Dawn of the Dead
Director: George A Romero
Screenplay: Ted Bank, Tony Buba, Sharon Ceccatti, Pan Chatfield, Jim Christopher
Producers: Claudio Argento, Richard P. Rubinstein and Alfredo Cuomo
Release Date: May 24, 1979 (USA)
Running Time: 127 minutes
Summary
A gripping, gory remake of the cult horror classic: the undead walk the earth as flesh-eating zombies, trapping a disparate group of desperate people in a suburban shopping mall.
Dawn of the Dead Description
Ten years on from the Night of the Living Dead, comes Dawn of the dead and civilisation is crumbling. The story unfolds in the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania USA. Stephen and Francine are two TV station workers who on realising the horror of the situation unveiled in a TV interview decide to run.
They team up with two policemen, Roger and Peter and the four escape in the TV station’s helicopter. They eventually come across a large shopping Mall in Monroeville near Pittsburgh and decide to take sanctuary there.
They manage to barricade themselves inside and prepare to wait it out until the worst of the crisis is over. It’s a good plan in theory. However, there is a growing hoard of undead gathering outside and a constant threat from murderous looters inside.
Violence Rating
The main premise of George A. Romero’s Zombie movies are the shocking violent images. There is a lot more in these films than just the violence which at times is balanced with humour. However, the shocking imagery is a constant and if you cannot deal with sudden shocks of graphic gore, don’t go there!
Dawn of the Dead Verdict
George A. Romero and his zombies are back and this time they’re in colour! These films are not for the feint hearted. Bone crunching, flesh-ripping, scenes of unspeakable violence the like of which have never been seen in a mall, even on black friday! But Dawn of the Dead is not just about the gore. There is a compelling story line of human frailty, resourcefulness, compassion and the instinct to survive.
If you can get past the watching through your fingers stage, there is a lot in these films to be admired. George A. Romero is a pioneer of the Zombie genre. It is these films that have created the concept of what we perceive as a zombie today and they have inspired countless movies since. You will find humour, drama, and some interesting scenarios that encourage us to question how we would behave when faced with desperation. But mostly there is a lot of blood, guts and gore. You have been warned!
