In Search Of my first Night of the Living Dead

by John Scoleri

Childhood memories can be a tricky thing. And certainly hard to back up in the absence of corroborating evidence. I still know people who swear they saw scenes with Luke and his friend Biggs on Tatooine when they saw Star Wars in the theater, despite the fact that those scenes were never included in release prints of the film. So when I would tell people about my distinct memories of watching Night of the Living Dead for the first time when I was a kid, I was never surprised to be greeted by skepticism.

Growing up in the pre-VCR era, it was standard practice to review the TV Guide each week to look for movies and TV shows we were interested in, so we'd know when we'd need  to be in front of the TV. My introduction to Night of the Living Dead came through my older brother, who promised that the film was scary — even in the daytime! Had he told me about it before the fateful day where it turned up in the TV Guide with a listing indicating that it would be airing at 11:30pm on Channel 2? That I honestly can't remember, but I do know this — seeing Night of the Living Dead was an occasion unlike any other that had come before. In the days leading up to the night it was on, we asked and received permission to set up sleeping bags to watch it in the den on our family's color TV (we had a small black and white set in our shared bedroom).

That night, after we had made all our preparations, I was quite surprised to find when the film started, as the car drove up the road to the cemetery, that it was in black and white. As a result, my brother and I were sent to our bedroom to watch it, since there was no point watching it on the color television. I’m sure I was disappointed, not only that we weren’t able to watch it in our sleeping bags, but also because the film was in black and white; which all but guaranteed that it couldn’t really be that scary. Could it?

The remainder of the film was watched from the safety of my bed, on the small black and white television set in our bedroom. And yet it captivated me from start to finish. Right down to the final, unsettling finale that no prior monster movie I had ever seen had prepared me for. When it was over, I recall looking over to my brother, only to see that he was fast asleep. Though it was now 1:30 in the morning, I was keenly aware that the responsibility lie with me to go to the TV, turn it off, and then try to make it back to the safety of my bed—in the dark. I knew the station would soon go off the air for the broadcast day, filling the room with the hiss and glow of static that a few of you may affectionately remember as ‘snow’. Fortunately, I was aware (from the initial search of that week’s TV Guide) that Planet of the Apes was airing on Channel 36 starting at 1:00am. So I made a mad dash across the room to the TV set, clicked the dial from VHF Channel 2 to UHF Channel 36, and made it back into my bed in time to see our intrepid astronauts' water landing in the Forbidden Zone before falling fast asleep myself.

From that day forward, whenever I talked about Night of the Living Dead, which had instantly become (and has since remained) my favorite horror film of all time, I would tell the story of that first viewing. But I could never pinpoint my age when I first saw it. I always associated the film with Creature Features, our weekly monster movie show hosted by Bob Wilkins, because I had clipped and saved an interview with him from our local newspaper supplement where he stated that Night of the Living Dead was one of the most frequently shown movies on the program. Though the film stuck with me, my recollection of it did not specifically include Bob, which would become a very important detail, 40 years later.

As fate would have it, Monster Kids in the Bay Area of Northern California had a great deal of affection for Bob Wilkins and Creature Features. Much was written about the show and its host through the years. There were frequent convention appearances, and some enterprising fans started the laborious task of documenting every film that aired on the show.

One of the first of these that caught my eye, thanks to a random Google search, was an article on Blog Wilkins specifically focused on how many times Night of the Living Dead had aired on Creature Features. And it included specific dates! Armed with that initial data, I realized I was on my way to identifying the specific date when I saw the film for the first time. According to the blog, Night had aired 10 times on Creature Features:

1. January 1, 1972 @ 9:30
2. November 11, 1972 @ 9:30
3. October 20, 1973 @ 9:00
4. September 28, 1974 @ 9:30
5. May 10, 1975 @ 9:30
6. November 15, 1975 @ 11:00
7. May 22, 1976 @ 11:30
8. November 6, 1976 @ 11:00
9. May 13, 1977 @ 11:30
10. March 4, 1978 @ 11:00

I was able to rule out the first five listed airings, as they were all started earlier than I had distinctly remembered. But I still had a ways to go to determine the date on which I had seen the film for the first time.

Around the same time, in 2011, Michael Monahan published Shock it to Me: Golden Ghouls of the Golden Gate, which focused on Bay Area Horror TV from 1957-2011. Monahan had researched the films that aired not only on Creature Features, but on other shows throughout the Bay Area. His research relied heavily on the listings in the San Francisco Chronicle (via microfiche).

