Halloween horror marathon: Dawn of the Dead

poster-dawn-of-the-deadIs there a movie that represents the pinnacle of zombie movies more than Dawn of the Dead? I think not. It perfectly encapsulates the social critique inherent in the genre. Seriously – it’s set in a fucking mall. I wouldn’t be surprised if there weren’t a few graduate theses written on Romero’s work, especially this masterwork.

Yeah, it might seem a tad hyperbolic to consider a zombie movie a masterwork, but Dawn of the Dead owns it. Romero’s social commentary from the OG Night of the Living Dead is alive and kicking. One of the survivors, and the dude who has it all together: Peter, an African American, much like Ben in Night of the Living Dead.

The zombies are the slow, plodding ones, more frightening because of the numbers and unstoppable, unceasing, unknowing force of will. Hell, it’s not even will: it’s just an impetus driving the undead to the mall, where they’re unrelenting in their desire to get in.

Tom Savini’s band of marauders almost ruin the tenor of the film. While I understand the need to generate some tension – as opposed to slow-burn frission – in order to keep Dawn of the Dead from turning into an arthouse meditation on captivity, it still changes the movie from a quiet flick to something big and loud. It’s not quite as diametric a switch as what takes place in From Dusk Til Dawn, but there’s certainly an abrupt tonal shift.

For all I complain about the ending, the rest of the film is so entirely excellent, you’ll be hard-pressed to find anything better. The news stories at the beginning are perfectly self-contained pieces, worth watching on their own, and lend the film a sense of story and place.