Movie 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 OF THE DEAD 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.
| Credits | | Producer: | Richard P. Rubinstein | | Cast: | David Crawford, David Early, David Emge, Gaylen Ross, George A. Romero, Scott Reiniger, Tom Savini |
| Details | | Edition: | Dario Argento Version |
Editorial Reviews "...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..." Variety - Sege. (04/18/1979)
"Fundamentally satirical, DAWN also has an essential -- but rarely remarked upon -- sadness." Entertainment Weekly - Chris Willman (03/19/2004)
"Romero himself is said to prefer this tauter version, which balances its low-budget gore with a sharp satire on consumer society..." Sight and Sound - James Bell (12/01/2004)
"[S]till highly effective, and as slyly funny as gory." Uncut - Peter Hogan (12/01/2004)
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