George Romero's second instalment of his zombie trilogy (soon to be quadrilogy) is, as noted many, many times before, not only regarded as the best of the three, but also one of the best horror films ever made.
In Night of the Living Dead (Inspired by Herk Harvey's mesmerising Carnival of Souls) he gave us a stark warning of things to come, as a band of strangers are holed up in a house that is attacked by zombies. And it gave us the famous horror quote "They're coming to get you, Barbara!"
Dawn of the Dead produced the even more famous quote "When there's no more room in hell, the dead will walk the earth" and set the standard for all zombie films that were to follow. Unfortunately for us the plethora that did arise were mainly European (usually by Lucio Fulci) with terrible acting, scripts and effects. To this day only Romero has done zombie films of any quality, though the Dawn remake was exceptionally good, but with rather empty characters, and as for horror/comedy, the first two 'Return of the Living Dead' films are excellent. As for Evil Dead, Evil Ed, Rabid, Shivers and 28 days Later, these weren't strictly zombie flicks so don't count.
Though some may say the violence is tame compared to these days, I disagree. These days films are driven by effects and big name stars. Romero's intelligent use of non-famous actors in lead roles, a character-driven plot and the (at the time) 'revolutionary' special effects makes his film dig deep into your psyche. It's because we actually care about the characters that makes it all the more frightening, something which is missing in the Dawn remake and many modern horrors.
While I actually enjoyed the Dawn
of the Dead remake, the characters were neither here nor there and it's the four protagonists; SWAT officers Roger and Peter, and husband and wife reporter-team Fran and Stephen that make this film what it is.
This is probably the second most watched film in my collection (after The Lost Boys). While non-horror fans will possibly not see past the zombies, it's because there's so much more to this film that makes it worth while. This film is more than just gore, it's more than jump out of your seat moments. It offers more than simple scares that you will find in films like Halloween or Nightmare on Elm Street, and there's something about that that's quite weird. We care about these characters and don't want them to die. They have serious issues and interactions. Fran and Stephen argue like a regular married couple. We discover Fran is pregnant. Stephen's insecurities are laid bare as he tries to prove himself to Roger and Peter, with dire consequences .We find out about the people they are leaving behind and we watch as their friendships break down from confinement. This is something we, the audience, usually don't have to deal with in a horror film. And all this is going on while outside the world is being devoured, and yet, at points, life is 'normal' - they argue, and they go to play games in the arcade. This is a very special and unique point that DotD has. In fact at times the zombies pose no more of a threat than a mild distraction from everyday goings on. Peter & Roger build fake walls to create a hideout, Fran learns to fly the helicopter. But it's observations like this that make the film special and true to life, I mean, isn't it part of human nature to be able to adapt and obtain some kind of normality in even the most difficult situations? Deep stuff, man.
It's this unique quality that makes DotD a stand-out film for me. If, like me, you thrive on films with excellent character development then you can't go wrong with DotD
Unlike the first 'Dead' film, this offers no explanation as to why the dead are coming back to life, and it begins in the middle of the madness, opening in a TV studio where everyone is running amok. The world has gone crazy, people are advised to leave their homes and take refuge in ever dwindling safe houses. The dead are rising up and killing. The people they kill are rising up and killing.
Fran and Stephen escape to the rooftop and flee in Stephen's helicopter, on a rendezvous with Roger, who, along with Peter, is part of a SWAT team about to raid an apartment block where a gang of Hispanics have barricaded themselves in. This is where the violence breaks out and we are given a taste of things to come, as we see a war explode between the opposing forces.
Peter & Roger, who at this point are strangers to each other, end up meeting in the basement of the apartment block. Roger invites Peter to go on the run, with his friend Stephen, and they all set off to find a safe haven. Instead what the find is an abandoned shopping mall, which they commandeer and turn it into their home-made refuge. They help themselves to an abundance of food, clothes and money, and play tennis on the rooftop. All the while the zombies gather outside the mall, trying desperately to get in, clumsily attempting to continue where they left off in their lives, as if they didn't realise they were dead.
But while the four heroes think they are having so much fun, they fail to realise the mall that is becoming their home is also becoming their prison.
One of the things that make this film so appealing is the setting. Isn't it everyone's fanatsy to be allowed to run wild in a massive shopping mall at least once? Taking what you want, doing what you want!?!?! There's a lot of fun in the beginning when our four heroes go mad in their new toy.
In between all the fun they make an attempt to secure the mall aginst all outsiders, humans as well as the dead, eradicating all the zombies that have come inside and barricading the doors with 16 wheelers. It is while they are protecting their prize possession that Roger is bitten by a zombie. His death is slow and painful, and he begs Peter not to let him turn into 'one of those things', and it's quite a sad moment when he says he's going to try hard not to come back.
The film slows down for a while as Peter, Stephen and Fran get used to life in the mall. Tensions rise with Fran's frustrations at being imprisoned, but Stephen and Peter think they have everything they need right there. Just as they are getting comfortable, the mall is raided by an army of bikers who pose more threat than the thousands of zombies gathering outside. The bikers take great pleasure in smashing everything up, looting and waging war with the living dead, including starting a pie fight!
The bikers fare no better and here we have the goriest moments as intestines are ripped out and arms torn from limbs. I've seen a few reviews where people say this is over the top but what would you expect from a zombie flick? I'm a fan of blood & guts so I think these scenes are great and the FX, by Tom Savini, are pretty amazing considering the films' age, although it does look rather comical due to the bright red blood that looks more like poster paint, and it was a reaction to the criticisms of the cartoonish look of the effects in DotD that made Romero use such devastatingly real effects in the third instalment of the trilogy, Day of the Dead. Now, like I say, I'm a fan of gore but even I felt queasy after watching that. No matter how good fx are today, that film is unbelievably real.
The end of the fun is nigh as a familiar face leads the hoards of zombies to the hidden rooms where our heroes have been hiding out. Here it does become edge-of-the-seat stuff as we wonder if anyone will get out alive. As ever, the somewhat downbeat, yet hopeful ending is something that makes Romero special, as it's always a pleasure to deviate from a typical happy ending.
Lastly I should mention the music, which was done by the band Goblin. It's certainly unusual for a horror film to have a decent soundtrack but this one is famous for being so. The seventies electronic keyboards are somehow perfect for the setting. The large, foreboding drum beats and catchy tunes make this a more enjoyable watch, and I can't explain how but it's very fitting.
Dawn of the Dead, still the best there is.
Looking forward to Land of the Dead!
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Production Year: 2000 - Horror - Director: Keenen Ivory Wayans - Original Language: English - Classification: 18 years and over - Starring: Carmen Electra, Anna Faris, Kurt Fuller, James Van Der Beek, Keenen Ivory Wayans
Possibly one of the greatest films of the 70's. Romero's pseudo-sequel to 'Night Of The ... more
Living Dead' places its heroes in a world overrun by flesh-eating Zombies. After securing an apartment building overcome with flesh-eating zombies two Philadelp...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
As modern society is consumed by zombie carnage, four desperate survivors flee from the ... more
area in a helicopter seeking refuge from the undead.A stop-off for supplies at a shopping mall in Pittsburgh area becomes a futile war as they become embroiled in a...
Advantages: Superb performances, visually stunning, an interesting take on the original tale. Disadvantages: Not the same social satire element as with the original.
![Dawn Of The Dead [1978] [1979] [DVD]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/78507453.jpg "Dawn Of The Dead [1978] [1979] [DVD]")
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