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Dawn of the Dead


Dawn of the Dead (1978)



I caught the 2 hour and twenty three minute version the other night. I like what Romero did with his casting and characters. They all did believable work for the most part. Using a shopping mall for most of the film was a cool idea. I thought the movie was really creepy even if some of the make up, all the blood and a few moments of acting came off dated and flaky. The music by Goblin is adult contempo jazz prog mixed with dark. Very strange and often goofy soundtrack, but still dig it regardless. The editing was the star of this movie for me. The way Romero punctuates some of the drama is mesmerizing, like the reveal of zombies still occupying the parking lot when a tennis ball drops from the roof, or when a one eyed scientist is hammering his reasoning home to a small audience of frustrated politicians.

It might not be a brand spanking new take on zombie lore, but that's only because it was the first, as everything after owes to this film.