{"id":5751,"date":"2015-09-05T20:28:16","date_gmt":"2015-09-05T19:28:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/?p=5751"},"modified":"2015-09-05T23:04:11","modified_gmt":"2015-09-05T22:04:11","slug":"dawn-of-the-dead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/2015\/09\/05\/dawn-of-the-dead\/","title":{"rendered":"Dawn of the Dead"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Dawn<\/a>
Dawn of the Dead<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n

\nFormat:<\/B> Cinema

\nScreening as part of The Colour of Money<\/a>

\nScreening date:<\/B>
14 September 2015

\nVenue:<\/B> Barbican

\nDirector:<\/B> George A. Romero

\nWriter:<\/B> George A. Romero

\nCast:<\/B> David Emge, Ken Foree, Scott H. Reiniger

\nUSA 1978

\n127 mins\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

As of writing, George A. Romero<\/a>‘s Dawn of the Dead<\/i> is just three years shy of its 40th birthday, and its influence on the zombie sub-genre of horror movies is still as keenly felt now as it was back in 1978. A seminal entry into the horror canon and a hugely important release in terms of independent film distribution, Dawn of the Dead<\/i> has been pored over, analysed and celebrated so often down the years that any new attempt at a re-evaluation could be considered a fruitless exercise. The middle part of Romero’s original Dead trilogy, preceded by the equally influential Night of the Living Dead<\/i> (1968) and completed by the sorely under-appreciated Day of the Dead<\/i> in 1985, Dawn<\/i> is the trilogy’s Boys Own adventure when compared to Night<\/i>‘s claustrophobic terror and Day<\/i>‘s unflinching nihilism. A satirical romp about contemporary life in the era of conspicuous consumption, Dawn<\/i> uses sledgehammer visual metaphors, a perfect location and countless exploding blood squibs to take potshots at a justly perceived political and spiritual malaise in 70s American society.<\/p>\n

Despite being a little creaky in places and boasting some make-up work that hasn’t aged all that well, Dawn<\/i> is still one of the great film visions of societal breakdown. The media is presented as being beholden to ratings even as the ship is visibly sinking, the general populace fractures off into an every-man-for-himself mentality, and authority figures abandon their posts and head for the hills or, in the case of the film’s quartet of lead characters, the sky in a helicopter. On a relatively small budget and with a star-free cast, Romero’s movie has a palpable sense of the everyday being torn apart by the most fantastical of events. The familiar clashes with the bizarre as tenement blocks, rural gas stations and shopping malls are overrun by the shuffling, flesh-hungry walking dead. The simultaneously creepy and comically absurd nature of the situation is never more apparent than in the hordes of zombies mindlessly stumbling their way around the gigantic Monroeville Mall, a sight as eerie as it is imbued with the potential for slapstick. Romero eventually exploits the latter quality to the hilt, as custard pies are splattered into undead faces along with bullets and machetes. <\/p>\n

Putting metaphors and socio-political commentary to one side, Dawn of the Dead<\/i> is enjoyable simply as a visual spectacle, thanks to the memorably gory and inventive FX work of Tom Savini. The highlight of Savini’s work for Romero may have come seven years later in Day of the Dead<\/i>, but Dawn<\/i> is still a gruesome delight for those enamoured with such things as heads explode, flesh is chomped and blood spurts with gleeful, anarchic abandon. Although Romero’s later zombie films \u2013 Land<\/i>, Diary<\/i><\/a> and Survival<\/i> \u2013 have unfortunately been severely lacking in quality, his original trilogy changed the face of the horror genre forever, with Dawn<\/i> its most accessible centrepiece. <\/p>\n

