Zombie Jamboree: The 25th Anniversary of Night of the Living Dead

Zombie Jamboree: 25th Anniversary of Night of the Living Dead (1993)

* 1/2 (out of 4)

John Russo direct, wrote and produced this "documentary" covering the Zombie Jamboree, which was held in Pittsburgh to celebrate the 25th anniversary of NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD. Among the people we see are George Romero, Russ Steiner, Bill Hinzman, Adam West, Lori Cardille, Linnea Quigley, Brinke Stevens, Gunnar Hansen, Kane Hodder, Tom Savini and Conrad Brooks. This documentary has been sold as a celebration of Romero's film but what it basically is is Russo finding yet another way to milk fans of money. This was obviously shot on video and the sound quality is pretty poor from start to finish. There are quite a bit of Q&A sessions but it's often hard to hear what anyone is saying. Even stranger is that the entire festival was about Romero's film yet this isn't featured too much in the film. There's a Q&A session with the cast and crew but we only get a couple questions. Romero discusses MONKEY SHINES and the studio cutting the ending, which was interesting but everything else is just a waste. The celebrities not associated with NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD answer a few questions but again the audio is so poor that you really become annoyed with everything. I'm sure many, such as myself, are going to get suckered into this thing but it's really just a way for Russo to talk about his own work. We get trailers to several of his movies (MIDNIGHT, SCREAM QUEENS SWIMSUIT SENSATIONS) and some of the films that he produced. In the end it's just a complete waste.

ZOMBIE JAMBOREE is narrated by John Russo, co-producer of George Romero's classic, NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD.

Cameos by horror luminaries, such as Gunnar Hansen, Tom Savini, Linnea Quigley, Brinke Stevens, and Romero himself, abound. Not to mention David "Darth Vader" Prowse and Adam "Batman" West!

Also includes various movie clips, interviews, and behind-the-scenes info. This is a stroll down a blood-soaked memory lane.

One of the best parts is when Savini recalls his disastrous makeup attempts on Stephen King for his role in CREEPSHOW, as well as his adventures during the filming of DAWN OF THE DEAD. Very funny!

An enjoyable documentary for fans of horror in general and zombie lovers in particular...

If this was sold at one point in time(and really there is no doubt it was), then people were seriously ripped-off. However, I too saw it courtesy of Amazon Prime and was engaged and entertained for 60 minutes about an event I did not attend but would have loved to do so. Basically, we get an inside(not very inside though) tour of the Zombie Jamboree celebrating the 25th anniversary of that film. We get John Russo's narration throughout as we see guests at the convention sell their autographs, etc... but we do get some insights into the film itself, the people who made it, its enduring legacy, and much more. I found the Q and A bit with George Romero very interesting. The same for the two scream queens. Tom Savini's walk through the Monroeville mall was also a highlight. I enjoyed the discussion of Duane Jones's import in the film too. This is not particularly well-made. Yes, there are audio(and video) inconsistencies but bear in mind it was made over twenty years ago. So much technologically has changed since then. For what it is, it is a curious, interesting supplement to not only a great film but also to the convention craze which is still going strong.