Night of the Animated Dead (2021) Review

Night of the Living Dead is one of the greatest horror films ever made. George A. Romero’s black and white chiller from 1968 still defines zombies to this day and is as stark and shocking as it ever was due to the brilliant direction, socially charged script and non stop horror.

Since the film shambled onto cinema screens and scared the life out of audiences across the world its influence can be seen in every zombie that has appeared on film and TV making it a massively important horror movie. Creating a blueprint for the modern zombie along with setting all the rules and conventions of the entire genre for decades to come, Night of the Living Dead not only spawned the rest of Romero’s remarkable ‘Dead’ films but also created a huge legacy.

Considering its impact it is no wonder then that a slew of revisions and remakes have emerged over the years including a colorised version in 1986 with green skinned ghouls, a modified version in 1999 from co-writer John A. Russo with additional scenes and a new soundtrack and remakes from Tom Savini in 1990 made with Romero’s blessing and a 3-D remake in 2006 made without it.

Night of the Animated Dead is the latest take on Romero’s classic, directed by Jason Axinn whose low budget animated action horror To Your Last Death won awards and acclaim across audiences and festivals when it came out in 2019.
Surprisingly this is not the first animated version of the fantastic flesh eating film with 2009’s Night of the Living Dead: Reanimated taking an experimental and eclectic approach by gathering together various artists, animators and filmmakers from around the globe to remake the story using CGI, illustration, puppetry, acrylics, claymation and even tattoos among other media.

Far more conventional, Axinn’s version is a straight remake following the original script and hitting all the key scenes and iconic moments that fans will be more than familiar with from Barbara and Johnny’s visit to their fathers grave and initial encounter with a lone zombie to her escape to the abandoned farmhouse where she meets stranded stranger Ben as well as the other locals who have massed in amazement at the horrific and unbelievable events unfolding outside.

As Barbara loses her mind to despair at the worsening situation around them, Ben attempts to hold things together while constantly clashing with Harry Cooper whose wife and sick daughter are downstairs in the basement which he believes is the safest place to hide. Besieged by reanimated corpses hungry for human flesh the unconventional group must battle the hordes banging down their barricaded doors as well as their own fears and prejudices all of which rage on as the night progresses.

Gathering together a batch of brilliant voice actors Night of the Animated Dead sees Ginger Snaps, Hannibal and American Mary star Katharine Isabelle who is perfectly cast as Barbara bringing an unhinged terror to the character. Equally excellent is Josh Duhamel who was sensational as Harvey Dent and Two Face in Batman: The Long Halloween and is equally menacing here as Harry Cooper a man who truly believes he is doing the right thing to protect his family even if it means screwing over everyone else around him.

Most important of all is the amazing Dulé Hill from West Wing and Suits who brings a authoritative intensity to the role of Ben far removed from his comedic turn in shows like Psych. A truly iconic horror character first played to perfection by the late Duane Jones and then Tony Todd in the 90’s remake, Hill puts his own stamp on the role making the audience completely engage with the character right up to his unfortunate end which is still one of the most tragic deaths in cinema.

Although as mentioned the film follows its inspiration closely what is Interesting for fans is where and how Axinn’s decides to alter certain aspects of Romero’s movie all of which he does with the upmost respect. The biggest change is the animated inclusion of the Beckman’s Dinner scene which we only hear about from Ben in the 1968 version. Here Ben’s epic escape from a zombie gang mobbing a roadside burger joint is shown in all its explosive glory.

In fact a lot of the gore and nastiness has been amped up across the board in Night of the Animated Dead not only to sate the modern audiences horror expectations but also to offer something that perhaps could not be achieve given the limited budget and special make up and effects of the time. This includes new deaths for key characters some of which might just surprise die hard Night of the Living Dead aficionados but all of which stay true to the spirit and story of the original.

Another big change can be seen in Ben’s depressing demise which as mentioned is still as powerful and pointless as ever. Wanting to increase its impact Axinn stays with Ben’s body longer letting the futility of it sink in further and truly displaying the uncaring attitudes of the crews on zombie clean up duty who have completely removed all humanity from the monsters they absentmindedly eradicate.

Adding another layer to the faultless classic Night of the Animated Dead works as an entertaining companion piece to Romero’s timeless zombie masterpiece honouring its source material while innovating just enough to offer animation maniacs and zombie lovers alike something to get their decaying teeth into.

Night of the Animated Dead is out now on digital, Blu-ray and DVD.

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