Day Of The Dead Season 1: Release Date, Cast, And More

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The zombie business is still a-boomin' if SyFy has any say in the matter. Their latest series, dropping mid-October, is an homage to the late, great "Godfather of the Dead," George A. Romero, adopting the title of one of his classic films, "Day of the Dead". The series is neither adaptation nor a retelling of the film itself, but according to the trailer, it's still got some bite. Read on to find out everything we know so far. 

When there's no more room for new zombie narratives, the dead ones will walk the earth. Thus begins the latest Romero re-imagining in the form of the new "Day of the Dead" series, coming just in time for spooky season. The ten-episode season launches on October 15, 2021, on SyFy.

For those of us whose parents didn't let them rent whatever looked cool at the video store, "Day of the Dead" is, to many, George A. Romero's apocalyptic masterpiece — no easy feat, since he churned out two others prior ("Night of the Living Dead" in 1968 and "Dawn of the Dead" ten years later). The premise revolves around what zombie stories usually do: the survivors. Syfy's "Dead" follows six tired, living souls who congregate following the mass rising of the dead. This bit doesn't stray far from Romero's film, which follows the tense rumblings between scientists trying to fix the problem and arrogant gun nuts who disregard their fellow survivors (take whatever modern relevance you will from that). However, the scope diverges from the '85 classic and instead seems to lean towards the immediacy of his iconic '68 original, which has its characters trapped in a farmhouse overnight at the start of a similar outbreak. Likewise, SyFy's ten episodes cover the first twenty-four hours of the undead uprising, with every man, woman, and child scrambling to survive.

Survivor narratives tend to avoid big-name talent, and "Dead" is no exception. This fresh crop of talent includes Keenan Tracey ("Bates Motel") as Cam McDermott, a cop's son who wants to leave his podunk town. Meanwhile, those who have caught Netflix's "Brand New Cherry Flavor" will recognize Daniel Doheny as Luke Bowman, the son of the town mayor. Other relative newcomers are Morgan Holmstrom, Natalie Malaika, and Miranda Frigon.

Fans of "Psycho Goreman" will be thrilled to see that the first few episodes are helmed by Steven Kostanski, who boasts some nice horror bona fides. With a background in makeup effects (on the sets of "Crimson Peak," "Hannibal," "Suicide Squad," and "Star Trek: Discovery" among other genre giants), the director of "The Void" is a safe bet for those who expect buckets of blood. Writers Jed Elinoff and Scott Thomas serve as showrunners.

First impressions may vary, but it looks like those who miss Tom Savini's gnarly gore effects will have plenty to look forward to, as all manner of invasions are visited upon the rotting zeds, including some chain saw action. The mood is not as pensive as the Romero efforts we know and love, but in an era when we know the zombie formula ad nauseam, a little meta-humor can be refreshing (see: "Shaun of the Dead," "Zombieland," and "One Cut of the Dead" for further entertainment). Nostalgia bias aside, the tagline insists the same thing that Russell Streiner did in 1968: "They're coming for you," ready or not.