The Dawn Of The Dead Description
Picking up where NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD
left off, and still offering no explanation of why the dead are
walking the earth, DAWN plunges headlong into one of the most
violent and original horror films ever made. After securing an
apartment building overcome with flesh-eating zombies, two
Philadelphia area SWAT team members, Peter (Ken Foree) and Roger
(Scott Reiniger), flee to a television station, where they escape
in the station’s helicopter with Francine (Gaylen Ross) and
Stephen (David Emge), two station employees. Seeking refuge from
the zombies and the ensuing hysteria, they land on top of a
Pittsburgh area shopping mall, despite the fact that the undead
seem to be flocking there. What begins as a stop for supplies
becomes a longer stay as the four become embroiled in a futile war
within the mall to keep their flesh to themselves and remain
alive. The film’s relentlessly disturbing and innovative gore
effects are one reason to see DAWN OF THE DEAD, but those who can
stomach the endless barrage of blood and gnarled zombie faces will
be rewarded--and possibly surprised--by what the film says about
human nature and life within a consumer-based culture. Any
aficionado of horror is likely to place the film high on their
list of revered cinema.
"Some kind of instinct. Memory of what used
to be. This was an important place in their lives."--Steve
Andrews (David Emge) on why the zombies are flocking to the mall
Theatrical release: April 10, 1979 (USA).
DAWN OF THE DEAD went into production in November 1977, with a
budget of $1.5 million.
The mall sequences were filmed at the Monroeville Mall in
Monroeville, PA. The tenement scenes were shot in Pittsburgh's
Hill District, the area upon which the TV series HILL STREET BLUES
was based.
Several versions of the film exist, as a result of the censorship
policies of different countries.
The editing of the 121-minute Italian version was supervised by
co-producer Dario Argento.
Director George Romero makes a cameo appearance in the television
station at the beginning of the film.
Gore maestro Tom Savini appears as the leader of a biker gang who
is eviscerated by zombies in the shopping mall.
Most of the 143 storeowners in the mall allowed their stores to be
photographed in the film.
Director George Romero's tongue-in-cheek sequel
to NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD is so grotesque that it achieves a
kind of comic bliss. In the modern cathedral of materialism, a
shopping mall, flesh-eating zombies browse for more victims. Four
horrified survivors fend off the gruesome shoppers as the mall
fills with the once-living.
"...DAWN pummels the viewer with a series
of ever-more-grisly events....Romero's strong suit is pacing and
technical fluidity. His film has a keen visual sense that tersely
extracts the maximum from all the bloodletting..."
