Land of the Dead [2005]

Country of Origin: Canada / France / USA
Year of Production: 2004
Running Times: 93 mins
Format: colour     35mm
Ratio: 2.35:1
Sound: DTS     Dolby Digital     SDDS

SELECTED CREDITS

[Full Credits]

PRODUCTION
Production Companies: Laurel Group / Laurel Entertainment Inc / Atmosphere Entertainment Inc / Atmosphere Pictures / Romero-Grunwald Productions / Wild Bunch
Executive Producers: Steve Barnett, Dennis E. Jones, Ryan Kavanaugh, Lynwood Spinks
Producers: Mark Canton, Bernie Goldmann, Peter Grunwald
Co-Producer: Neil Canton
Associate Producers: Silenn Thomas, David Resnick

SCRIPT
Script: George A. Romero

DIRECTION
Director: George A. Romero
2nd Unit Director: Matt Birman

PHOTOGRAPHY
Director of Photography: Miroslaw Baszak
Additional Photography Directors of Photography: Mark Willis, J.P. Locherer

EDITING AND POST PRODUCTION
Editor: Michael Doherty

MUSIC
Music: Reinhold Heil, Johnny Klimek
Additional Music: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart [Requiem: Agnus Dei]; Antonio Hernández, Raul Chapa Elizalde, Mario Alvarado, Jorge Alejandro Campos, Daniel Del Río, Felipe Del Río, Sergio Arturo Valdez [En El Camino]

SOUND
Sound Designers: Sound Dogs Toronto
Production Sound Mixer: Robert Fletcher

MAKE UP AND COSTUMES
Key Make Up: Marysue Herron
Key Hair: Regan Noble
Costume Designer: Alex Kavanagh

SPECIAL MAKE UP EFFECTS
Special Make Up Effects: KNB EFX Group Inc
Special Make Up Effects / Gore Unit Supervisor: Greg Nicotero
Special Make Up Effects: Greg Nicotero, Howard Berger

SPECIAL EFFECTS
Special Effects Supervisor: Brock Jolliffe
Special Effects Crew: Mark Ahee, Sean Armstrong, Rob Crawford, Jon Davis, Michel Gagnon, Derek Liscomb, Bruce Maberly, David Mugridge, Ron Shinder, Sean Wakfer, Gorett Vala

Dead Reckoning Crew
The Dead Reckoning Fabrication and Set Supersivor: Jeff Skochko

VISUAL EFFECTS
Visual Effects Supervisor: Jeff Campbell
Visual Effects: Deluxe | Sound and Picture; Rocket Science VFX; Spin; Switch VFX

DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Production Designer: Arv Greywal
Additional Photography Production Designer Rupert Lazarus
Art Director: Doug Slater
Additional Photography Art Director: Jon Goulding

LOCATIONS
Locations: Brampton, Ontario, Canada; Kleinburg, Ontario, Canada; Mississauga, Ontario, Canada; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Location Manager: David McIlroy

STUNTS
Stunt Coordinator: Matt Birman
Stunts: Lloyd Adams, Nick Alachiotis, Taryn Ash, Ron Bell, Dan Belley, Sonia Belley, Leigh Bianco, Marco Bianco, James Binkley, Matt Birman, Ermes Blarasin, Brad Bunn, Randy Butcher, Chad Camelleri, Desmond Campbell, Dave Campbell, Shane Cardwell, Tommy Chang, Scott Cook, Shelley Cook, Wayne Downer, Tom Farr, Errol Farquharson, Tig Fong, Joel Harris, Susan Horton, Brian Jagersky, Erin Jarvis, Blair Johannes, James Jones, Kelly Jones, Liise Keeling, Jung-Yui Kim, Jo-Anne Leach, Danny Lima, Angelica Lisk, Steve Lucescu, John Macdonald, Patrick Mark, Carl Marotte, Darren Marsman, Cotton Mather, Chris McGuire, Darren McGuire, Dwayne McLean, Duncan McLeod, Regan Moore, Layton Morrison, Nick Nolan, Bill Oliver, Shawn Orr, Efosa Otuomagie, Curtis Parker, Rick Parker, Sue Parker, Branko Racki, Robert Racki, Alison Reid, Bryan Renfro, Kevin Rushton, Paul Rutledge, John Stead, Dave Stinson, John Stoneham Jr, Melissa R. Stubbs, Bryan Thomas, Robert Thomas, Alicia Turner, Dave Van Zeyl, Len Wagner, Ron Webber, Geoff Williams

CASTING
Casting: Marci Liroff
Canadian Casting: Robin D. Cook
Extras Casting: Jane Rogers

