Eleven years after Night of the Living Dead stormed onto drive in theater screens George Romero gave us the incredible Dawn of the Dead, which is the first epic horror film. The zombie epidemic is sweeping the nation as society slowly descends into chaos. Two SWAT team members and two employees of a television devise a plan where they'll steal a traffic helicopter and fly to "safety". Where they end up is a shopping mall that on the surface seems like a paradise: everything you could ever want. But it soon turns into a hell as they continually have to deal with the living and the living dead throughout their ordeal. Romero's main comment with DotD is about commercialism. I've often walked through stores, usually at Christmas time and had the hokey tune from the end credits pop into my head. Even as zombies we wnat to go to the mall. It also examines what happens when you get what you want. Are material goods enought to make you happy? Romeros answer is a big, dead no.
DotD features some of the goriest effects of its time, delivered by effects guru Tom Savini. This film is not rated, so if you're easily gagged tread with caution as Romero goes balls out '70's style. It's a potent film. If David Lean had directed a horror movie this would have been it.
Dawn of the Dead is a legendary film that sealed Romero's legacy even more so than Night of the Living Dead. The tag line says it all: When there's no more room in hell, the dead will walk the earth.
No comments:
Post a Comment