Line #12 YMMV/LivingDeadSeries


1	* {{Anvilicious}}: The political messages behind the films are not exactly subtle and, particularly in the post-2000s entries to the official sextet, often attract criticism.
2	* CommonKnowledge:
3	** It is often believed that the ''Living Dead'' zombies are the result of an [[ThePlague infectious virus]], but in reality, the ''Living Dead'' movies hint at multiple explanations behind the reanimation phenomenon. The first movie outright states that [[NuclearMutant space radiation was resurrecting the dead]] while the second movie theorizes that [[BarredFromTheAfterlife hell has no more room for the dead]].
4	** Related to the above, people that believe the virus explanation generally presume that ''Living Dead'' zombies are created through zombie-inflicted injuries, an assumption that stems from tropes in later zombie media like ''Film/TwentyEightDaysLater'' or ''Literature/TheZombieSurvivalGuide'' and ignores that the "patient zero" zombies in the ''Living Dead'' series had no such injuries and were simply corpses that rose from their graves. Throughout the ''Living Dead'' series, every corpse with [[RemovingTheHeadOrDestroyingTheBrain an intact head]] and [[KillItWithFire a non-burnt body]] becomes a zombie regardless if they were bitten by any zombies in the first place. For example, in ''Film/LandOfTheDead'', one citizen became a zombie after committing suicide despite never receiving any injuries from a zombie attack.
5	** Thanks to PopCultureOsmosis, a lot of people usually consider ''Living Dead'' zombies to be mindless shamblers. Funnily enough, one of the main constants in the series was that the zombies were [[ItCanThink smarter than they appeared]]. In the original ''Film/{{Night Of The Living Dead\|1968}}'', zombies were using tools to kill their victims and to damage their victims' cars and shelters. ''Film/DawnOfTheDead1978'' established that zombies had some recollection of their old lives and could diverge from the usual mob mentality if necessary. Finally, certain zombies, such as [[Film/DayOfTheDead1985 Bub]] and [[Film/LandOfTheDead Big Daddy]], were intelligent enough to properly wield firearms and single-handedly outmaneuver humans.
6	* ContestedSequel: ''Every'' sequel that doesn’t have ''Dawn'' in the title is bound to suffer this in one way shape or form, though ''Film/LandOfTheDead'' and ''Film/DiaryOfTheDead'' tend to come up most as to whether or not they’re worthy successors to the past films.
7	** To be more specific, with ''Land'', fans either see it as a grand return for Romero’s directing career with great gore and suspense, a SoOkayItsAverage zombie flick that doesn’t do anything particularly new for the genre, or a [[{{Sequelitis}} bad follow up to]] ''Film/DayOfTheDead1985'' with [[{{Anvilicious}} a heavy handed message on the social classes]] and truly unlikable characters [[TooBleakStoppedCaring making it hard to be entertaining]].
8	** With ''Diary'', it’s whether or not the FoundFootage style filming was a unique approach to the genre, or a poorly executed way of incorporating a gimmick that took away from the what made the rest of the series beloved in the first place. There’s also debate on whether the found footage aspect was executed properly or not.
9	* EvenBetterSequel: ''Film/NightOfTheLivingDead1968'' is considered a groundbreaking masterpiece that helped invent the modern horror and zombie genre we see today, but it’s sequel, ''Film/DawnOfTheDead1978'', is most beloved by fans and critics who love it for its strong character development and interactions, impressive gore effects, and its overall fun feel while still maintaining a serious attitude throughout.
10	* OlderThanTheyThink: Many people hated ''Film/DayOfTheDead1985'' for it's bleak tone. Ironically, the bleak and hopeless tone originated in the ''[[Film/NightOfTheLivingDead1968 original]] film''. In fact, one could argue the tone was '''more''' bleak in the original, [[EverybodyDiesEnding as everyone dies]], whereas at least a small amount of characters made it out alive in ''Day of the Dead''.
11	* {{Sequelitis}}:
12	** ''Film/SurvivalOfTheDead'' is often ridiculed as the lowest point of the series, and the worst film in Romero’s filmography in general. Points of criticism go towards its [[EightDeadlyWords lack of any interesting or likable characters to root for]] and the HumansAreTheRealMonsters message [[{{Anvilicious}} being even more blatantly ham-fisted to the audience than ever before]].
13	** ''Day of the Dead 2: Contagium'' was made without Romero’s involvement and features [[{{Narm}} unbelievably poor acting and effects]] and it shows.
14	** ''Children of the Living Dead'' by John Russo [[note]] One of the original creators of Night of the Living Dead[[/note]] is also frequently mocked for its poor, murky cinematography and lack of connections to any of the established lore of the past films. The fact that it’s also a direct sequel to the universally despised ''[[GeorgeLucasAlteredVersion 30th Anniversary Edition]]'' of ''Night of the Living Dead'' only adds to its bad reputation.
15	** ''Film/DiaryOfTheDead'' is often the point where people started losing interest in the series. Mainly due to Jason [[SkewedPriorities prioritizing filming rather than]] [[UnintentionallyUnsympathetic actually help his friends]]. It also doesn't help that the mere existance of the movie [[ContinuitySnarl causes the timeline to become... Questionable]], [[{{Understatement}} to say the least]].
16	* {{Squick}}: It’s a series about the living dead devouring human flesh in morbid and twisted ways. This was inevitable.
17	* ValuesResonance: Many of the recurring themes seen throughout these films [[note]] [[Film/NightOfTheLivingDead1968 the conflict among ordinary people over their differences]]; [[Film/DawnOfTheDead1978 material consumerism]]; [[Film/DayOfTheDead1985 the military industrial complex]]; [[Film/LandOfTheDead the struggles between the lower, middle, and higher social classes]]; and [[Film/DiaryOfTheDead the mistrust of reliable sources]] [[/note]] have become shockingly just as relevant, if not more relevant today than when the films were made.
18	* VindicatedByHistory: At the time, ''Film/DayOfTheDead1985'' was seen as the weakest of the Romero zombie series overall with ''Night'' and ''Dawn'' proving to be a ToughActToFollow, and many viewers criticized the film's bleak and hopeless tone as a turn away. Nowadays it’s not uncommon to see many sites rank it on par with the first two movies with some even going as far as saying it’s the best of the original trilogy. It also helps that the sequels after ''Day'' have a [[ContestedSequel more controversial reception]].
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Context YMMV / LivingDeadSeries