| Cover Art |
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| Credits |
Director: George.
A. Romero
Starring: David Emge,
Scott. H. Reiniger, Gaylen Ross, Ken Foree
Screenplay: George.
A. Romero
Music: Goblin and Dario
Argento
Tagline:When there's
no more room in hell the dead will walk the earth"
Country: USA |
George. A. Romero's seminal Zombie epic Dawn of the Dead is still unsurpassed
in the annals of horror cinema. Even the director's
own sequel Day of the Dead didn't
reach the heights of political rhetoric and bloody
gore that his 1978 masterpeice did. In short it's
almost unreviewable in the context of horror cinema
as it is held in such high esteem.
The sequel to his own film Night of the
Living Dead, itself a revolutionary horror
film that ended with Zombies taking over the world
and the deaths of the entire major cast members. Dawn of the Dead matches its
bleak, nihilistic approach but adds technicolour
slapstick humour to the mix.
Following on from Night of the Living
Dead, the world is in meltdown, Zombies
are taking over, shuffling around and dining on
the living. Our four survivors escape in a helicopter
and take refuge in an abandoned shopping mall.
Sealing themselves in they have everything they
could want but are unwilling to share it when
a gang of bikers threaten to destroy their sanctuary.
The Hells Angels break in letting in the Zombies
but rather than join forces against the undead
the humans fight to the death leaving the zombies
with some ready to eat meals.
The performances are excellent, Ken Foree and
Scott. H. Reinger play the Swat team buddies with
glee as they sprint around the mall securing themselves
against the zombie shoppers. Gaylen Ross' wide
eyed portrayal desperately conveys the terror
and frustration of the predicament they have been
forced into. Romero uses a series of still life
compositions as our heroes gradually become bored
of the mall. Despite having everything they could
want it seems like a relief when the bikers invade
their haven and they can once again put on their
fatigues and go to battle.
The effects by Tom Savini are wonderful. The
films relatively low budget doesn't seem
to have hindered Savini's succession of
ingenious and bloody deaths. Heads are scalped
by helicopters, screwdrivers are driven into ears,
stomachs ripped open, machetes are smashed into
heads and chunks of flesh are chewed on by the
zombie hoards. They may be only sprayed with grey
paint but these zombies mean business.
The music is a mix of synthesizer rock by Italian
prog-rock legends Goblin and mall musak. The combination
works well, the repetitive sounds of the mall
turn it into a claustrophobic nightmare.
As said Romero's sequel to Dawn
of the Dead, Day of the Dead,
wasn't the success that Dawn was either
critically or at the box office. Incredibly gory,
it lacked the likeable characters that make Dawn
so enjoyable. He is presently shooting Land
of the Dead, so hopefully the film will
once again return to the devastating style of
filmmaking we know Romero is capable of. Then
again, Dawn of the Dead is a
lot to live up to. |
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