Neil Mitchell<\/B><\/I><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The most easily enjoyable film in Romero\u2019s seminal zombie trilogy screens as part of \u2018The Colour of Money\u2019 season at the Barbican.
\nReview by Neil Mitchell<\/B><\/I><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[11,657],"tags":[725,97,1233,1232,1231,1234,969],"class_list":["post-5751","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-check-it-out","category-screenings","tag-george-a-romero","tag-horror","tag-horror-satire","tag-political-horror","tag-social-commentary","tag-tom-savini","tag-zombie"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","wps_subtitle":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/purUP-1uL","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":305,"url":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/2008\/03\/01\/diary-of-the-dead\/","url_meta":{"origin":5751,"position":0},"title":"DIARY OF THE DEAD","author":"VirginieSelavy","date":"March 1, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Zombie king George A. Romero returns to the sub-genre he created, with gripping if somewhat predictable results. Review by Lindsay Tudor","rel":"","context":"In "Cinema releases"","block_context":{"text":"Cinema releases","link":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/category\/cinema-releases\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":6895,"url":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/2017\/10\/01\/theres-always-vanilla\/","url_meta":{"origin":5751,"position":1},"title":"There\u2019s Always Vanilla","author":"Pam Jahn","date":"October 1, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"This review of George A. Romero\u2019s atypical counterculture drama is an excerpt from horror luminary Kim Newman\u2019s new book Video Dungeon. Review by Kim Newman","rel":"","context":"In "DVD and Blu-ray releases"","block_context":{"text":"DVD and Blu-ray releases","link":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/category\/dvd-and-blu-ray-releases\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Theres Always Vanilla","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Theres-Always-Vanilla-594x334.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Theres-Always-Vanilla-594x334.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Theres-Always-Vanilla-594x334.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3736,"url":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/2013\/10\/29\/creepshow\/","url_meta":{"origin":5751,"position":2},"title":"Creepshow","author":"Pam Jahn","date":"October 29, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"The fact that Stephen King\u2019s first original script remains minor points to Romero\u2019s respect for King, and King\u2019s lack of respect for cinema. Review by David Cairns","rel":"","context":"In "Check it out"","block_context":{"text":"Check it out","link":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/category\/check-it-out\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Creepshow","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Creepshow-594x444.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Creepshow-594x444.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Creepshow-594x444.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2527,"url":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/2012\/12\/04\/zombieflesheaters\/","url_meta":{"origin":5751,"position":3},"title":"Zombie Flesh Eaters","author":"VirginieSelavy","date":"December 4, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"'The one with the eyeball splinter\u2019, as it was referred to at school. Review by Mark Stafford","rel":"","context":"In "Check it out"","block_context":{"text":"Check it out","link":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/category\/check-it-out\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/review_ZombieFleshEaters-594x334.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/review_ZombieFleshEaters-594x334.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/review_ZombieFleshEaters-594x334.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":504,"url":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/2008\/12\/01\/season-of-the-witch\/","url_meta":{"origin":5751,"position":4},"title":"SEASON OF THE WITCH","author":"VirginieSelavy","date":"December 1, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Season of the Witch was a strong political and stylistic statement by George A Romero, who chose to critically explore female identity during some of the most dynamic years of the feminist movement while eschewing the zombies that had made him famous in favour of witchcraft. Review by Siouxzi Mernagh","rel":"","context":"In "Home entertainment"","block_context":{"text":"Home entertainment","link":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/category\/dvds-and-blu-rays\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1210,"url":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/2010\/06\/01\/two-films-by-lucio-fulci\/","url_meta":{"origin":5751,"position":5},"title":"Two Films by Lucio Fulci","author":"VirginieSelavy","date":"June 1, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"City of the Living Dead vs A Lizard in a Woman's Skin Review by Doc Horror","rel":"","context":"In "Home entertainment"","block_context":{"text":"Home entertainment","link":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/category\/dvds-and-blu-rays\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/features\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/06\/review_City_Of_The_Living_Dead-594x637.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/features\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/06\/review_City_Of_The_Living_Dead-594x637.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/features\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/06\/review_City_Of_The_Living_Dead-594x637.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5751","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5751"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5751\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5774,"href":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5751\/revisions\/5774"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5751"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5751"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5751"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}