DAWN OF THE DEAD movie review

DAWN OF THE DEAD (1978) Dir. George A. Romero

Starring: David Emge, Ken Foree, Scott H. Reiniger, and Gaylen Ross

It took George Romero another ten years to get the next chapter in his Living Dead saga made.  After a court battle with co-producer John Russo from Night of the Living Dead, it was decided that Russo’s titles could feature the phrase, “of the Living Dead”, while Romero was now to use, “of the Dead”. (Dawn, Day, Land, Diary, Survival).  This legal matter was probably expected when you had so many different investors who wished to continue making these Zombie films but no one single person owned the rights.  Regardless of rights George A. Romero is considered the Father of the genre.

So in 1978, with the help of Italian director Dario Argento, Romero created DAWN OF THE DEAD.  The deal the two struck was that Romero could make the version he wanted and distribute it in the USA, while Argento would have the right to re-edit as he saw fight for a European release.   Romero assembled a team, which featured Vietnam Veteran Tom Savini as Make up FX creator, and this film was shot in color creating a whole new sense of style and freedom for Romero.

This time around we get another group of pseudo-strangers forced together to flee a society that is breaking down quickly.  The number of zombies has multiplied greatly from Night of the Living Dead and now rescue stations and safe havens were becoming scarce.  Two members of a Swat Team and two members of a news crew take flight in a helicopter looking for a place to go.  With fuel running low, they spot a mall and decide there would be a good place to land and figure out what to do next.  But once in the mall the group realizes that staying put with all this commerce at their disposal may be the best option.

Things go well for awhile, and this group isn’t prone to the ego and infighting as were the characters in Night, but once again the strongest character is a black man named Peter.  The other two men are weaker; one is cowardly while the other is reckless.  And of course there is a woman in the mix, this time not catatonic, but cast to the background until she demands to learn how to use a weapon and fly the helicopter.  Again Romero claims to not have intentionally cast a black man in the hero role, and also has written a somewhat stronger female character, although her role in the efforts of these men is limited.

Things go well for awhile, but soon recklessness and necessary chance come at a price.  There are just too many zombies.   Romero uses the mall and the surrounding area to show the isolation these characters feel, even in a place so large as a mall.  At that time in the 70’s shopping malls were scarce and new to the American Consumer.  The film has always been seen as a commentary on American Consumerism, something I have never quite agreed with.  I just think that holing up in a place so large with all it has to offer is a wise choice, although the characters do have some fun shopping once they feel secure, but hey there is boredom to reckon with.

Now to shift focus on the zombies and how they look in this film; Romero is using color and with the introduction of Tom Savini what we get are truly horrific looking creatures.  Savini has claimed to have gone for the type of realism he saw while fighting in Vietnam and everything from decaying flesh to brutal gunshot wounds are plentiful in this film.  This level of gore and violence was still rare in American Cinema, but it an esthetic approach Romero used and would continue to use in each of the other zombie films he would create.   Savini used make up FX to create zombies that had just turned, as well as zombies that were further along in their decay, as well as a whole host of zombie created wounds. 

Now shooting in a working mall was not easy.  The mall would be open during the day, but from 10pm until 7am, the cast and crew had their way with the place.  The film was shot only at night, except for some daytime stuff that was picked up later on.  It was budgeted at a mere $650,000 and looks fantastic based on such limited financing.  One interesting fact is that the entire ending scene when the Bikers crash the mall and let in all the zombies was basically all improvised and not originally part of Romero’s script.  You get that feeling when watching the part of the movie as the story pauses for some real insanity and fun.  This gory horror flick definitely has a subtle sense of humor and is part of what makes it great. 

Ultimately, as would be expected some of the cast dies, but this time around not all of them do.  Peter, the hero and Fran the ever-stronger female survive, but not before Peter tells Fran to leave while he stays behind to shot himself.  He has a change of heart and suddenly finds himself in a fist fight with many zombies with some of the cheesiest A-Team sounding music, adding to the humor and horror of the scene.  Romero originally intended on Peter killing himself and Fran getting on the helicopter and then sticking her head in the rotating blade, but decided to allow some characters to survive.

The film ends with the two acknowledging that they are low on fuel, and don’t know where to go next.  Although they have survived the movie, we have no reason to believe or know how long or if they will survive later.

Added Note:  Argento’s edit of the movie cuts out a lot of the humor and he changes the music to actually create a more horrific and tighter version that Romero’s.  Romero’s is more fun, but Argento’s is more horrifying.

Romero’s Grade: A

Argento’s Grade: A+