DIRECTED BY: STARRING: |
GENRE: Horror
YEAR: 1978
RATED: R
Every top 10 of best horror films should have this movie in it! Written and directed by George Romero, DAWN is the spectacular sequel to his 1968 cult classic, NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD. The characters are different, but the conflict remains the same. Simply stated…the corpses of the recently dead are returning to life and feeding on the living!
DAWN begins in a frantic network newsroom, conveying quickly that humanity is on the losing streak. With regular society clearly relinquishing its grip on things, our four main characters (Roger, Peter, Stephen and Fran) decide to abandon Philadelphia in a stolen traffic helicopter before it’s too late…before the zombies overrun the city completely. On their way to Canada, the four set down on an abandoned shopping mall. Since it has everything they need, the group decides to stay and take the mall for themselves. What’s stands in their way, the innumerable bloodthirsty zombies in the mall already…
If you let yourself get into it, this movie is a lot of fun. Romero even seems to be making some social commentary at the same time. The only thing this film has going against it is poor music choices. Romero, I’m sure, wanted to use inappropriate music to stress the absurdity of certain situations. While this was successful at points, Romero does it far too often. As a result, certain pivotal scenes end up hokey and the movie suffers because of it. Regardless though, I still love this film. Let’s be honest, most of the movies that we love are not perfect, but they still have certain qualities that make them great.
If at all possible, see the Director’s Cut of this. It contains additional footage that greatly adds to the film overall. Also, be sure to look for cameos by Romero as a news director and horror master makeup artist Tom Savini as a biker.
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DIRECTED BY: STARRING: |
