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IMDbPro

Dawn of the Dead

  • 19781978
  • UnratedUnrated
  • 2h 7m
IMDb RATING
7.8/10
119K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
3,095
119
John Paul in Dawn of the Dead (1978)
Trailer for Dawn Of The Dead
Play trailer2:40
5 Videos
99+ Photos
  • Horror
  • Thriller
Following an ever-growing epidemic of zombies that have risen from the dead, two Philadelphia S.W.A.T. team members, a traffic reporter, and his television executive girlfriend seek refuge i... Read allFollowing an ever-growing epidemic of zombies that have risen from the dead, two Philadelphia S.W.A.T. team members, a traffic reporter, and his television executive girlfriend seek refuge in a secluded shopping mall.Following an ever-growing epidemic of zombies that have risen from the dead, two Philadelphia S.W.A.T. team members, a traffic reporter, and his television executive girlfriend seek refuge in a secluded shopping mall.
IMDb RATING
7.8/10
119K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
3,095
119
  • Director
    • George A. Romero
  • Writer
    • George A. Romero
  • Stars
    • David Emge
    • Ken Foree
    • Scott H. Reiniger
Top credits
  • Director
    • George A. Romero
  • Writer
    • George A. Romero
  • Stars
    • David Emge
    • Ken Foree
    • Scott H. Reiniger
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 762User reviews
    • 178Critic reviews
    • 71Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 2 wins & 2 nominations

    Videos5

    Dawn of the Dead (1978)
    Trailer 2:40
    Dawn of the Dead (1978)
    Dawn of the Dead (1978)
    Trailer 1:01
    Dawn of the Dead (1978)
    Dawn of the Dead (1978)
    Trailer 3:44
    Dawn of the Dead (1978)
    Upside Down the Rabbit Holes of "Stranger Things"
    Clip 3:45
    Upside Down the Rabbit Holes of "Stranger Things"
    Scariest Movie Moments
    Video 1:34
    Scariest Movie Moments

    Photos784

    Dawn of the Dead (1978)
    John Paul in Dawn of the Dead (1978)
    John Paul in Dawn of the Dead (1978)
    Goblin and Sharon Hill in Dawn of the Dead (1978)
    John Paul in Dawn of the Dead (1978)
    John Paul in Dawn of the Dead (1978)
    John Paul in Dawn of the Dead (1978)
    John Paul in Dawn of the Dead (1978)
    John Paul in Dawn of the Dead (1978)
    John Paul in Dawn of the Dead (1978)
    John Paul in Dawn of the Dead (1978)
    Dawn of the Dead (1978)

    Top cast

    Edit
    David Emge
    David Emge
    • Stephenas Stephen
    Ken Foree
    Ken Foree
    • Peteras Peter
    Scott H. Reiniger
    Scott H. Reiniger
    • Rogeras Roger
    Gaylen Ross
    Gaylen Ross
    • Francineas Francine
    David Crawford
    • Dr. Fosteras Dr. Foster
    David Early
    • Mr. Bermanas Mr. Berman
    Richard France
    Richard France
    • Scientistas Scientist
    Howard Smith
    Howard Smith
    • TV Commentatoras TV Commentator
    Daniel Dietrich
    • Givensas Givens
    Fred Baker
    • Commanderas Commander
    James A. Baffico
    • Wooleyas Wooley
    • (as Jim Baffico)
    Rod Stouffer
    • Young Officer on Roofas Young Officer on Roof
    Jese Del Gre
    • Old Priestas Old Priest
    Clayton McKinnon
    • Officer in Project Apt.as Officer in Project Apt.
    John Rice
    John Rice
    • Officer in Project Apt.as Officer in Project Apt.
    Ted Bank
    • Officer at Police Dockas Officer at Police Dock
    Randy Kovitz
    Randy Kovitz
    • Officer at Police Dockas Officer at Police Dock
    Patrick McCloskey
    • Officer at Police Dockas Officer at Police Dock
    • Director
      • George A. Romero
    • Writer
      • George A. Romero
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Tom Savini chose the gray color for the zombies' skin, since Night of the Living Dead (1968) was in B&W and the zombie skin-tone was not depicted. He later said it was a mistake, because many of them ended up looking quite blue on film.
    • Goofs
      When Roger runs out of a truck and back toward the mall, one particular zombie in a red-and-black striped shirt gets out of character and decides to tuck in his shirt.
    • Quotes

      Francine Parker: They're still here.

      Stephen: They're after us. They know we're still in here.

      Peter: They're after the place. They don't know why; they just remember. Remember that they want to be in here.

      Francine Parker: What the hell are they?

      Peter: They're us, that's all. There's no more room in hell.

      Stephen: What?

      Peter: Something my granddaddy used to tell us. You know Macumba? Voodoo. Granddad was a priest in Trinidad. Used to tell us, "When there's no more room in hell, the dead will walk the Earth."

    • Crazy credits
      George A. Romero appears on screen as a TV Station Director (the bearded man wearing a scarf and a blue shirt) as his name appears, listing him as "Editor", in the on-screen credits beneath him.
    • Alternate versions
      The original UK cinema version (aka Romero's 'theatrical print') was cut by 3 mins 46 secs by the BBFC to remove an exploding head and a screwdriver killing plus stabbings and scenes of disembowelment, and the 1989 video version lost a further 12 secs of gore and shooting plus a scene of a woman's neck being bitten during the housing project sequence. Some cuts were restored in the alternate 1997 Directors Cut video although 6 secs remained missing including the exploding head, neck bite and an additional edit to the shooting of the two zombie children (in response to the 1997 Dunblane massacre). All cuts were fully waived in 2003 from both the Directors Cut and the original theatrical versions. The later Blu-Ray release by Arrow was uncut as well.
    • Connections
      Edited into Cent une tueries de zombies (2012)
    • Soundtracks
      Cosmogony Part 1
      (uncredited)

      Composed by Paul Lemel

      Published by De Wolfe Music Ltd.

    User reviews762

    Review
    Top review
    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
    helpful•147
    28
    • gary_dillon
    • Jan 22, 2001

    FAQ7

    • What is this movie really about?
    • Is this film related to "Zombi 2"?
    • How many different versions do exist of this movie?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • 1979 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • United States
      • Italy
    • Languages
      • English
      • Spanish
    • Also known as
      • Zombies
    • Filming locations
      • Monroeville Mall - Business Route 22, Monroeville, Pennsylvania, USA
    • Production companies
      • Laurel Group
      • Dawn Associates
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $650,000 (estimated)
    • Gross worldwide
      • $159,822
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 7 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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