If Night of the Living Dead started the zombie genre then 1978’s Dawn of the Dead took it to the next level. In my opinion it is one of those rare sequels that is vastly superior to the original. At it’s core the premise is very simple. Just like last time there is a zombie outbreak causing nationwide panic. We open in a TV studio where a doctor is trying to explain how to control the situation however he is met with complete hostility from everyone on the set. We then cut to an apartment block where we see just how bad the situation truly is when a police SWAT team have to control the horde of flesh eating zombies. During the chaos 2 officers on the squad Peter (Ken Foree) and Roger (Scott h. Reiniger) head off to escape via helicopter along with 2 survivors who have left the studio. TV traffic reporter Stephen (David Emge) and his weather reporter girlfriend Francine (Gaylen Ross). During a near fatal experience at an abandoned petrol station they finally take refuge in an abandoned shopping mall which they remain for the rest of the film.
First of all when talking about this movie the setting is a key aspect. The Monroeville Mall is up there with the bates motel, the macneil house, the Amityville house and the overlook hotel for most iconic building in a horror movie. The fact that it is an actual shopping mall adds real authenticity to it. It still stands today and is a very popular tourist spot for fans of the film. The characters are also outstanding particulary Ken Foree. This is a rare horror film where you don’t want any of the main characters to die. However what makes this film so memorable (aside from the gory special effects from effects maestro Tom savini who also makes a cameo in the film as the leader of the biker gang who try to take control of the mall near the end of the film) is the heavy use of social commentary. The film basically compares regular shoppers to zombies. One piece of dialogue that makes this obvious is when the characters first arrive at the mall, They look down and observe the horde. Francine asks “what are they doing? Why do they come here?” to which Stephen replies “some kind of instinct. Memory of what they used to do. This was an important place in their lives.” This actually portrays the zombies as being tragic characters as the only memories they have of their former selves are not of their loved ones but the need to consume. I personally like to view the biker gang as being the real villains of the film as they just want to rob and then destroy the mall.
There also seems to be a very subtle theme about the argument of religion vs. science. Early on in the film Peter and Roger are approached by a priest with one leg. Later on when the characters are watching TV a scientist wearing an eye-patch is on discussing how these creatures function. I’m probably looking too deep into that but it does seem very random.
Dawn of the Dead remains for me the greatest zombie film of all time and as already mentioned that rare sequel that I rank higher than the original. It’s a strong contender for the film I’ve seen the most number of times and it will never grow old for me.
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