40th Anniversary Of Dawn Of The Dead

In horror movie history, there is no doubt that zombies have left a big impact on many classic films. Flesh eating dead people, attacking living humans have been a very effective horror genre for a very long time in cinema history. You could probably say that the first zombie movie ever made, was Victor Halperin´s White Zombie, released in the year of 1932. I have not seen this film, but i am of course curious to watch it for many reasons. Another zombie film i am also curious to see, is the movie Doctor Blood´s Coffin from 1961. This film is actually one of the first zombie films that was shot in color, and is directed by legendary director Sydney J. Furie. In my personal view, the real zombie classic that really made an impact worldwide has to be the 1968 film Night Of The Living Dead by legendary director George A. Romero. It was this film that made George A. Romero´s name very respected in the horror society worldwide. Not only was Night Of The Living Dead a unique film, it also showed a very different view on people coming back to life. The film have always had a big cult following of fans, and i know that many horror fans consider this to be one of the greatest zombie films ever made. But it was director George A. Romero´s next film, Dawn Of The Dead, that would push the zombie genre forward with a much more larger scale of violence and gore. Released in 1978, this film became another cult hit for the director of Night Of The Living Dead. I did not see Dawn Of The Dead until in my early 20´s, and that was when i bought a dvd collection of George A. Romero´s zombie films. I watched Day Of The Dead ( a film i still love even today ) first, until i went on to see Dawn Of The Dead. Now, since i have not seen the film for many years, i decided to watch the Extended Version on blu ray, to see if i would appreciate the film at the 40th Anniversary of Dawn Of The Dead. I got myself a copy of the 4 disc Italian blu ray release, with different versions of the film, including some really nice special features. Is it possible that Dawn Of The Dead is one of the greatest zombie classics still today, or has the film grown old and don´t have much to offer us anymore ?

At the WGAN television studio in Philadelphia, a lot of people are confused and shocked. All over America, dead people have come back to life and walk the streets for human flesh. Why have they come back to life, and what caused this to happen ? Police SWAT officer Roger DeMarco ( Scott Reiniger ) and SWAT member Peter Washington ( Ken Foree ) meet up with WGAN staff members Stephen Andrews ( David Emge ) and Francine Parker ( Gaylen Ross ), who have a plan to steal the WGAN helicopter. They manage to get away, and find a big shopping mall where they can get supplies, food, weapons, clothes and anything they need. But inside this shopping mall, there are plenty of dead corpses walking around. To get everything they need, they will have to do anything they can to protect their own lives. Is there any safe place left, or have the dead taken over the world completely ?

Knowing that 40 years have passed, i can still feel that Dawn Of The Dead have a lot to offer after so many years. This is a timeless classic that will forever be close in many horror fans hearts, and perhaps the biggest classic of legendary director George A. Romero´s career. I realise that some fans will say that Night Of The Living Dead is his greatest work. I personally enjoy Dawn Of The Dead more than Night Of The Living Dead. But let´s get into why i enjoy Dawn Of The Dead. First of all, the characters of this film is really good. Just look at the character Peter Washington, played by actor Ken Foree. He is tough as hell, and is not afraid to take down any zombies in his way. And he clearly loves guns, something you will notice later on in the film. The other characters Stephen ( David Emge ), Roger ( Scott Reiniger ) and the wonderful Francine ( Gaylen Ross ) all make great contributions to their characters. Then we have some really good looking make up effects by legendary make up artist Tom Savini, especially the flesh wounds and the head shots. Even if this was made in the late 70´s, you could tell that Tom Savini really knew exactly what he was doing, and what the zombies needed to look like. It becomes very clear that director George A. Romero have chosen a perfect location to have a zombie invasion, in a shopping mall. In ordinary day life, this is the place where families go to have dinner, or go shopping together, just to enjoy themselves and relax. So to use this family friendly zone, and bring in flesh eating dead people is a perfect choice. There are also some really funny scenes, especially when the music starts playing in the shopping mall speakers, and zombies are very confused what they are hearing. This could also be a sign that director George A. Romero wanted to show that dead people might react to things, in a very different way than we think. There are some gory scenes, but not too much. I feel that the film focus more on the survival instinct, and how far we will go to make sure we are safe. The plot may be very simple, but works really well with the great characters. And i have to say, the camera technique by director George A. Romero makes this film more effective from a horror perspective. There is no doubt, after 40 years this is a film that still have a lot to offer. Dawn Of The Dead will always be a cult classic, and should be seen by a younger generation. Who wants to have some fun at the local shopping mall ? Might as well bring a chainsaw, just in case the dead are still walking around.

Rating: DDDD