Comparing Monahan’s data to Blog Wilkins, there were a few minor timing discrepancies, as well as a seemingly missing 11th airing:

1. January 1, 1972 @ 9:30
2. November 11, 1972 @ 9:00 (instead of 9:30)
3. October 20, 1973 @ 9:00
4. September 28, 1974 @ 11:30 (instead of 9:30)
5. May 10, 1975 @ 9:30
6. November 15, 1975 @ 11:00
7. May 22, 1976 @ 11:30
8. November 6, 1976 @ 11:00
9. May 13, 1977 @ 11:30
10. March 4, 1978 @ 11:00
11. October 7, 1978 @ 11:00

(Thanks to CF fan, archivist and filmmaker Tom Wyrsch, existing footage allowed me to corroborate the October 7, 1978 airing, as Bob mentions during the September 23rd airing of Creature from the Black Lagoon that Night of the Living Dead was coming up in a few weeks.)

Let me take a  moment to say that despite exhaustive research, the information you uncover is only as reliable as the source. In my own investigations, I discovered that checking multiple sources (physical TV Guides, these published accounts mentioned above, and microfiche of other local papers - such as the San Jose Mercury News) can yield different results. Short of finding someone who kept a log of what actually aired at the time, we must take everything with a grain of salt. I am generally confident with the data I have collected, considering that for the most part there are at least two sources of corroboration - but I know some assume the published scheduling information might have been wrong across the board - which I acknowledge.

Unfortunately, while Monahan’s book was a godsend, it couldn’t include every horror/sci-fi/melodrama that aired through the years, so a 1:00am airing of Planet of the Apes wasn't included for me to cross-reference against the Night of the Living Dead airings I was now aware of. The only way I was going to get the missing data I needed was to start tracking down the physical TV Guides in question.

A word of warning to anyone who considers going down such a rabbit hole. Finding TV Guide back issues isn't particularly difficult, particularly if what you’re looking for is the cover story, main articles, or crossword puzzles that are present in all national copies. When you’re looking for local programming, however, bear in mind that there were editions published for locales throughout the country, which meant the only ones of value to me were the San Francisco Metropolitan editions. It makes for a much more challenging quest, since that information isn't often listed. I did decide to go all out and track down all of the local issues that included a Night of the Living Dead airing, but what I really wanted to find was the one issue that would also have the Planet of the Apes listing on Channel 36 the morning after Night aired; pinpointing the exact date I saw the film for the first time.

The aforementioned Tom Wyrsch kindly provided me with a number of the back issues I needed, part of a collection he had assembled in order to publish a book of display ads for Creature Features that ran in the local TV Guide. A few others were acquired from friends with an extensive collection of back issues, though I quickly discovered that most of their inventory had already been exhausted by none other than Tom as he was doing his research.

That meant I had to rely on eBay to find the rest. And it was slow going. One by one, a local edition I needed would turn up. And each time a newly purchased back issue would arrive, I wondered if it would be the issue that would finally provide the answer to my search. Sadly, with each new issue received, I was disappointed to find that it was not.

Once I was down to needing one final issue (May 10, 1975), I was sure that through the process of elimination I had isolated the date (despite the reported air time not aligning; I assumed this must be another inconsistency that the TV Guide would correct). I still wanted to have  the physical copy to confirm my suspicion, but it was months before one turned up on eBay. When my copy finally arrived, I felt like I had just opened the Ark of the Covenant only to find sand. The listing for Planet of the Apes wasn’t there. At this point, my wife and friends who had long been aware of my quest were convinced that I had misremembered the series of events. I had little to offer to suggest otherwise.

As I re-lived that first night over and over in my head, one thing I realized was that I didn’t specifically recall Bob Wilkins introducing the film, or appearing between commercial breaks. I had initially written that off as my memory of the film overshadowing such details, but it sent me back to Monahan’s book to see if I could find anything else that might be enlightening. As I reviewed all of the other shows that aired in the similar timeframe, I came across a listing for Night of the Living Dead on a Saturday afternoon in 1974, on an unhosted show called Chiller Diller. While I knew the Saturday afternoon airing wasn’t the time I saw it, it did dawn on me that it may have been the first time my brother saw it, which would also explain his comment (that I had never thought to question) that the film was scary — even in the daytime. In reviewing the rest of the listings in the Monahan book, I soon discovered there was in fact another Night of the Living Dead airing I had previously overlooked: a Friday Late Night edition of Chiller Diller. After all these years, might I have finally found the date I had been searching for?

