Horror sequel in which a small group of military officers and scientists dwell in an underground bunker as the world above is overrun by zombies.
Classification Issues
- Violence
- There are many scenes of strong violence and gore as the zombies attack and kill humans. This includes images of chest cavities being ripped open, the skin on a man's face being peeled off, and another man's neck torn open before his head is pulled off. There is some focus on the pain and suffering of the victims as they remain alive while being torn apart. Other strong gory images include a man's arm being hacked off with a machete, a zombie's intestines spilling out of his stomach, and a severed head which is still partly alive.
- Additional issues
- Other issues include some strong language ('motherf**ker', 'f**k'). There are also moderate sex references, including comments about 'jerking off'.
Classification history
Following Night of the Living Dead (1968) and Dawn of the Dead (1978), the third in director George A. Romero’s zombie series was submitted for classification in April 1986.
Day of The Dead was part of a genre which was now very familiar territory for BBFC examiners. There was some support for passing the film uncut but the overall decision was to make a minimal amount of cuts in order to decrease the quantity and detail of the gory deaths. Cannibalism as a theme is described in one examiner’s report as an area where “we have always been cautious”, and a reference to the recently introduced Video Recordings Act 1984 shows how the legislation had become a key part of the consideration process for the BBFC.
After cuts were made Day Of The Dead was given an 18 certificate, and the same cut version was released on video at 18 later that same year. Cuts were waived for an 18 certificate video release in 1996, and the film remains at 18 today.
