At Anorak: "They're Dead. They're All Messed Up,"My Look Back at Night of the Living Dead (1968)

I'm pleased as punch to have a new film/TV/nostalgia writing gig (twice a week) over at Anorak, and my first work has just been posted this afternoon  

It's called "They're Dead. They're All Messed Up" - How George Romero's Night of the Living Dead Recreates the Unrest of 1968," and it is timed to celebrate the return of The Walking Dead, Season 4.   Basically, it's a review of Night, taking into account, primarily, the historical context in America.

Here's a brief snippet: 

"THE AMC original TV series Mad Men (2007 – ) set its latest season against a disquieting historical backdrop: the turbulent events of the year 1968.

Specifically, Matthew Weiner’s award-winning period drama book-ended the season with allusions to two classic genre films from that year: Franklin Schaffner’s Planet of the Apes and Roman Polanski’s Rosemary’s Baby.

Both are excellent selections that showcase, respectively, global and spiritual apocalypse.

Yet there is another film — one released on October 1^st, 1968 — that also represents perfectly the turmoil of America during that season: George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead...."

I hope you'll read the rest of the article, and leave a comment on Anorak.  I'll keep you up to date here as other JKM reviews pop up there as well...