Rather than wait to find a physical copy of TV Guide, on November 15, 2017, my wife and I went to the San Jose Public Library to review the Mercury News microfiche for the date in question.

I found the roll corresponding to the date, loaded it up and started scanning. I quickly arrived at 11:30pm, and found the following listing for Night of the Living Dead.

Radiation leak? And only two stars???

I scrolled down to 1:00am and the first thing that caught my eye was that Trilogy of Terror was airing on Channel 7, meaning that I might very well have doubled down on the horror had I switched to that, instead of Planet of the Apes, which was listed below it on Channel 36.

My search was over. After more than a decade, I had finally identified my first Night of the Living Dead: 11:30pm on Friday, July 13, 1979, when I was 9 1/2 years old.

I now have a date that I can celebrate annually, and will surely never forget as it was not only Friday the 13th, but July 13th happens to be the birthday of my good friend David J. Schow (who we've determined was probably in a Hollywood theater watching Dawn of the Dead that very night).

I have since picked up a physical copy of the TV Guide for that airing, and was similarly surprised to see that earlier in the week, The Omega Man had aired on Channel 5. While I don’t know for sure, it’s possible that it might have been the first time I saw that film as well, which would provide an interesting spiritual proximity between the 'official' adaptation of Richard Matheson’s novel I Am Legend and Night of the Living Dead—before I was even aware of the book’s existence.

* * *

Since I went the trouble of tracking them all down, I felt obligated to include a gallery of all of the Bay Area TV Guide listings for Night of the Living Dead. It's also interesting to note the order in which the actors get credited (the total number credited clearly depending on column space available), and whether or not the roles the actors played are noted.

January 1, 1972

November 11, 1972

October 20, 1973

September 28, 1974 

May 10, 1975

November 15, 1975

May 22, 1976

November 6, 1976

May 13, 1977

March 4, 1978

October 7, 1978

-No Listing-

July 13, 1979

* * *

I find myself writing a lot about Night of the Living Dead this year, as we celebrate the film's 50th anniversary. For more of my Night of the Living Dead ramblings, check out my article "Born of I Am Legend" in Fantasm Media's 50th anniversary magazine, 50 Years of Night, where I detail how George Romero became acquainted with Matheson's inspirational novel.

And please head over to Dreams and Visions Press to sign up to receive email updates on my forthcoming coffee table book of photographs from the making of Night of the Living Dead: Latent Images. It will be a 10" x 12" hardcover containing at least 128 pages of black and white and color behind the scenes photos, including many rare and never before published images, under license from Image Ten, Inc. The book is due out early next year.

* * *

Special thanks to Tom Wyrsch, Jim and Melody Rondeau, Blog Wilkins, and Michael Monahan’s book Shock it To Me, all of which were indispensable in my quest to track down the date I first saw Night of the Living Dead. 

50th Anniversary Night of the Living Dead Photo Book

by John Scoleri

You guys know me. If it isn't Caroline Munro, Richard Matheson's I Am Legend, or Ralph McQuarrie—then it's George A. Romero's Night of the Living Dead.


Well, I'm very excited to announce that this Fall, Dreams and Visions Press will be publishing the latest passion project of mine—a fully authorized book of rare photographs from the making of the film. As the announcement image indicates, fans are in for an amazing selection of previously unpublished photographs taken on the set of the film, and rest assured, when using images that you may have seen before, you won't have seen them in this quality. The full press release is below. If you're interested in receiving email updates on the book, sign up for notifications on the website at www.dreamsandvisionspress.com.

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Dreams and Visions Press has reached an agreement with Image Ten, Inc. to publish a book of rare photographs from the making of the classic horror film Night of the Living Dead™ in the Fall of 2018, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the film’s release.

“Back in 1967, The Latent Image, Inc. (the film production company George Romero and I formed in Pittsburgh, PA in 1962) and Hardman Associates, Inc. (Karl Hardman and Marilyn Eastman’s audio studio) had plenty of “dreams and visions” to pursue. Coming together, those two companies formed Image Ten, Inc. to make the leap from TV and radio commercials into long-form, filmed entertainment, and the production of Night of the Living Dead™,” said Russ Streiner of Image Ten. “When the film was released in October 1968, who could have known where those dreams and visions would lead.”

“As a lifelong fan of Night of the Living Dead, I’m thrilled to be working with Image Ten on this project,” said John Scoleri of Dreams and Visions Press. “For years, I have longed to have a photographic retrospective of this film on my bookshelf. I’m honored to be publishing a book that will feature the highest quality reproductions of photographs from the making of the film, including many that will be seen for the very first time.”

