

Conclusion

If the original "Day of the Dead" is truly considered a horror classic, I certainly hope that no-one will purchase "Day of the Dead 2: Contagium" with the thought that George A. Romero had anything to do with this production.

Frankly, so poor is this effort that I was surprised that the DVD was given any acceptable transfer. If there is anything pleasing about this set, that is it. The acting is poor, the gore effects are often laughable, and the plot has simply been stolen from Romero`s genuinely good film only because the makers of this one own the rights to the original.

Die-hard fans of this genre may wish to take a look at this film, especially considering that it is available at an RRP of £12.99. With a true lack of invention or suspense, everyone else has been fore-warned.