Tuesday 15 March 2022

Dawn of the Dead (1978)


 

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.

From memory: Due to the hysteria of German censors this classic zombie movie was banned for many years, and there were countless 'official' and illegal versions in circulation, each offering different cuts, some of which we later showed in secret screenings. The original theatrical release, however, was the so-called Argento cut. Dawn of the Dead is remarkable for its upping the ante on gore and its relentlessness, but it is also classic horror, set in a closed environment (a shopping mall) with the terror coming both from outside and from within, alongside being a sharp satire on American consumerism. 

Halliwell (no star): "Seemingly endless horror comic with absurd pretensions to be an allegory of something or other; occasionally laughable, otherwise sickening or boring."

Maltin***1/2: "...apocalyptic horror masterpiece...Satiric, metaphorically rich adventure jerks viewers' emotions around with stunning ease...Savini's hideously gory effects are mostly confined to the first and last half hours."



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