“I’ve been thinking about a coffee table book on Night of the Living Dead since 2008 when I got back into this with The Living Dead Fest,” said Gary Streiner of Image Ten. “We know John as a major fan of the film and trust him to establish a real story of Night of the Living Dead with this book. I’ve seen a few of the photos pulled for this and they are stunning. I have a very strong feeling that come this Fall, this book will be on every fan’s bookshelf alongside their Criterion Blu-Ray of the film.”





About Dreams and Visions Press

Dreams and Visions Press was founded in 2007 with the publication of The Art of Ralph McQuarrie, a collection of the Star Wars conceptual artist’s body of work. That was followed in 2010 with The Art of Tomb Raider, a two-volume retrospective of artwork from the video game franchise. Additional Dreams and Visions Press titles include 2013’s Battlestar Galactica: 35th Anniversary Portfolio and an expanded follow up to their debut release, The Art of Ralph McQuarrie: Archives, in 2015.

About Image Ten, Inc.

Image Ten, Inc. – founded in 1967 by director George A. Romero and his associates at The Latent Image Inc. and Hardman Associates to produce a single picture – holds the rights to Night of the Living Dead’s characters and sequels. The Museum of Modern Art and The Film Foundation, along with George A. Romero, Gary Streiner, Russ Streiner, and John A. Russo, oversaw the 4K digital restoration of the 1968 film from the original camera negative. Funding was provided by The Film Foundation, the George Lucas Family Foundation and the Celeste Bartos Fund for Film Preservation. The restored version premiered at the Museum of Modern Art on November 4, 2016 and was released theatrically through Janus Films in the US and Canada in 2017. The Criterion Collection released the new restoration on Blu-Ray and DVD on February 13, 2018.

NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1968) Criterion Blu Ray Review

by John Scoleri

As a lifelong fan of George A. Romero’s NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, I was thrilled when the announcement was made that Criterion would be releasing the Museum of Modern Art's 4k restoration of the film on Blu Ray and DVD in time for the film's 50th anniversary. The new restoration also allowed for Image Ten (the creators of and investors in the original film) to secure a copyright to the what is now the only version of the film worth owning. I’m not going to spend a lot of time here talking about the film itself, beyond stating my opinion that it’s the greatest horror film of all time, bar none. If you’ve never seen it, rest assured there is no better time, nor edition, with which to familiarize yourself with this classic film. The purpose of this review is to provide detailed information on this new Blu Ray release, comparing how the transfer stacks up to prior releases, and detailing the numerous extras to be found on the two-disc Blu Ray set.

I almost envy those of you who have previously only seen NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD in poor quality versions, as the comparison to the restoration will be revelatory. Yes, it’s cliché to say that the film has never looked this good before on home video, but it’s undeniably true. If you’re familiar with the Japanese Happinet Blu Ray (without a doubt the best release prior to this one), you’ll already know that NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD can look good in HD. While at first glance you might not recognize the difference in video quality between the Japanese disc and the Criterion release (ignoring the poor quality Mill Creek 'anniversary' Blu Ray rushed out last fall to capitalize on the publicity surrounding the film's restoration and theatrical rerelease), it doesn't take long to see just how significant an improvement the new restoration is over the Japanese disc. Contrast is greatly improved—very noticeably in some of the darker basement scenes, where blacks are crushed and whites tend to bloom on the Japanese release. Additionally, prior releases were very tightly cropped, whereas the film is presented here in its 1.37:1 aspect ratio, frequently with additional information on all edges of the frame. I cannot stress enough just how much of an improvement this new edition is over every other release of NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD to date. And short of Criterion getting into the 4K/UHD market, this will be the only version of this film worth watching for years to come.

As if the finest presentation of the film itself were not enough, Criterion is to be praised for assembling an amazing selection of new and previously created special features to make this the ultimate edition of the film. Here are my thought on those:

