Dawn of the Dead (1978)

Following an ever-growing epidemic of zombies that have risen from the dead, two Philadelphia SWAT team members, a traffic reporter, and his television-executive girlfriend seek refuge in a secluded shopping mall.

Director:

George A. Romero

Writer:

George A. Romero

Stars:

David Emge, Ken Foree, Scott H. Reiniger

2 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
David Emge	...	Stephen
Ken Foree	...	Peter
Scott H. Reiniger	...	Roger
Gaylen Ross	...	Francine
David Crawford	...	Dr. Foster
David Early	...	Mr. Berman
Richard France	...	Scientist
Howard Smith	...	TV Commentator
Daniel Dietrich	...	Givens
Fred Baker	...	Commander
James A. Baffico	...	Wooley (as Jim Baffico)
Rod Stouffer	...	Young Officer on Roof
Jese Del Gre	...	Old Priest
Clayton McKinnon	...	Officer in Project Apt.
John Rice	...	Officer in Project Apt.

Storyline

In this first sequel of "Night of the Living Dead," four people take up residence in a deserted mall while trying to stay alive amid the armies of the dead and a vicious gang of militant bikers.

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Plot Keywords:

mall | sequel | shopping mall | helicopter | flesh eating zombies | 

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Taglines:

In 1968, George Romero brought us "Night of the Living Dead." It became the classic horror film of its time. Now, George Romero brings us the most intensely shocking motion picture experience for all time.

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Genres:

Horror | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

X

Details

Country:

Italy USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 May 1979 (USA)

Also Known As:

George A. Romero's Dawn of the Dead

Filming Locations:

Harold W. Brown Memorial Field - 3926 Logans Farm Road, Monroeville, Pennsylvania, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$650,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Laurel Group

Technical Specs

Runtime:

127 min 156 min (Ultimate Final Cut) 119 min (Dario Argento's European Version) 128 min (DVD) 139 min (Extended Version)

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (German prints) Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The late Ralph Tallo, Father of Nick Tallo (who plays Jack, The Biker with Seltzer Bottle in the movie itself) appears as the Grey Suited Zombie who attacks Stephen outside the abandoned airport chart house, who Stephen ends up wrestling with, and then Stephen defeats him by hitting him on the head with a sledgehammer.

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Goofs

When Peter, Stephen, and Roger are leaving Penney's to run for the car inside the mall in order to lock the entrances, Stephen almost forgets to give Fran the keys to the department store. He gives her the keys, yet right after Peter stops pushing Roger and is firing at zombies before entering the car seconds later, the keys are clearly visible hanging from Peter's pant leg.

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Quotes

Roger: Come on, Martinez.
Wooley: Yeah, Martinez! Show your greasy little Puerto Rican ass so I can blow it right off!
[Cocks his gun]
Wooley: Blow ALL their asses off! Low-life bastards! Blow ALL their low-life little Puerto Rican and Nigger asses right off!

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Crazy Credits

"... Music by Dario Argento and THE GOBLINS"

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Connections

Referenced in The Silence of the Hams (1994)

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Soundtracks

"Torte In Faccia"
(uncredited)
Composed by Dario Argento, Claudio Simonetti, Massimo Morante, Fabio Pignatelli,
Antonio Marangolo, and Agostino Marangolo
Performed by Goblin

User Reviews

How much is that Zombie in the window

By turns horrific, hilarious, disgusting and absurd Dawn of the Dead is the work of a director truly on top of his game. Given almost total control (something which was to be denied Romero in later years) George Romero gives us his unique and vivid view of a world in absolute turmoil.

Not just a mockery of the hedonistic and empty America of the late 70's Dawn is also a parable or warning if you like of the brittle structure of society and how easily it can be disintegrated. Many have criticised the film for being too over the top and questioned the quality of the acting. This for me is one of the joys of the film, Romero uses gaudy sets and effects and combines this with comic book hero dialogue to lull us into a false sense of security. Then masterfully Romero pulls the rug out from under us and brings the reality of the situation crashing in on our heads.

Dawn stands alone well but really comes into its own as part of the trilogy to which it belongs. One theory of mine is that the Alien trilogy (forgetting the miserable fourth installment) takes a lot from the dead trilogy namely the pace and claustrophobia of the two which book-end the mass hysteria and over the top horror and violence of the middle film.

Undoubtedly one of the great Horror films of modern time. Or perhaps there is something about being the only people left alive and living in a shopping mall that appeals to the kid in all of us. 10/10