Zombie 2 – Day of the Dead

George A. Romero’s “Day of the Dead” (1985) first hit German theaters in 1987 under the distribution title “Zombie 2 – Das letzte Kapitel” and, over the course of four decades, repeatedly came under scrutiny by German youth protection authorities and the criminal justice system. In no other country did Romero’s masterpiece suffer such severe censorship cuts as it did in Germany.

Even at the time of its theatrical release, the FSK refused to approve the uncut version. In order to be shown in theaters to audiences aged 18 and older, several minutes of highly violent scenes had to be cut. Even on VHS, only a heavily edited version was released; despite the removal of nearly all violent scenes, it was initially placed on the index and shortly thereafter seized nationwide for alleged glorification of violence (Section 131 of the German Criminal Code). For decades, the uncensored version was effectively banned in Germany and could neither be sold nor publicly screened, while the freely available versions—which later flooded the DVD market—were mutilated beyond recognition.

“Zombie 2 – Day of the Dead” caused a curious media scandal in January 2022. The cultural channel arte accidentally aired the uncensored version during late-night programming and in its online video library. Since the film had already been rated for ages 12 and up in France, the editorial team got tangled up in the confusion surrounding the various international cuts. The German public prosecutor’s office launched an investigation into the violation of the distribution ban but subsequently dropped the case, as the broadcast was primarily managed by arte’s headquarters in Strasbourg, France.

In early 2026, the legal situation finally took a decisive turn: All seizures were lifted, and the title was removed from the index. The FSK re-evaluated the film and granted the uncut original version a “Not Approved for Minors” rating (18 and older). This marked the official end of a nearly 40-year censorship odyssey, and “Zombie 2 – Day of the Dead” can now be viewed legally and in its uncut version in Germany for the first time.

George Andrew Romero was born on February 4, 1940, in New York City to a Cuban father and a Lithuanian-American mother. Even as a child, he developed a strong passion for filmmaking and, at the age of 14, began shooting his first short films with an 8mm camera. After studying graphic design at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, he co-founded the production company The Latent Image with friends, initially using it to shoot commercials and short films.

Romero achieved his international breakthrough in 1968 with his feature film debut, “Night of the Living Dead”. Produced independently on an extremely low budget, this black-and-white film completely redefined the horror genre. With it, Romero created the modern concept of the slow-moving, man-eating undead and deliberately used the genre as a platform for socially critical subtexts.

In the decades that followed, Romero consistently expanded his body of work. His six-part “Dead” series, in particular, achieved cult status not only among horror fans. While “Dawn of the Dead” (1978) is set in a shopping mall and serves as a biting satire on consumer-driven U.S. society, “Day of the Dead” (1985) explores the fatal power struggle between the military and the scientific community. Twenty years later, Romero continued the “Dead” series once again, addressing current issues such as social inequality and media hysteria in “Land of the Dead” (2005), “Diary of the Dead” (2007), and “Survival of the Dead” (2009).

Throughout his life, Romero was regarded as a pioneer of independent U.S. cinema. He steadfastly refused to fully submit to the commercial pressures of the major Hollywood studio system in order to preserve his artistic freedom and uncompromising vision. George A. Romero passed away on July 16, 2017, at the age of 77.

Tom Savini is a special effects artist, makeup artist, director, and actor. He is considered one of the most influential pioneers of splatter and gore cinema. His experiences as a photographer for the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War shaped his stark, uncompromising realism in depicting anatomical injuries and blood effects.

He achieved his international breakthrough through his close collaboration with George A. Romero. Following his groundbreaking special effects for “Martin” (1977), “Dawn of the Dead” (1978), and “Creepshow” (1982), Savini developed extremely elaborate, highly realistic prosthetics and gore effects for “Day of the Dead”—such as the dismemberment of bodies, the feeding scenes of the undead, and the makeup for the intelligent zombie Bub. For this outstanding work, he was awarded the Saturn Award for Best Special Effects.

In addition to his work behind the camera, Savini regularly appears as an actor, including in “From Dusk Till Dawn” (1996), “Planet Terror” (2007), and “Machete” (2010). In 1990, he also directed the remake of the Romero classic “Night of the Living Dead.”