George A Romero’s sprawling, overlooked 1981 film has an outrageous setup but never punches down
Knightriders is streaming in Australia on Stan. For more recommendations of what to stream in Australia, click here
With golden hair catching the light, a young Ed Harris rises with a lithe damsel from a bed of ferns. He flagellates himself in a river before kneeling in prayer, naked, grasping the hilt of a mighty broadsword. Now, clothed in an impressive suit of armour, Harris mounts his trusty steed. The beast growls to life, its engine rumbles and its two wheels spin – hang on a minute, they didn’t have motorbikes in the middle ages. And is that Stephen King in a trucker hat, heckling from the front row, while eating a giant sandwich?
Harris is playing Billy, the “King” of a troupe of petrol-head LARPing (that’s live action role-playing) enthusiasts, in George A Romero’s Knightriders – the 1981 follow-up to the director’s genius, zombie-filled social satire, Dawn of the Dead. Billy’s Camelot makes money by moving town to town, performing stunt shows and selling handmade crafts. But his kingdom isn’t just about playing dress-ups; he wants to create a new society for the drifters, lost souls and people the world leaves behind.
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