NIGHT OF ANUBIS, a never-before-presented work-print edit of the film. Introduced by producer Russ Streiner.
Streiner discusses how George Romero and his colleagues at The Latent Image edited their films on 16mm reductions of 35mm footage, and this version of the film represents the cut that George assembled by hand. Despite a) some missing footage (Tom and Harry first coming upstairs from the basement, and Bill Cardille interviewing Sheriff McClelland), b) not having the original dialog track present (the audio from the release print has been married to the work print), and c) having been cut to conform with the length of the release print (meaning the portion of the basement scene cut for time that resulted in a jump cut in the finished film remains lost to the ages), the work print contains two particularly wonderful treats for fans. First, the ability to see the NIGHT OF ANUBIS title card on an actual print of the film. Until a few years ago, most fans (this one included) had no idea that any print existed with the ANUBIS title, so it was extremely cool to see that represented herein. Second, and even more exciting, is a day-for-night shot of the ghouls in the field approaching the house. This shot was replaced in the finished film with an alternate take of ghouls feasting on the remains of Tom and Judy (it can be seen right after Harry Cooper looks out the window and says, “Good Lord!”). Thankfully for us, the change didn’t require an adjustment to the dialogue track or overall running time, so the scene was not replaced when the work print was edited to conform to the release print. Criterion was kind enough to place a chapter stop right before the shot, for those not interested in viewing the work print in its entirety. Another side benefit of the inclusion of the work print is that it provides a great frame of reference with which to compare how a well-worn, 16mm reduction of the film compares to the all-new 4K restoration.

Light in the Darkness: The Impact of NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD
I really enjoyed listening to Frank Darabont, Guillermo del Toro and Robert Rodriguez discuss the film; particularly Darabont and del Toro, as their love for NIGHT really shines through as they describe the impact it had on them as horror fans and filmmakers. And kudos to Darabont for identifying some of the specific elements of Richard Matheson’s I Am Legend that Romero drew upon in crafting the story.

Dead Relics - Never-before-seen 16 mm dailies reel, introduced by Gary Streiner
Any disappointment in the absence of the lost basement footage is quickly forgotten when you get to this treasure trove of dailies (a portion of which were flopped at some point, as Gary Streiner explains in his introduction). Included in the 18 minutes of footage are multiple takes of the posse and ghouls outside the house, Ben and Harry’s confrontation, Karen attacking Ben, the ghouls closing in on the cellar door, and even several takes of the zoom in to the skull at the top of the stairs.

Learning from Scratch: The Latent Image and NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD
John Russo provides a nice overview of Image Ten and the work the team was doing before they made the decision to mount a feature film. The featurette includes several of the Latent Image commercials they worked on, including some not released with previous editions of the film.

Limitations into Virtues
An interesting analysis of the making of NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD. While this type of thing can easily come off as scholarly and pretentious, and some of the suggestions made seem to be a bit o a stretch, there’s still plenty of interesting food for thought here.

 
Tones of Terror: The  NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD Score
I can’t imagine there’s anyone out there who knows more about the library music used in NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD than Jim Cirronella, who in 2010 produced THEY WON’T STAY DEAD—the definitive CD collection of Capitol Hi-Q library cues used in the film (watch for an expanded vinyl release of cues from Waxworks Records later this year). Cirronella narrates this featurette, providing an excellent analysis of how Romero used the library music throughout the film, and highlights several scenes where it is clear that George was cutting the film to match the existing cues.

Walking Like the Dead
This featurette re-purposes some of the interview footage shot for Jeff Carney and Jim Cirronella’s excellent 2009 documentary AUTOPSY OF THE DEAD, enhanced herein by the inclusion of numerous rare behind the scenes photographs of ghouls. I highly recommend the full documentary if you enjoy this brief featurette.

There’s a 45m interview/Q&A with George from the Toronto International Film Festival. While I had previously seen this online, it's a welcome addition to provide a more recent interview with Romero.

A 1979 episode of Tomorrow with Tom Snyder
The episode features George and PHANTASM director Don Coscarelli as guests,  talking about their newly released films (DAWN OF THE DEAD in George’s case). I was initially surprised that Don seemed so comfortable being paired with George; I would have expected any young horror filmmaker to defer to the master in a scenario like that. But Don comes across as very confident, and it’s easy to forget that PHANTASM was his third film, so he wasn't a brand new filmmaker at this point in his career.

A few minutes of silent footage shot when Bill Cardille and his WIIC cameraman Steve Hutsko visited the set to shoot their scenes for the film are included from the only extant VHS source. As this is the only behind the scenes footage that exists from the making of the film, it’s another welcome addition—in any quality.

An amusing Venus Probe newsreel from the period is also included.

Rounding things out are vintage and contemporary Trailers, a TV spot, and radio spots from 1968 as well as from the 70s, after the film was recognized as a horror classic.

