Directed by George A. Romero
David Emge - Stephen Andrews AKA Flyboy
Ken Foree - Peter Washington
Scott Reiniger - Roger DeMarco
Gaylen Ross - Francine Parker
David Crawford - Dr. Foster
David Early - Mr. Berman
Richard France - Dr. Milliard Rausch
Howard Smith - TV Commentator
Jim Baffico - Wooley
Tom Savini - Blades
Taso Stavrakos - Sledgehammer
Sharon Ceccatti - Lead Zombie (Nurse)
Clayton Hill - Lead Zombie (w/ M-16)
Pam Chatfield - Lead Zombie
Jim Krut - Helicopter Zombie (uncredited)
Christine Forrest - TV Producer (uncredited)
George A. Romero - TV Director (uncredited)
Writer, Editor, Producer - George A. Romero
Producer - Dario Argento
Associate Producer - Claudio Argento
Cinematography - Michael Gornick
Original Music - Goblin
Casting - John Amplas
Set Decoration - Josie Caruso, Barbara Lifsher
Costume Design - Josie Caruso
Assistant Director - Christine Forrest
Graphic Artist - Joseph Eberle
Sound - Tony Buba
Special Effects - Tom Savini, Gary Zeller
Stunts - Leonard DeStafans, John Konter
Tom Savini, Taso Stavrakis
Ken Foree as Peter Washington
PLOT
A small band of humans take refuge in a shopping mall from the undead onslaught. That's the plot in a nutshell. Foretunately for us the viewers, there's plenty going on with some great characters. First off we meet Fran and Stephen who plan on fleeing Philadelphia (I have seen some reviews which say it is Pittsburgh) with a TV station helicopter. They plan on meeting up with Roger (Philly SWAT) who is busy cleaning out an apartment building of the undead. Once the team gets inside, SWAT member Wooley goes insane. He starts shooting humans and zombies alike. In steps a gas masked trooper who puts down the insane trooper and walks away. After they clean out the main apartments with help from the National Guard, Roger heads to the basement. This is the holding cell for many of the zombies. And also where we are formally introduced to Ken Foree's character, Peter Washington. He is one bad dude who takes shit from no one. After clearing the cellar Roger and Peter meet up with Stephen and Fran. They decide to head west away from the cities. Along their trip they witness that rural Pennsylvania is overrun too. Local rednecks as well as the National Guard try to slow their advance. After finding a small airport to refuel they encounter more zombies and Peter nearly gets killed. Not by a zombie but by Stephen's inability to use a firearm. They are soon airborn again and discover a large shopping mall (The Monroeville Mall, PA) that's partially infested with zombies. After establishing a base Peter, Roger, and Stephen clear their unwanted neighbors from the mall. With this complete they try to live normal lives in a world were society is crumbling down around them. Sometime later a band of raiders (humans not zombies) storm into the mall bringing the zombie menace back. Zombies, raiders and our heros fight it out for survival. When it seems hope is lost the survivors escape using the helicopter looking for another safe haven.
What can I say about this movie that has not been already been done. Well for one thing, this is the ultimate Ken Foree film! He kicks ass, has all the great lines, and gets the job done when others crack under the pressure. This movie has everything: Cool zombies, Great gore FX (by the master Tom Savini), and George Romero's tremendous work behind the camera. He also created likable and interesting characters. The setting for the film is great, nothing says 1970's consumerism than a giant mall. One other strong point is the awesome musical score done by Italy's Goblin. Their work definitely added to the feel of the movie.
Anchor Bay is releasing a huge Dawn of the Dead box set onto DVD. At last check it will have at least 3 DVDs with 3 different versions of the film (US theatrical release, Director's Cut, and Dario Argento's Zombi). There's also tons of extras to be included: commentary tracks, the documentary Document of the Dead, and other goodies. It looks like it will be releasesd in the fall to coincide with the 25th Anniversary of it's theatrical release.
Updates
4/23/03
After visiting other sites it appears the this re-release has been pushed back to some time in 2004.
7/8/03
The unnecessary remale is going forward. Primary location footage was done outside of Toronto, Ontario with a release date of 3/26/04.
Movie Rating
