Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘Night Life’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

​One of the many reasons that I’ve always loved the zombie sub-genre of horror films, is the sheer fact that the living dead often serve as an allegory to some kind of greater meaning if a filmmaker so chooses for them to be. George A. Romero pioneered their chilling subtext, by allowing for them to remind us of the parts of our world that need fixing and even today, they serve a commentary themed purpose on The Walking Dead whenever the show deems it necessary.
 
But, while I’ve always enjoyed the ‘global’ view that the living dead have provided us with over the years, I’m hard pressed to think of many quality zombie themed films that take the time to add a level of intimacy to their resurrection, and I understand why. It’s far more terrifying to see hordes of the dead walking the earth and it’s far easier to look at larger themes than it is to narrow one’s focus. But once in a while, a zombie film comes along that actually manages to limit its scope thematically and one that’s recently returned to my radar, 1989’s Night Life, featured a topic that film barely addresses as is, bullying. Something we will break down momentarily, but first, let’s discuss the plot.
 
Now in this particular film, we are introduced to a young man named Archie, who is quite frankly, an outcast at school. He’s a smart kid, and the popular kids simply cannot stand him and they pick on him for his brains and his part-time career choice of working in his Uncle’s mortuary as often as possible. But fate has a strange way of punishing the cruel and one night, Archie is called into work to help his Uncle John move and care for the bodies of the very bullies that made Archie’s life a living hell. But even in death, these bullies refuse to let up when it comes to their cruelty, for a freak accident has brought them back to life and they will stop at nothing to get their cold hands on dear Archie.
 
So, while it seems as though bullying is nothing more than a topical plot device for this story, the subtlety that comes with it dives into so much more. Because in many ways, the dead here serve as the emotional personification of what it is like to be bullied. Their unrelenting nature, and the coldness of their flesh and lack of emotion speaks volumes to the experience and the horror that one feels when bullying comes their way and I truly appreciate the fact that the movie is relatable in this manner and that twist, offers up an extremely positive message in that, it’s okay to stand up to one’s bullies and say ‘enough’, which is something that Archie manages to do. But of course, this is a horror film, and how he handles that matters plenty since he handles his business in gory fashion.
 
That’s where the movie shines as a horror film because the gore in this one is pretty dynamic, and the dead are dispatched in gross and unsettling fashion and well, when all is said and done, this is a pretty solid and damn near forgotten horror flick, which is a shame because it’s relevancy thematically is perfect for this era and because it’s production values are solid and the splatter and the scares are an utter delight. But alas, this one is quite the lost gem these days, as since, I’ve never been able to find it on anything outside of VHS, and it’s yet to hit a steaming service. So, if you can find this one, watch it, simply because it’s a rare treat, since it’s an intelligent zombie film with heart, one that doesn’t get devoured by a zombie and it’s a shame there aren’t more living dead flicks such as this because they would be a refreshing treat for a genre at its peak.    

---