Day of the Dead Sky Sci-Fi

As a small town begins to be overrun with zombies a group of people must face the horror head-on.

One of the directors of the excellent The Void (2016) Steven Kostanski, delivers a reimagining of modern horror classic Day of the Dead (1985) with lacklustre results. Based on the opening episode, as a fresh-faced cast come face to face with the dead in a flashback, it glaringly is on a budget, which wouldn't be a problem, or fall short of expectations if it wasn't being sold as Day of the Dead.

The make-up effects and music are surprisingly effective. The cast do a fine job and appear to be having fun, Keenan Tracey, Daniel Doheny, and Natalie Malaika are notable.

It appears to utilise George A. Romero's character names, akin to Day of the Dead (2008) but the tone is reminiscent of Night of the Living Dead 3D (2006) and Night of the Living Dead 3D: Re-Animation (2012), particularly the mortuary setups, with a touch of Return of the Living Dead Part II and Zombie Night (2013).

Greddy town officials and workers are straight out of Forest Of The Dead (2007). Shoehorning in every trope in the genre, writers Jed Elinoff and Scott Thomas offer a new slant with the dead body chained in a cavern but the production appears to be SYFY cynical attempt to cash in on a classic. Plodding, familiar and falling short as both a homage and a gimmick. There are debatably better or certainly enough TV zombie series of varying degrees of quality already out there. Kostanski can and has delivered imaginative and resourceful work; but this sadly and surprisingly isn't one of them.

As a low budget zombie TV series, it is adequate, but as a series connected to Romero's work, it's extraordinarily empty.

Day of the Dead, a new zombie horror series inspired by the George A Romero film of the same name, is coming to Sky Sci-Fi on Monday 15 August.

The series, which stars Keenan Tracey and Daniel Doheny amongst others, follows a group of survivors in the first 24 hours of a zombie outbreak.

Here’s everything you need to know about Sky’s Day of the Dead series.

What is Day of the Dead about?

The official synopsis explains that the series “follows a group of strangers trying to survive the first 24 hours of an undead invasion. This ode to George A. Romero’s famous flesh-eaters reminds us that sometimes all it takes to bring people together is a horde of hungry zombies trying to rip them apart.”

Is it a remake?

Loosely, yes. This series is inspired by the 1985 movie Day of the Dead, itself one of George A Romero’s movies in the Night of the Living Dead film series – often credited with inventing (or at least redefining) the ‘zombie’ as its commonly understood in the modern sense.

Who stars in Day of the Dead?

Daniel Doheny plays Luke Bowman, son of the town mayor. Doheny is best known for the Netflix teen film Alex Strangelove, as well as the horror series (also involving zombies!) Brand New Cherry Flavour.

Keenan Tracey plays Cam McDermott, a high school senior and son of a local police detective. Tracey is best known for appearing in the sci-fi drama Debris and the horror series Bates Motel; he also has prior experience with zombies, having appeared in the CW series iZombie.

Kristy Dawn Dinsmore plays Amy, daughter of the town doctor and undergoing a transformation of her own. Dinsmore is best known for appearing in the historical epic Vikings, but you may also recognise her from the recent Steven King adaptation The Stand.

They’re joined by Natalie Malaika (The Sinners), Morgan Holmstrom (I Still See You), and Miranda Frigon (Primeval: New World) amongst others.

Who writes and directs Day of the Dead?

Day of the Dead was developed and predominantly written by showrunners Jed Elinoff & Scott Thomas. Elinoff and Thomas have previously worked on various iterations of Scooby-Doo, adaptations of RL Stine’s Goosebumps novels, and the children’s time travel series Best Friends Whenever.

Steven Kostanski directed the first four episodes of Day of the Dead, with Jacquie Gould and Jem Garrard helming three episodes each of the remaining six.

Is there a trailer?

Sky is yet to put out an official trailer yet, but there’s one from the show’s US broadcast on Syfy last year that you can watch here.

When and how can I watch Day of the Dead?

Day of the Dead begins on Sky Sci-Fi on Monday 15 August. The full series will be available as a boxset, and will continue to air on Monday nights.

The series aired on the Syfy channel in the US in October 2021.

How many episodes is Day of the Dead?

There are ten episodes in the first series of Day of the Dead, each around 45 minutes long.

Is there going to be a Day of the Dead season 2?

There’s yet to be an official announcement from Syfy (or Sky Sci-Fi) as to whether a second series of Day of the Dead will be produced.

Why should I watch Day of the Dead?

It’s one to watch if you enjoy zombie movies and television series – particularly the broader, low-budget fare that this version resembles.

Is Syfy Day of the Dead Cancelled?

How many episodes of Syfy Day of the Dead are there?

What channel is Day of the Dead TV series on?

Where is Sci Fi Day of the Dead filmed?