Dawn of the Dead (1978) A guiding light of the zombie genre (Review)

I remember being underwhelmed by my first encounter with George A. Romero’s Dawn of the Dead. With a need to see if I was the problem, my ulterior motives for reviewing this re-release from Second Sight was that, hopefully, my confounded outlook on what I had deemed the weakest entrance into the trilogy would improve. Night of the Living Dead provides the groundwork for what would become such a prolific genre, and Day of the Dead showcased how Romero was still the best in the game during this era of overexposure. Dawn of the Dead, then, heralds a shifting tone not just in how the genre is evolving, but horror on the whole. One of those rare moments where the tides are changing, and you can witness the move towards a more forthright, Hollywood horror, away from the era of horror Romero had a hand in creating. 

Finding ourselves with four survivors of the zombie apocalypse, Dawn of the Dead centres itself at the heart of America, the beacon of light for every red, white, and blue citizen – the shopping mall. An impromptu escape leads this small group and the extreme tensions between them to a temporary pitstop that turns into a permanent home. After spending a decade away from the land of the living dead, George A. Romero’s return to the genre that established his career is a triumphant one. He brings to the table a group that is both likeable and engaging. Clear character progression is at the forefront of this piece, represented well by a capable cast whose stars more or less faded out soon after this release. A shame, too, since David Emge, Ken Foree, Scott H. Reiniger, and Gaylen Ross all offer us some formidable performances.

Romero’s themes and messages are as biting as the undead that roam the stores and streets of his apocalyptic world. The nuances found within are far greater to appreciate a second time around. Dawn of the Dead is a film that criticises consumerism, whilst also using it as a safety blanket for the four survivors mulling around a shopping mall. Stephen and Francine’s inability to let go of the civilised amenities of life is showcased rather sporadically. Some rather obvious, strong jabs at the average American consumer are made too, with the undead relying on their most primitive of memories and hobbies, most of which consist of staggering through a shopping mall. Our characters manage to live and thrive rather peacefully for some time though, they live as one, moderately happy family. Like any family, though, the recriminations come to blows often. The outbursts and breakdowns bubble over, the tension and stress found within the confines of a strip mall’s attic rattle our quartet rather rapidly. With such strong chemistry between the four, it’s no surprise that Dawn of the Dead finds its footing rather easily. The highs and lows are documented with immense strength. 

Second Sight have really outdone themselves here, no wonder there’s so much buzz surrounding this remastering of Romero’s undead classic. An amazing variety of content to choose from, including the Theatrical, Argento, and Final Cuts of the film. Fans will be spoilt for choice with a wide variety of extras, documentaries, and behind-the-scenes clips to feast your eyes upon. Two feature-length documentaries, 1985’s Document of the Dead, and 2004’s The Dead Will Walk appear on the fourth disc, alongside Super 8 footage, a tour of the infamous mall, a half-hour of talk on production logistics, a previously unreleased interview with Romero, and Tom Savini explaining the special effects of Dawn of the Dead. If that weren’t enough, audio commentary tracks are available for all three versions of the film.

Writing off Dawn of the Dead as Dawn of the Dull isn’t my proudest moment, but I do think it’s important to look back on such an awful take. Growth as both a person and in artistic taste. My inability to appreciate this piece on my initial run-through wasn’t completely unfounded, there are certainly more than a handful of moments I would change, but this viewing was an overwhelmingly positive one. Era-defining, there’s no escaping the influence Dawn of the Dead has on the later films in the zombie genre. There’s no denying how great a guiding light this Romero piece is for budding filmmakers looking to take a shot at the genre, and, on the whole, Dawn of the Dead provides frightfully good entertainment, blending the survivalism of the first with the character depth and social commentary of the third, in turn providing a balanced, provocative feature. 

Thank you for reading Ewan’s Review of Dawn of the Dead

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