"Hell is overflowing and Satan is sending his dead to us!"Zombie films have never really been my bag. Although I could tell "George A. Romero" was a very passionate director, I just wasn't interested in a bunch of slow moving corpses. Please don't get me wrong, I have nothing but respect for "Romero" and his politically charged horror films. However, it wasn't until seeing "28 Days Later" that I truly jumped on the zombie band wagon. That was the first time I ever felt any real sense of terror from the protagonists. Then the screen writer "James Gunn"; a former Troma movie writer decided that "Dawn of the Dead" needed to be remade. A whole new era of the Zombie was born.
The story follows a band of survivors trying to remain alive during what can only be described as a global pandemic. The group find salvation in a mall, there the have weapons, food and a base of operations. Everything the will need to fight off the pending zombie infestation. However, as time goes on things get tough when they start losing people to the zombie plague. Eventually the decide to make plans to sail away as far as possible using one of the survivor's boat. But first they have to escape the mall and the undead horde surrounding it.
There are many reasons to love this film; but one stands out. The use of humor in a horror movie can really tear you out of the moment, however in the case of "Dawn of the Dead" it only pulls you deeper into their world. It gives you a greater insight into the characters motivations and personalities. Humor is not only accomplished with the script, but you will find that the soundtrack is used in juxtaposition with the events in the film. Artists such as "Stereophonics", "Johnny Cash" and "Richard Cheese" are used with sublime taste, and they scenes at which they are played over become more poignant as a result of the horrific imagery that accompanies them. It is funny, and it will make you laugh, but only for a second. Then the true gravity of the visuals hits home and you begin to feel shocked.
Other elements of humor can be found in the characters behavior. As time goes by and boredom sets in, the survivors create a "game" in which they shoot zombies from the roof of the mall. They say that the zombies look like a celebrity and then pick them off. Slightly disturbing behavior, but funny none the less.
The gore factor in this film is turned up all the way to eleven and is better for it. Not only are the scenes involving the killing of the zombies gruesome, they are down right disgusting. It also pushes the boundaries on acceptability when the script includes zombie children; one which even bites someones jugular out. The other child is a new born baby. Born a zombie...Now that is one way to get a reaction from your audience.
For a remake, this film actually manages to produce a lot of new material and scares. It is without a doubt one of the films that changed my mind on the zombie genre. I have since revisited the classics and enjoyed them far more than the first viewings. I am not entirely sure why that is , but I am glad it happened. I am always happy to have new things to watch. So, for a zombie film that has a slightly comedic edge, this is an unexpected gem. You would not waste your time giving this a watch.
Rating 4 out of 5
See it if you liked:
Dawn of the Dead (1978)
28 Days Later
Slither
What does IMDB say?
Review by Stephen King
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