Legacy features:
- Two audio commentaries from 1994 featuring Romero and members of the cast and crew
- 1987 audio interview with Duane Jones
- 1994 video interview with Judith Ridley
These features, several of which have appeared on multiple DVD releases throughout the years, allow fans to hear from many of the original cast and crew members who worked on the film. It's particularly nice to have those who are no longer with us represented on what is now the gold standard release of the film. I revisited several of these features for the first time since they appeared on the 1994 Elite LaserDisc release for the purpose of this review, and they all held up well. I was pleasantly surprised to discover the Duane Jones interview contained material not included in earlier presentations, along with several great photos of Duane. So don’t skip it just because you think you’ve heard it all before!

IN SUMMARY

A bare bones HD release of this restoration would have earned a must-buy recommendation from me. Considering the wealth of supplementary materials that are included, there's no excuse not to add this two-disc set to your library.

With NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD now in the Criterion Collection, those who might have previously written it off as just a cult film can no longer deny it the classic status it so richly deserves.

Night of the Living Dead Archive: June 1969 Reader's Digest

by John Scoleri

In 1992, while we were working on The Scream Factory Presents: Night of the Living Dead 25th Anniversary Tribute Magazine,  one of my goals was to include the often discussed and yet rarely reprinted commentary that Roger Ebert had written for the Chicago Sun-Times, and that had been subsequently condensed for Reader's Digest.

My brother tracked down a micro-fiche copy of the RD article for me, which we reprinted after getting the gracious permission of Ebert, the Chicago Sun-Times and Reader's Digest (it was amusing that every letter of authorization was contingent on my receiving the authorization of the other two parties).

Until recently, I had never bothered to track down an original copy of the magazine, which in today's world of Google and Amazon.com is a relatively easy and inexpensive task. I wanted to share it with you now, so that my fellow Night of the Living Dead aficionados might add this interesting ancillary item to their collections as well (if they haven't already).

"Just Another Horror Movie—Or Is It?" can be found in the June 1969 issue of Reader's Digest. Even better, you can read Roger Ebert's original review from the January 5, 1969 issue of the Chicago Sun-Times on his website.

An Annotated Guide to The Zombie Chronicles

by John Scoleri

The Zombie Chronicles was an illustrated 8.5 x 11 fanzine devoted to the zombie cinema of George A. Romero published between 1995-1996. Edited by Keith Milford, six quarterly issues were produced. While it was narrowly focused, to be sure, it was a very nicely designed fanzine that I'm proud to have contributed to. As it remains undocumented on the web, I wanted to correct that oversight, particularly in that the name has since been appropriated for a number of zombie stories, anthologies and direct to video drivel.

Volume 1 Issue 1

May/June 1995, 8 pages

Contents:
The Dead Walk! Editorial
Dead Reckoning by Keith Milford
Exclusive Interview with Bill "Chilly Billy" Cardille
Dawn of the Dead: What Went Wrong? by John Milford
Living Dead Legacy (real-life zombie folklore)
Dawn of the Fan by Brooke Perry
Zombie of the Month (Dawn's airport zombie)
ZOMBOREE cartoon by Dan Wedeking

Notes: Right off the bat Milford served up some meat for zombie fans to gnaw on. Cardille's interview gives a nice perspective to Night that was fresh at the time of publication. Milford contributes his reasoning as to why the films have lasting power, while Perry specifically details how Dawn changed his life. John Milford offer his reasoning for why things went awry for the characters in Dawn of the Dead—and while the easy answer is that's the way George wrote it, he provides an interesting analysis. The zombie folklore is obviously filler, and the one-panel zombie cartoons were never to my taste, but they certainly didn't detract from the other content.

Volume 1 Issue 2

July/August 1995, 10 pages

Contents:

Interview with the Zombie: David Emge Part One by Keith Milford
The Last Time I Saw Night... by John Milford
The Other Day of the Dead by John David Scoleri
Dead Reprints Gazette
Zombie of the Month (Dawn's zombie Stephen)
ZOMBOREE cartoon by Dan Wedeking

Notes: With this issue, I think TZC established its legitimacy. Keep in mind this was before the days where everyone turned up in an audio commentary, or on the convention circuit. The Emge interview is clearly the centerpiece of the issue, and a nice treat for Dawn fans. John Milford offers up an almost stream of consciousness analysis of Night. My piece on Day was a revision of an article I originally wrote for our Scream Factory NOTLD 25th Anniversary tribute, and the DRG is an article on the skeleton rented for Dawn that was subsequently believed to be real human remains.

