"Night of the Living Dead" changed everything for the horror genre. After the success of the Universal Monsters, George Romero's zombies got as far away from the romance and gothic horror of "Frankenstein" or "Dracula" as one could. Horror pictues became real, gritty, more frightening and unrelenting. However, a mix up happened. When the film was re-titled to its now famous name, a copyright stamp was discarded from the prints. In order for the film to hold its copyright status, it had to appear on the print in addition to being registered. As a result, the film became public domain and you can download or watch it anywhere on the internet, even youtube. 5 years later in 1974, Romero had the idea for a follow up film. After being shown a room filled with survival supplies above the Monroeville Mall in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, it occurred to him that if need be, someone could survive up there in case of a disaster. "Dawn of the Dead" blossomed from this seed.
Beginning right in the middle of the chaos of the film, station chopper pilot Steven (David Emgee) and his girlfriend Fran (Gaylen Ross) escape from their posts at a television studio to meet up with Roger (Scott Reiniger) and Peter (Ken Foree), two SWAT team members who barely escaped out of a siege involving zombies and hostiles, alive. Together, they take the TV studio's helicopter and fly straight up with nowhere to go. The world has descended into madness. A mysterious disease of unknown origin that is contracted through a bite is spreading rapidly across the world. The quartet eventually come across an abandoned shopping mall and discover that there is a room inside the mall that is filled with cans of food and medical supplies. Fran reveals that she's pregnant. There's no telling when things will get better or if there is any sort of structured society left beyond the walls of the mall.
From the left: Gaylen Ross as Francine, David Emgee as Steven, Ken Foree as Peter, and Scott Reiniger as Roger in George A. Romer's "Dawn of the Dead."
Even though this film takes place and was released 10 years after the events of "Night", "Dawn" feels like a natural continuation of the previous film. The opening of the picture in the television studio is disorienting, confusing, and chaotic. The audience only receives limited information from the guest on the talk show that is being interviewed. As Fran struggles to keep things running, Steven tells her that it is no longer their job to operate things there but to survive. Their only chance at survival may be their last they'll ever get.
The introduction of Peter and Roger is also excellent in showing that law enforcement and figures of authority (the military) no longer stand a chance against the living dead. The scene in the projects continues the feeling of confusion, dread, and chaos. The world is a crazy place and now, people have an excuse to pile bodies in the streets. The weak minded go insane, as does one of the men in Roger's SWAT team. The level headed panic and have nowhere to go. Where is safe? The answer is not certain for the length of the entire film. Before the group reaches the mall, they have a close run in with a group of ghouls at a fueling station for the chopper. The scene features one of the best and most creative zombie kills I've ever seen put on film, even compared to today's gruesome gore on TV shows like "The Walking Dead."
Hasta la vista, zombie - Scott Reiniger takes action in the sequel to "Night of the Living Dead."
When the group finally arrives at the mall, the film becomes extremely entertaining. The sequence in which they are trying to secure the is a double edged sword. The group is trying not to get killed while they move semi-trucks parked near - by in front of the entrances and exits. They're trying to keep the people who keep flocking to the mall out: the dead people. The group wonders why the zombies keep returning to the mall. The message here, to me at least, is obvious! We're the zombies, doing our shopping, reading the latest adds for sales, and looking forward to the days of the week in which we get to spend our cash on the clothes and accessories we're dying to own. The only way to stop us (myself included)? Park semi trucks in front of the mall entrances. I don't care so long as there's somewhere I could buy my Coffee Bean tea lattes.
The gore in this picture is top notch, courtesy of the master make up artist Tom Savini, who has a role in the film. State-of-the-art gags include impaling a machete in a zombie's head (illusion created by running the film backwards), exploding heads, gnarly bites, and gunshot wounds to the head. The ghouls in the picture are nothing compared to the ones on television today, they're simply pancaked in gray makeup. Guts used on the set were sometimes specially created for the shoot or actual pig entrails, which sat in the sun all day on one occasion, creating an awful smell on the set when shooting time arrived. The interiors of the film were shot at the Monroeville Mall and had to be done during closing hours when the mall was not busy, then cleaned by 8am the next morning when the mall was used for senior citizens to take walks.
Looks like the new Playstations are out.
The characters in the film are the best part of the entire ordeal. By the end, I cared for all four of them. Gaylen Ross as Francine at times was a typical horror character female who was meant to scream and cower in fear, but that is her character at first glance. As the film progresses, she refuses to be weak and to be unable to fly the chopper should an emergency occur. It's a fantastic transformation that takes her from the realm of cliche to an outstanding element of the film. However, of the male cast, Scott Reiniger is the most surprising character. The mall changes him and it may not be for the better. However, it's Ken Foree that steals the show as Peter. I'm amazed that Foree didn't have a big career after this film. He's starred in other cult classics like "From Beyond", "The Devil's Rejects", and was Keenan's dad on "Keenan and Kell" (not a cult classic, but worth mentioning, being that I loved the show as a kid).
In the lexicon of modern zombie films, George A. Romero topped his masterpiece of a film "Night of the Living Dead" with its sequel, "Dawn of the Dead". The film is unrelenting, brutal, and excellently told. Being produced by Dario Argento, the film has the look of Italian giallo films like "Suspiria", "Deep Red", "Demons", and "Tenebre." In Europe, the film is known as "Zombi" and also, was edited differently for cinemas. If you can, watch the American theatrical cut of the film, which is available widely on DVD & Blu Ray and included in Anchor Bay's ultimate edition of the film. Fueled by a stunning rock soundtrack by Italian prog rock band Goblin, splattered with Tom Savini's bright red gore, "Dawn" is a film that goes above and beyond the genre and greatly takes its place among other classic horror pictures.
9/10
Rated X
Directed by George A. Romero
Written by George A. Romero
Runtime - 127 minute
Suggested Edition:
No comments:
Post a Comment