CAST
Simon Baker [Riley]
John Leguizamo [Cholo]
Dennis Hopper [Kaufman]
Asia Argento [Slack]
Robert Joy [Charlie]
Eugene Clark [Big Daddy]
Joanne Boland [Pretty Boy]
Tony Nappo [Foxy]
Jennifer Baxter [Number 9]
Boyd Banks [Butcher]
Jasmin Geljo [Tambourine Man]
Maxwell McCabe-Lokos [Mouse]
Tony Munch [Anchor]
Shawn Roberts [Mike]
Pedro Miguel Arce [Pillsbury]
Sasha Roiz [Manolete]
Krista Bridges [Motown]
Alan Van Sprang [Brubaker]
Phil Fondacaro [Chihuahua]
Bruce McFee [Mulligan]
Earl Pastko [Roach]
Jonathan Whittaker [Sutherland]
Jonathan Walker [Cliff Woods]
Peter Outerbridge [Styles]
Lara Amersey [dead teenage girl]
Michael Belisario [dead teenage boy]
Gene Mack [Knipp]
Matt Birman [Kaufman's security guard]
Devon Bostick [Brian]
Jason Gautreau [Gus]
Christopher Russell [Barrett]
Christopher Allen Nelson [veteran soldier]
Debra Felstead [female soldier]
Tina Romero [High Noon soldier]
Colm Magner, Scott Wickware [guards at the Throat]
Ron Payne [hobo]
Richard Clarkin [Steele]
Darrin Brown [Bettor]
Eldridge Hyndman [Deke]
Ted Ludzik [weapons storage guard]
David Sparrow [arena policeman]
Brian Renfro [Number 9's victim]
James Binkley [grenade soldier]
Robin Ward [Fiddler's Green promo announcer]
Dawne Furey [topless dancer]
Sandy Kellerman, Donna Croce [kissing women]
Wilbert Headley [dead tuba player]
Ross Sferrazza [dead trombone player]
Erica Olsen [cheerleader zombie]
Liise Keeling [zombie mother]
Sonia Belley [zombie daughter]
Chad Camelleri [refrigerator zombie]
Gino Crognale [policeman zombie]
Shane Cardwell [fence fry zombie]
Simon Pegg, Edgar Wright [photo booth zombies]
Kevin Rushton, Nick Alachiotis [arena fight zombies]
James Canton [child zombie]
Ermes Blarasin [clown zombie]
Jake Mckinnon [hillside zombie]
Greg Nicotero [bridgekeeper zombie]
Susan Wloszczyna [Temperance Street zombie]
David Campbell [legless zombie]
Tom Savini [machete zombie]

Stand-Ins: Adam Chuckryk, John Collard

SUMMARY

In a post-zombie world, the surviving humans have sealed themselves into a heavily fortified city while the zombies, variously known as 'stenches' or 'walkers' are left to fend for themselves in the countryside. But all is not well in the human city as the wealthy elite barricade themselves into the luxury tower block Fiddler's Green and the poor forage for what they can in the streets below, constantly facing the threat of imminent zombie attack. Meanwhile, out in the surrounding countryside, the stenches are evolving and under the leadership of one particularly clever specimen, a zombie army is marching on the city...

CAPSULE REVIEW

The central conceit of a huge, zombie killing battletruck may seem rather trite and unconvincing but Romero does a fantastic job transferring a rather suspect idea to the screen in some style - the emphasis is much more on action here than it ever was in the earlier Dead films and Romero proves himself as adept at the big set-pieces as he is at the more metaphorical aspects of the film. The post-apocalyptic society is well realised and Romero finally got to use some of the ideas that he'd had for Day but which had to remain unfilmed until now when that film fell foul of budget restrictions. The cast is excellent, particularly Simon Baker, Robert Joy and Asia Argento, but their thunder is well and truly stolen by an under-used but utterly brilliant Dennis Hopper [looking curiously like Christopher Lee from some angles] as the ruthless leader of the exclusive Fiddler's Green community. [Full Review]

AVAILABILITY

Canada
Theatrical Distributors: Universal Pictures Canada

Czech Republic
Theatrical Distributors: Bontonfilm

France
Theatrical Distributors: Wild Bunch

Japan
Theatrical Distributors: United International Pictures

Netherlands
Theatrical Distributors: Paradiso Entertainment

Singapore
Theatrical Distributors: United International Pictures

USA
Theatrical Distributors: Universal Pictures

CENSORSHIP HISTORY

Australia
Rating: MA

Canada
Rating: 13+ [Québec]; 18A [British Columbia / Manitoba / Ontario]

Denmark
Rating: 15

Finland
Rating: K-18

France
Rating: -16

Hong Kong
Rating: III

Italy
Rating: VM14

Japan
Rating: R-15

Mexico
Rating: C

Netherlands
Rating: 16

Norway
Rating: 15

Singapore
Rating: R21

South Korea
Rating: 18

Spain
Rating: 18

UK
Rating: 15

USA
Rating: R [for pervasive strong violence and gore, language, brief sexuality and some drug use]

TIMELINE

2004
October
11: USA - filming begins

2005
June
20: USA- theatrical premiere in Los Angeles, California
21: USA - theatrical premiere in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania]
24: Canada, USA – theatrical release

July
15: Italy, Mexico – theatrical release
22: Brazil, Norway – theatrical release
29: Denmark – theatrical release

August
4: Australia, Germany, New Zealand – theatrical release
5: Austria, Sweden – theatrical release
10: France – theatrical release
11: Hong Kong, Hungary, Singapore – theatrical release
12: Finland, Turkey – theatrical release
17: Belgium – theatrical release
19: Iceland – theatrical release
26: UK – shown at FrightFest, London
27: Japan – theatrical release

September
8: Netherlands – theatrical release
9: Romania, UK – theatrical release
23: Bulgaria – theatrical release

POSTER TAGS

The Legendary Filmmaker Brings You His Ultimate Zombie Masterpiece

ALTERNATIVE TITLES

Dead Reckoning - working title
Twilight of the Dead - working title

LINKS

SEQUEL TO
Night of the Living Dead [1968]
Dawn of the Dead [1978]
Day of the Dead [1985]

FOOTAGE INCLUDED IN
Dream of the Dead [2005]

SEE ALSO
Dawn of the Dead [1978]

REFERENCES

MAGAZINES

Empire no.190 [April 2005] p.21 [UK]
illustrated note [Coming Soon by The Insider]

NEWSPAPERS

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution vol.57 no.175 [24 June 2005] pp.h1, h6 [USA]
review [Return of zombie king just doesn't have the same bite by Bob Longino]

KEYWORDS

the future, sequels, trucks, walled cities, zombies

Last Updated: 6 March, 2007