Volume 1 Issue 3

September/October 1995, 10 pages

Contents:

Interview with the Zombie: David Emge Part Two by Keith Milford
Night of the Living Dead... The Opera?
TZC Emergency Broadcast Network - News
Dead Reprints Gazette
TZC Quotes Crypt
Zombie of the Month (Night's zombie Johnny)
ZOMBOREE cartoon by Dan Wedeking

Notes: The conclusion of the Emge interview dominates this issue as well. The article on The Opera is primarily a press release with information about the Pittsburgh production. John Milford discusses Romero having created a new genre of horror films. The DRG is an article from a Florida paper about the filming of Day in Fort Meyers, Florida. The quotes include blurbs from fans of the first issue, including Joe Bob Briggs.

Volume 1 Issue 4

November/December 1995, 10 pages

Contents:

A Cut Above the Rest: Various versions of Dawn by John David Scoleri
Reviewing Squonk Opera's Night of the Living Dead: The Opera by Terry Thome
TZC Review (Japanese Dawn Perfect Collection LD) by John Scoleri
Dead Reprints Gazette
Letters From the Other Side
Zombie of the Month (Day's Bub)
ZOMBOREE cartoon by Dan Wedeking

Notes: As with my piece on Day, the lead article was a revised and updated version of the Dawn portion of my TSF article. The NOTLD Opera gets an actual review this time out. The DRG is a great lengthy feature article from the Philadelphia Inquirer on the making of Day.

Volume 1 Issue 5

January/February 1996, 12 pages

Contents:

Interview with Keith Wayne Part One by Brooke Perry
Dead Reprints Gazette
TZC Review (Document of the Dead) by John Scoleri
A Horror Movie Character's Survival Guide compiled and edited by Keith Milford
Skeletons in the Closet: Night of the Living Dead by Keith Milford
TZC Emergency Broadcast Network - News
Letters From the Other Side
Zombie of the Month (Night's zombie Karen)
ZOMBOREE cartoon by Dan Wedeking

Notes: Brooke Perry provides the first of an important two part interview with Keith Wayne, as it sadly turned out to be his last. The DRG is another lengthy piece, this an interview with Romero during the making of The Dark Half from the Miami Herald. The Survival Guide seemed somewhat out of place, as it doesn't directly tie to Romero's films, but with the increased page count, who's to complain. Skeletons provides some interesting trivia about NOTLD, most of which is now common knowledge.

Volume 1 Number 6

March/April 1996, 12 pages

Contents:
Interview with Keith Wayne Part Two by Brooke Perry
Remembering the Dawn by Rees Savidis
Is This A Zombie I See Before Me by Adam Burton
Dead Reprints Gazette
Zombie Psychology by Jeffrey Kauffman
Letters From the Other Side
Hero of the Month (Night's Ben)
ZOMBOREE cartoon by Dan Wedeking

Notes: Fortunately the zine survived long enough to run the conclusion of Brooke Perry's conversation with Keith Wayne. Rees Savidis provides another fan's take on Dawn. Adam Burton delivers an interesting comparative analysis of Shakespeare's Macbeth and Romero's Living Dead trilogy. The DRG is an article on Roy Frumkes' Document of the Dead documentary from the Philadelphia Inquirer. Jeffrey Kauffman's piece is an extremely brief explanation of the positive psychological impact of watching Romero's dead trilogy. The coming attractions box notes the next issue would be an anniversary issue, and include "Dawn of the Dead—the midnight movie experience."

There was hope that the zine would continue, but it was not meant to be. While there were certainly still numerous cast and crew members that could have been interviewed, one can also argue that there was only so much to be said about three films. In preparing for this article, I was able to contact Brooke Perry, one of the zine's other key contributors, to discuss his experience writing for The Zombie Chronicles.

JS: I assume you also connected with Keith Milford through AOL. How did you come to write your first article for the premiere issue?

Brooke Perry: Keith and I met on the original horror message boards on AOL back in 1994. In fact, we were two of the old school members on the "Modern Horror" boards (as were you, if I recall correctly). After discussing a mutual love of zombies, Keith contacted me about starting up his own zine and asked if I wanted to contribute. I jumped at the chance, naturally.

JS: How did you connect with Keith Wayne for the interview you did with him? Was that his last?

BP: Yes, it was indeed his last interview. I'm thinking of contacting Joe Kane if he updates his recent "Night of the Living Dead" book and offering him the material to include.

