By John Russo
1979 Hamlyn
Paperback, 176 pages
This is the true sequel to
George Romero’s classic film Night of the Living Dead (1968). Russo had
written the novelization for that film in 1974 from his and Romero’s screenplay
and this book is adapted from a proposed screenplay by Russo, Russell Streiner,
and Rudi Ricci (credited as Ricci Valentine in the book) that never got made.
This is not a novelization of Dan O’Bannon’s 1985 zombie comedy Return
of the Living Dead, although Russo did eventually write that in 1985.
Confused? Don’t be. The film was a comedy and this story is bleak and deadly
serious. It carries Night’s grim tone throughout its pages.
Ten years after the original
zombie epidemic (which has ended), Bert Miller and his three daughters (one of
whom, Karen, is expecting) are heading to a funeral. In this area, it is common
to drive a spike into the skull of the deceased, because nobody wants a repeat
of the previous decade’s trouble. While there, the mourners learn of a bus
crash nearby and Bert takes his daughters with him to retrieve the bodies and
spike them in the noggin. When the cops show up, the Millers screw out of there
only half done. Guess what happens! Bert barricades the farmhouse but one
daughter runs away, leaving the door unlocked and Bert becomes Zombie Chow.
A group of looters (and rapists,
we’re reminded of numerous times) show up at the farmhouse and settle in with
two tied up prisoners. Dressed as cops, two of them give orders to the daughters
but the two bound prisoners are the real cops. The daughters are taken with the
gang (except Karen who is in labor) and the cops are left to feed or be fed
upon. Who will survive this pickle? Will the kid be born healthy, or at all?
Will the looters (and rapists) get their come-uppance? You will read this one
with dizzying speed to find out. I am a slow reader and read it in two
sittings.
Don’t worry; in that short time,
you’ll get everything you want. Flesh eating, corpse bonfires, good ol’ boys
having too much fun, and bad guys using the outbreak to their advantage. “Warm
human flesh was the only kind that could nourish the living dead.” The
story stays in a rural farmland area and, even though it is more spread out
than Night, Russo achieves the same claustrophobia. Of course the real
danger here is humanity, or lack thereof. The looter (and rapist) gang are more
bloodthirsty than the ghouls, proving again that man is the scariest monster.
First released in the US by Dale
Books in 1978, I, as always, prefer the first UK edition from Hamlyn because
their covers always rule. Two different covers were available, one for Australia,
and they’re both great. The green ghoul cover even has a rare photography
credit for one Ken Adams, which makes me wonder if he was responsible for all
of Hamlyn’s great photo covers. The book has also been reprinted many times,
most recently by the reliable Fathom Press. If you’re a fan of Romero’s first
foray into zombies, this book will check all of the right boxes for your zombie
loving soul.
