Dawn of the Dead (1979)
93%RT Audience Score: 90%
Awards & Nominations: 1 win & 17 nominations
George A. Romero’s Dawn of the Dead is a masterpiece of horror that has stood the test of time. With its biting social commentary and unrelenting gore, it’s a film that is as relevant today as it was over four decades ago. Romero’s script is a Swiftian satire that skewers consumerism and the human condition, while also delivering some of the most gruesome and shocking scenes in horror history. The film’s intelligence and sophistication are matched only by its brutality and misanthropy, making it a must-see for any horror fan. Dawn of the Dead is a true classic that will continue to terrify and delight audiences for generations to come.
Dawn of the Dead is the ultimate zombie movie that will make you scream, laugh, and cringe all at the same time. Romero’s script may be a bit incoherent, but who cares when you’re watching people fight off hordes of the undead in a shopping mall? The gore is aplenty, but so are the funny moments and lines that will have you chuckling in between the blood and guts. It’s a classic horror film that still manages to scare and entertain audiences over four decades later. So grab some popcorn, turn off the lights, and get ready for a wild ride through the apocalypse.
Production Company(ies)
Strike Entertainment, New Amsterdam Entertainment, Metropolitan Filmexport
Distributor
NA
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Thornhill Square Mall, Thornhill, Ontario, Canada
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for pervasive strong horror violence and gore, language and sexuality
Year of Release
1979
-
Color:Color
-
Sound mix:DTS Dolby Digital SDDS
-
Aspect ratio:2.35 : 1
-
Runtime:NA
-
Language(s):English
-
Country of origin:United States
-
Release date:Release Date (Streaming): Mar 16, 2004
Genre(s)
Horror
Keyword(s)
horror, zombies, social commentary, survival, shopping center, Pennsylvania, radio-station, helicopter, SWAT members, humanity, gore, box office, budget, directed by George A Romero, written by George A Romero, produced by Richard P Rubinstein, starring David Emge, Ken Foree, Gaylen Ross, Scott H Reiniger, David Crawford, David Early, reviewed by Variety Staff, Dave Kehr, Gary Arnold, David Pirie, Roger Ebert, Tom Huhn, Brian Eggert, Jas Keimig, Rob Aldam, Anton Bitel, A.S Hamrah, MPAA rating R, English, 2h 6m, 92% Tomatometer, 90% Audience Score, Bubba Ho-Tep, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, The Evil Dead, Grindhouse, Day of the Dead
Worldwide gross: $102,278,712
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $161,343,278
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 811
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 17,594,687
US/Canada gross: $59,020,957
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $93,104,758
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 785
US/Canada opening weekend: $26,722,575
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $42,154,499
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 287
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $26,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $41,014,647
Production budget ranking: 942
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $22,086,387
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $98,242,244
ROI to date (est.): 156%
ROI ranking: 751
Ken Foree – Peter
Gaylen Ross – Francine
Scott H. Reiniger – Roger
David Crawford – Dr. Foster
David Early – Mr. Berman
Director(s)
George A. Romero
Writer(s)
NA
Producer(s)
NA
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
1 win & 17 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (50) | Top Critics (9) | Fresh (46) | Rotten (4)
Romero’s script is banal when not incoherent.
October 7, 2008
Variety Staff
Variety
TOP CRITIC
Romero’s sensibility approaches the Swiftian in its wit, accuracy, excess, and profound misanthropy.
March 29, 2007
Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
Between atrocities the movie has its funny moments and funny lines. It’s just difficult to relish the humor when you’re dripping in so much gore.
February 21, 2007
Gary Arnold
Washington Post
TOP CRITIC
Undoubtedly the zombie movie to end ’em all.
January 26, 2006
David Pirie
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
Grim, gruelling but beautifully shot, this is intelligent, sophisticated horror.
November 10, 2004 | Rating: 5/5
David Hughes
Empire Magazine
TOP CRITIC
Dawn of the Dead is one of the best horror films ever made — and, as an inescapable result, one of the most horrifying. It is gruesome, sickening, disgusting, violent, brutal and appalling.
October 23, 2004 | Rating: 4/4
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
TOP CRITIC
Even if one accepts the director’s premise that the earth is a toilet and hell the sewer underneath, Dawn of the Dead lacks the coherence necessary to achieve its purpose.
May 18, 2022
Tom Huhn
Washington Blade
Political and social satire rarely gets as dark as George A. Romero’s films, where gags are outlined by living death and punctuated by sinewy, bloody gore.
March 21, 2022 | Rating: 4/4
Brian Eggert
Deep Focus Review
What delights me about Dawn of the Dead is that, over four decades later, the film still has genuine scares and gore…
December 8, 2021
Jas Keimig
The Stranger (Seattle, WA)
Arguably the greatest zombie film ever made.
November 12, 2020
Rob Aldam
Backseat Mafia
an oneiric, highly influential vision of humans as dummies, shopping as survival, and the world as a fugitive, beleaguered hell
November 4, 2020
Anton Bitel
Through the Trees
It runs like crazy through American life, through American movies, and now TV, like a faucet left on.
September 17, 2020
A.S. Hamrah
The Baffler…
Plot
Ana goes home to her peaceful suburban residence, but she is unpleasantly surprised the morning that follows when her husband is brutally attacked by her zombified neighbor. In the chaos of her once picturesque neighborhood, Ana flees and stumbles upon a police officer named Kenneth, along with more survivors who decide that their best chances of survival would be found in the deserted Crossroads Shopping Mall. When supplies begin running low and other trapped survivors need help, the group comes to the realization that they cannot stay put forever at the Shopping Mall and devise a plan to escape.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The cast includes David Emge, Ken Foree, Gaylen Ross, Scott H. Reiniger, David Crawford, and David Early.
George-A.-Romero.jpg
