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Dawn of the Dead (1978)

Unrated  |   |  Horror  |  24 May 1979 (USA)
8.0
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Ratings: 8.0/10 from 84,508 users  
Reviews: 667 user | 206 critic

Following an ever-growing epidemic of zombies that have risen from the dead, two Philadelphia S.W.A.T. team members, a traffic reporter, and his television executive girlfriend seek refuge in a secluded shopping mall.

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Title: Dawn of the Dead (1978)

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
David Emge ...
...
...
Gaylen Ross ...
David Crawford ...
Dr. Foster
David Early ...
Mr. Berman
Richard France ...
Scientist
Howard Smith ...
TV Commentator
Daniel Dietrich ...
Fred Baker ...
Commander
James A. Baffico ...
Wooley (as Jim Baffico)
Rod Stouffer ...
Young Officer on Roof
Jese Del Gre ...
Old Priest
Clayton McKinnon ...
Officer in Project Apt.
John Rice ...
Officer in Project Apt.
Edit

Storyline

Following the events of Night of the Living Dead (1968), we follow the exploits of four survivors of the expanding zombie apocalypse as they take refuge in an abandoned shopping mall following a horrific SWAT evacuation of an apartment complex. Taking stock of their surroundings, they arm themselves, lock down the mall, and destroy the zombies inside so they can eke out a living--at least for a while. Tensions begin to build as months go on, and they come to realize that they've fallen prey to consumerism. Soon afterward, they have even heavier problems to worry about, as a large gang of bikers discovers the mall and invades it, ruining the survivors' best-laid plans and forcing them to fight off both lethal bandits and flesh-eating zombies. Written by Curly Q. Link

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

In 1968, George Romero brought us "Night of the Living Dead." It became the classic horror film of its time. Now, George Romero brings us the most intensely shocking motion picture experience for all time. See more »

Genres:

Horror

Certificate:

Unrated | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
Edit

Details

Country:

|

Language:

Release Date:

24 May 1979 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

George A. Romero's Dawn of the Dead  »

Box Office

Budget:

$650,000 (estimated)
 »

Company Credits

Production Co:

 »
Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

| (Ultimate Final Cut) | (Dario Argento's European Version) | (DVD) | (Extended Version)

Sound Mix:

(German prints)|

Color:

(Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
See  »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

In the Extended Edition (available on both laserdisc and Anchor Bay's "Ultimate Edition"), the music that is heard when Peter and Stephen are closing the gates of the mall in an effort to keep the bikers out is the late Pierre Arvay's "Ice Floe 9", which was also the music piece used for the opening credits of Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) and one scene in Cheh Chang's Five Deadly Venoms (1978), as it was taken from the DeWolfe music library. See more »

Goofs

When the heroes are driving a car through the mall there's a part where a zombie gets rammed and falls back. If you watch closely the first shot of the car approaching the zombie shows it traveling at around 40 mph, in the next shot where it actually "hits" the zombie it's now obviously doing only around 10mph and even nearly comes to a complete stop before cutting to the next shot whereupon it's going at 40 mph again down the mall. See more »

Quotes

Stephen: We've got to find more fuel. Maybe closer to Cleveland.
Roger: No. We've got to stay out of the big cities. If they're anything like Philly, we may never get out alive.
Peter: We may never get out of any place alive. We almost didn't get out of here.
Roger: We're getting out of here fine. As long as there's not too many of those things around, we can handle them easy.
Peter: Yeah, well it wasn't one of those things that nearly blew me away.
Roger: We gotta stay in the sticks! There's bound to be more of those little private ...
[...]
See more »

Crazy Credits

George A. Romero appears on screen as a TV Station Director (the bearded man wearing a scarf and a blue shirt) as his name appears, listing him as "Editor", in the on-screen credits beneath him. See more »


Soundtracks

We Are The Champions
(Mall Montage Scene) (uncredited)
Composed by Reg Tilsley
Published by De Wolfe Music Ltd.
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

See more (Spoiler Alert!) »

User Reviews

 
When There's No More Room in Hell, The Dead Will Go Shopping
14 November 2007 | by (United States) – See all my reviews

This movie has always been a big favorite of mine. I went through a zombie phase in high school and this is, hands down, the best zombie film ever made. With all the crap coming out today, it still stands out.

Dawn is a great satire of materialistic modern society. All of the performances are spot on, George Romero's writing and direction is flawless as usual, and the gore is brilliant. What could be better than a bunch of zombies taking over a shopping mall? That's right, nothing.

If you call yourself a horror fan and you haven't seen the original Dawn of the Dead, you need to get with the program immediately! No one messes with Romero, no one!


31 of 35 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you?

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