Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #6719 in DVD
• Released on: 2004-10-25
• Rating: Suitable for 18 years and over
• Format: PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 139 minutes

Synopsis
Picking up where NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD left off, and still offering no explanation of why the dead are walking the earth, DAWN plunges headlong into one of the most violent and original horror films ever made. After securing an apartment building overcome with flesh-eating zombies, two Philadelphia area SWAT team members, Peter (Ken Foree) and Roger (Scott Reiniger), flee to a television station, where they escape in the station's helicopter with Francine (Gaylen Ross) and Stephen (David Emge), two station employees. Seeking refuge from the zombies and the ensuing hysteria, they land on top of a Pittsburgh area shopping mall, despite the fact that the undead seem to be flocking there. What begins as a stop for supplies becomes a longer stay as the four become embroiled in a futile war within the mall to keep their flesh to themselves and remain alive.
The film's relentlessly disturbing and innovative gore effects are one reason to see DAWN OF THE DEAD, but those who can stomach the endless barrage of blood and gnarled zombie faces will be rewarded, and possibly surprised, by what the film says about human nature and life within a consumer-based culture. Any aficionado of horror is likely to place the film high on their list of revered cinema.

Customer Reviews

Best version available here
This is the best version you can buy here. It contains the 128m theatrical cut, 2 audio commentaries, trailers, still gallery, 85m documentary as well as a decent picture and good sound. It is also uncut. Do not buy the "Directors cut", buy this version (or the 4disc ultimate edition from anchorbayus if you have a multi-region-dvd-player).

In sequel terms, this is like Terminator 2
The first film before 1978's 'Dawn of the Dead' (DOTD) was 'Night of the Living Dead' (NOTLD). NOTLD was in black and white and the action was restricted to a boarded up farmhouse and a few dozen zombies at most. With DOTD, there are hundred's of Zombie's and a group of human survivors held up in a big shopping mall. George A. Romero created the zombie genre and he created the common knowledge rules of the zombie film. He deserves a great deal of credit for this, but he deserves more credit for moving the concept so far forward in the sequel.

Of course, in sequels everything must be bigger and better. For example, in Jurassic Park 2, we got two t-rex's, not one. In the Matrix Reloaded, Neo did battle with hundred's of Agent Smith clones instead of just one. In the same sense, Romero takes everything from his first film and multiplies it by a hundred. If you compare the scale and the effects of 'The Terminator' with 'Terminator 2: Judgement Day', then you get a sense of how different the sequel is to its predecessor.

Although you will find this film under the 'Horror' section of your video shop, I view Romero's zombie films as terrific action films. The rules are simple (don't get bit and shoot them in the head), the prey is stiff and slow (in my opinion, it was a mistake to let the zombie's run like athletes in the remake of Dawn of the Dead) and the shopping mall setting is the ultimate playground. Indeed, as an action film and as a horror film, DOTD satisfies fans of both genres. However, where the film separates itself from every other action film and horror film out there is its clever subtext that reflects society at the time the film was made. In 1978, consumerism and materialism had started to rear its ugly head. I think Total Film magazine said it best when it said that the "...survivors have everything they want in the shoppers paradise, but nothing they need, such as freedom and liberty."

The God of all Zombie Movies
There's little to say about DOTD that hasn't already been said. It is still a tremendous movie, still highly relevant politically, and still great fun from start to end. Despite some rather tatty makeup effects (grey grease-paint and a torn shirt is the basic zombie criteria) the zombies do have the power to send chills down the spine thanks to the masterful directing and high-energy editing of Romero. The four main characters have genuine meaningful depth, none of them are disposable stooges so when deaths do occur within the group it is strongly felt. Savini's splatter effects remain really gross and fun to watch (if you like that sort of thing). This is way better than the dull recent remake. Can't recommend it enough!