How the war manifests within the films Essay

In her writing, Karen Randell develops an open outlook amongst the views of two films, â€Å"Night of the Living Dead† and â€Å"Deathdream†(Randell 67). These two zombie films dedicated a lot to the 1960s Vietnam war perspective on the dead and missing and how that issue wasn’t being addressed by war films during the time (Randell 67). Randell imposes how the war manifests within the films itself by providing a referentiality that is significant to the trauma of the war (Randell 68). This reference pertains to the how soldiers don’t return home and are considered â€Å"Lost bodies/Lost souls† (Randell 68). Controversial issues at the time were major (Randell 70-2). The late 1960s, early 1970s, was a period where the two films and the war met at its peak (Randell 72). Issues such as the â€Å"Vietnam syndrome† became a huge topic (Randell 72). This was a syndrome found in returning soldiers due to restlessness, depression, and rage (Randell 7 2). With the anti-war movement flowing in society, and all other impacts due to the war, the films expose real anxieties that were present during that period. (Randell 67). George Romero’s Night of the living dead, a prototypical zombie movie, gave great context into the mourning of the dead from Vietnam (Randell 68). The movie was made on a shoestring budget, shot on leftover film. (Randell 67-71). However, it greatly succeeded and is one of the most successful independent films of all time (Randell 71-2). The â€Å"Realm of the Undead† or â€Å"Zombie world† are both ways to classify the setting of this film (Randell 68). As characters are stuck in a surrounded zombie land, it sparks the horror that we see in any zombie movie today (Randell 70). The film resonates fear from the audience, being that the time period portrayed a high rate of soldiers who didn’t return home (Randell 69). Between 1968 and 1973 there were over 2500 American soldiers listed as MIA (missing in action) or POW (prisoners of war). There were also over 58,000 dead soldiers (Randell 67-9). It is very traumatic as a viewer to watch something like this si mply because it adds to the realism of the movie (Randell 68 -72). Even the language used in the film correlates with Vietnam. Night of the Living Dead refers to the mission of killing zombies as â€Å"Search and destroy†, which was a big Vietnam War military strategy (Randell 71). The film certainly establishes an uncomfortable presence for society (Randell 72). As we look at the film Deathdream, the message is very much explicit as opposed to the implicit message in Romero’s film (Randell 73). The main character â€Å"Andy† is a veteran who supposedly died in Vietnam and came back to haunt his family and the neighborhood as a zombie (Randell 73). Realism plays a tremendous role in this movie (Randell 72). 1972, when it released, was a period where news about returning veterans and the development of â€Å"Vietnam Syndrome† was huge (Randell 72). The movie just adds to it.(Randell 74). It essentially provides a display in which serves as â€Å"A dark satire of the shell-shocked veteran† (Randell 74). To conclude, Randell confirms thoughts on how the real issues in society can very truly be displayed even in today’s society through horror and fantasy (Randell 75).