131 - Dawn of the Dead (1978)

DVD Box

Dawn Of The Dead is the second of George A. Romero's zombie Trilogy of the Dead.

The apocalypse has started and zombies are now roaming the planet. Anyone they bite will turn into a zombie when they die so the human race is fearing for its life.

Four such survivors steal a helicopter and begin their hunt for supplies. They reach a shopping mall infested with zombies and attempt to hold it for as long as possible - against all foes.

Theatrical Poster
Source: Wikipedia

So is Romero having a dig at modern culture, albeit with a lot of splatter? Quite possibly. In today's consumerist society very little is unique; everyone is going around in the same clothes from Primark (unless of course you live in Knightsbridge). Likewise, in order to get to said Primark, everyone must trundle through the humdrum of the shopping centre aimlessly pushing around trolleys and finding those most sought-after bargains. Just thinking about it makes me wonder if Romero wasn't an advocate for discount clothing at some point in his life.

Despite the apocalypse it's not all doom and gloom; Dawn Of The Dead is less a horror and more a comedy. While there are certainly elements that will make you jump, there are many more scenes that will make you snigger at the sheer variety of ways that zombies can be killed. Somehow, killing zombies has never been so... tasteful. That's not to say there is no violence against the human species. Yes, blood capsules at the ready; there are a lot of spilled guts.

There isn't much outside the screaming by the way of acting, but who cares. Since when has that ever mattered during a comedy or horror. The audience is there to be entertained by fake blood and rolling heads, and the more laughs they can have the better. I'm wondering if perhaps our society is a little sadistic.

Daft, mad and completely unrealistic. I love it!

• Empire Review 
• Internet Movie Database
• Wikipedia