DAWN OF THE DEAD (1979)

Dawn Of The Dead is simply the best zombie film of all time as well as one of the finest horror films ever created. Besides that (if that's not enough), it's just an all around classic movie. It's one of those movies that you never really get tired of watching. It never gets old and it never gets boring. Upon first viewing, it's so much fun that it may just seem like an awesome horror/action film, which it most definitely is. But it's also a dark comedy that takes on issues such as racism, sexism, and consumerism. With this masterpiece, director George A. Romero solidified his status as a true, master filmmaker.

The basic plot is similar to Romero's Night Of The Living Dead in that a group of people must take shelter, and fortify their new home from a zombie onslaught. The big difference this time around is the mall setting, which is just pure genius. When I first saw this film I thought to myself how awesome it would be to fight off zombies while living in a mall. Call it insane, but this is what I pray for every night before I go to sleep. If you secure the area you're in, you would have everything you could possibly need for a long, long time. And for a while, that's exactly how things go along in the movie. A group of 4 people secure the mall and eventually it becomes a relatively peaceful environment where the main characters kick back and live it up for a while. The mall is their sanctuary, their playground, but most importantly for the film, their prison.
Scott H. Reiniger and Ken Foree turn in great performances as S.W.A.T. team members Roger and Peter. Foree's Peter eventually emerges as the natural leader of the group while Reiniger's Roger, who starts off calm and collected, unravels as his new environment unfolds around him. David Emge and Gaylen Ross also deliver excellent performances as Stephen and Francine, a troubled couple whose problems get more complicated when Francine reveals that she is pregnant. The 4 main characters are all equally likeable and the actors do fabulous jobs of making the audience understand where these people are coming from. Romero also did a superb job of writing these parts and getting these performances out of the relatively inexperienced actors. Ken Foree has appeared in many films since Dawn Of The Dead, most recently in The Devil's Rejects, but the rest of the main cast didn't appear in many movies after Dawn, which is surprising considering how good they all were in this film.

George A. Romero's direction is absolutely flawless. His shots are perfect, as is the pacing and editing. He told this story with perfect conviction and execution. The action in the movie is top notch and still fresh even today. The special effects by the great Tom Savini are simply spectacular. This stuff still pisses all over most of the horror and action movies of today. Heads explode and get sliced and diced, people get huge chunks bitten off them and get ripped apart limb from limb. It's pure movie heaven for all lovers of gore. No movie has come close to the level of violence contained in Dawn Of the Dead except for George Romero's 3rd installment, Day Of The Dead. And by level I mean in terms of how graphic and how good it looks as well as how it's used to provide a more dramatic impact for the story. You just don't see movies like this being made at all anymore. Nothing even comes close because director's now, unfortunately, don't seem to have the courage to try to make something shocking anymore. Romero didn't give a damn though, and that's what elevates him above most. His direction here is the work of a true master as is his writing.
The original Dawn Of The Dead is an absolute must see movie. Forget about the mediocre remake, the original eats that one alive, chews it up, and spits it out. There is no other zombie film better, although Day Of The Dead is nearly as good, and as far as movies go in general, this is one of the best and most entertaining of all time. Romero has stated that this was his least troublesome shoot in all his years as a director and it feels that way to. This film is pure fun from start to finish. When it's not scaring the hell out of you, it's making you laugh with some of its biting black comedy. When it's not doing either of those things it's knocking you out of your seat with some great action or making you sick to your stomach by showing someone getting torn apart by the living dead. Or it's doing all of those things at the same time. And throughout the journey you always care about the characters and what's going to happen to them. Dawn Of The Dead is simply a brilliant masterpiece whose iconic status is very well deserved.