George A. Romero returns to the living dead with Dawn of the Dead. Night of the Living Dead is over & now it’s dawn. In Dawn, a group of four survivors holes up in a shopping mall in order to hold off their impending deaths at the ends of flesh eating zombies. Despite some of the gore in Dawn of the Dead, it’s a subtle film that is driven more by its characters than the plot of the film.
What did I learn from Dawn of the Dead?
- when there’s no more room in Hell the dead will walk the Earth
- a helicopter is a good vehicle to have in the zombie apocalypse
- a shopping mall is not a great place to hide during a zombie invasion
- bikers are hardcore
- Tom Savini proves that he is the master of gore effects
- zombies will return to shopping malls because it somehow reminds them of something in their past
- everyone thinks that Canada is a safe haven in times of disaster
- Muzak is really bad music
- living in a shopping mall is a materialistic utopia
Do I recommend this film?
Romero’s Dawn of the Dead is a fantastic film. It’s my second favourite horror movie (second only to Halloween). I’ve heard a lot of people complain that the original Dawn is slow & boring. I’ll admit that the story is slower than some horror movies. It doesn’t hit you over the hit with flashy jump cuts or jump scares. Dawn of the Dead is a film that is character driven. The 2004 remake of Dawn of the Dead takes a different approach to the story & turns it into an action film. The remake works on its own level & I highly recommend checking it out too.
Watch the trailer here:
2 responses so far ↓
Toby Graham // October 15, 2008 at 9:12 am |
Agree totally, as for the remake I thought it’s one, if not the best, remake to date. The opening of the film was spectacular.
Mark Wilson // October 15, 2008 at 9:16 am |
Toby,
I completely agree about the remake. It’s great.