Looking back at “Dawn of the Dead”
George A. Romero released the horror cult classic this day in 1978
Looking back at “Dawn of the Dead”
Horror classic “Dawn of the Dead” (also known internationally as “Zombi”) was released this day in 1978. The second one on the Zombie genre made by George A. Romero, it is distinctly different from 1968 “Night of the Living Dead” although it’s made to look like a sequence but without featuring any of the characters in the first movie and exploring a different subject and environment, a city mall. The idea for the movie first came to Romero when he was invited by friend Mark Mason in 1974 to visit the Monroeville Mall, which Mason’s company managed. After showing Romero hidden parts of the mall, during which Romero noted the bliss of the consumers, Mason jokingly suggested that someone would be able to survive in the mall should an emergency ever occur. Romero got inspired by that visit and started to develop the screenplay. However, had a hard time finding an investor, the cameras only start rolling in 1977 after Dario Argento, the famed Italian Horror director heard about the project, a fan of Romero and in particular “Night of the Living Dead,” Dario agreed to secure financing in exchange for international distribution rights. The movie was released on September 1st, 1978, and was well received by the audiences. It soon earned the Cult movie status, which it keeps to this day. Unlike its predecessor, “Dawn of the Dead” intends to show in a larger scale the apocalyptic effects on society, hence the Mall. In 2004 Zack Snyder directed a remake of the movie that failed to reach the iconic status of the original. Romero’s “Dawn of the Dead” marked the beginning of a different era in the Zombie genre and influenced future movies using the same subject. In the 80’s, Romero went even further into the apocalyptic consequences of a Zombie plague when he did the sequel “Day of the Dead,” it is undeniable the strong influence and impacts this trilogy had and has in today’s Zombie movies and TV shows. Would there be a “Walking Dead” if “Dawn of The Dead” had never been made?
By Ken Warren, 2018
Origin: USA – Italy
Released: 1978
Directed by: George A. Romero
Starring: David Emge, Ken Foree, Scott H. Reiniger
Check the original 1978 trailer for the movie
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