I had watched the Joe Bob Briggs NOTLD reunion and they mentioned Keith lived in Carey, NC as a chiropractor. I called directory info for Carey and found his office number. I called, got him on the phone, told him who I was and asked for an interview. He was very polite and enthused and gave me his home number. We set a date for about a week later and I recorded the entire conversation on a micro-cassette, which I still have. What happened was very, very tragic and it was Keith Milford who actually informed me that Wayne had taken his own life. When the two issues of TZC came out, I sent copies to Keith's widow Brenda. She sent me a very nice card back thanking me and mentioned it would mean a lot to his children. I got quite emotional reading that card and I still have it. During the interview, Keith was talking about future plans to dabble in film and tv again. He spoke fondly of his medical practice and his power lifting and weight training. There was no indication whatsoever that anything was wrong. He was genuinely thrilled and humbled that I had gone to the trouble to locate him. I never got to meet him, but I do have an autograph of his courtesy of Bob Michelucci. Having done that interview still means the world to me.

JS: It's great that it's out there for fans, however it does deserve to be seen by a much wider audience. I was fortunate enough to meet Keith at the 25th anniversary Zombie Jamboree in 1993. He (and most of the surviving cast members, really) was so gracious to be on the receiving end of so much love from the fans. My lasting memory of Keith came when I gave him a copy of our 25th anniversary tribute magazine, as he insisted that I sign it for him. That certainly caught me off guard, and when the rest of the cast members followed suit I was suitably embarrassed and proud. His death came as a complete shock, as he really did seem revitalized by all the attention. A truly sad loss, as so few fans had an opportunity to thank him directly for his contribution to Night.

Did you have any other articles for TZC in the works when it folded?

BP: I was trying to pin down Lori Cardille for an interview. Keith had provided me with her number. I also wanted to do a series of articles on the soundtracks to the Romero zombie films. I had an address for John Harrison at the time, which would have provided material for Day of the Dead.

JS: That's my favorite Dead score — I would have loved to read that interview, too! The last piece I submitted was the first in a series of wish-fulfillment articles describing my idea for a toy line based on Romero's zombie films. I went into great detail on the characters and their accessories (all the main characters and featured zombies that you would expect), vehicles (Ben's truck, the WGON helicopter, and John's helicopter) and playsets (the farmhouse, the mall, and the underground bunker) that would make up the line. What's particularly surreal is that as I write this, I have a case filled with licensed figures such as a 12" cemetery zombie from Night, three zombies from Dawn (zombie Stephen, the airport zombie and the hari krishna zombie), and two from Day (Dr. Tongue and Bub). Go figure.

Did you ever have a chance to meet any of the Milfords?

BP: Sadly, no. They always seemed like a great bunch of guys. Even though I was sad that they folded the zine to pursue other interests, I still have the utmost respect for what they accomplished. I couldn't have done it.

JS: I know you've also been published in Scarlet Street, Carpe Noctem and Film Threat. What other subjects have you written about?

BP: I've written extensively about the music of Star Trek and horror films in general. Music is a love of mine. Richard Valley, the founder and editor of Scarlet Street, lost his battle with cancer a few years ago. The magazine now operates under a different title. Scarlet, I believe it's called. They still have several film reviews of mine that, sadly, were never published.

JS: What else have you been up to these last 15 years?

BP: I've taught theatre, film and English at a couple of universities here in the southeast. I'm also a participant in a theatre company called Pillar of Fire. It's a spiritual collaboration between us and Ray Bradbury, who is our mentor and inspiration. We perform stage versions of his stories as well as staged readings of other genre authors like Bloch, Lovecraft, Bierce, George Clayton Johnson, Richard Matheson, etc.

JS: Sounds very cool! Folks can check out the Facebook page here.

BP: Lastly, I'm also in a band called Mos Teutonicus. Doom metal with tastes of thrash thrown in is what you'd call us, I guess LOL. Our gimmick is simple: I write songs about our favorite horror movies. Nothing politically or religiously motivated. Just fun horror stuff. So far, I've written songs based on The Devil's Rain, Shock Waves, Maniac (Lustig), Fear No Evil, Men Behind The Sun and The Beyond. We also have a track I wrote for our buddy Ken Foree, a fast punk track simply titled WGZK (World's Greatest Zombie Killer).

JS: Glad to hear you're still finding ways to wave the horror flag. Looking back, what do you think it was it about The Zombie Chronicles that made it so special?

BP: It was a true DIY effort, which I loved since I was still reeling in my punk days from the 80's, LOL. I even created home made flyers that I would pass out at metal and goth concerts, wherever I thought there would be an interest. It was fun spending phone time with Keith brainstorming ideas for the zine. His enthusiasm was contagious.

JS: I recall that about him, too. It was clear the zine was born out of a true passion for the films. Hopefully he'll stumble across this article and we can capture the Milford perspective as well. Thanks Brooke!