Dawn of the Dead (1978) & Dawn of the Dead (2004)

By Vince Man
October 31, 2006

You can't watch a good horror movie without commenting on how stupid an innocent character is when they take a wrong turn, costing him his head and ultimately his life. The thing is, you will never have the opportunity to display your own smarts against a machete wielding masked mutant or a terrorizing blue-skinned zombie (though some of you deserve to) having never been stuck in that situation, so you should shut your piehole and allow the ridiculous victim to peacefully make his own mistakes in his quest for survival.

Whether they are mistakes or not, the decisions made by protagonists in horror films are thought to be wise when they are made. Many of them are as simple as running away from a potential killer, but Dawn of the Dead (1978) and Dawn of the Dead (2004) display survival tactics that mirror survival tactics from a zombie-free society (i.e. our world). For readability sake, the original film will be referred to as DOTD and the remake as Remake. On the surface level, both films have their protagonists who combat zombies, but beneath, they combat more than that.

Seeking shelter and the essential goods to survive, both storylines have the fleeing humans finding refuge in shopping malls. Now this would be the ideal place to stay if you had to stake out one building of any type of building in the world. You have a grocery store for all your food and drinks, sports stores for equipment to keep you in shape, clothing boutiques to have you looking fine and a bank so that you have money to buy everything else. Er, so there's a bump in the road. It is really quite ridiculous that the characters in DOTD need to withdraw money from the teller considering they already have all they need at an arm's length away.

Not to be outdone, Remake sees a couple of the humans film One Night in Paris. I guess the idea behind that was to include it in a time capsule for evolved zombies years later to view. Nevertheless, the two films satirize our cultures absorption of commercialism. Montages where the survivors frantically go "shopping" are quite hilarious because most items really do become useless within a world that is only the shopping mall. To hammer home this ridicule, it's unclear if the zombies are banging at the mall's doors to get their freak on with the still living, or as an act of routine from their human days.

Even with the same premise, the films vary greatly. DOTD is very much a movie based on societal commentary and character development, whereas Remake is more action-packed and in your face. As mentioned, the characters of these films combat more than just the zombies, and this is more apparent in the original. Peter, Roger, Stephen and Francine live like royalty in the mall, and when they are contacted by a nomadic biker gang (humans also), they instinctively go into a defensive mode, rather than aligning with members of their species. What results is a triple threat match of sorts-Mall Dwellers vs. Biker Dudes vs. The Living Dead. Fight!

Remake has a plethora of mall dwellers reaching double digits. With that comes a clash of personalities. Thus, they battle themselves more than the cast of DOTD. For a Hollywood remake, the reprise does show some depth in this manner and does a decent job. Andre (Mekhi Phifer) and Michael (Jake Weber) have a tilt regarding who should be giving out orders, which is ultimately decided by their professions (criminal and Best Buy TV salesperson respectively).

I have barely mentioned the zombies, but I will take some time to do that now. In DOTD, the zombies are quite humorous as they are not as fierce as you may imagine them to be. They can be spotted out by their pale blue skin and slow movements. If there was a zombie intensity scale, they would hit a two out of ten and have a rating of "Lazy Deadbeat." I always enjoy seeing the Peter and Roger run through the mall and throw a haymaker at any zombie who gets in their way. Honestly, these zombies are not that imposing, but on occasion, they will unconsciously decide to take a bite out of your neck or carefully empty you out through your stomach. I really do like these zombies. They are loveable and I feel sorry for each one that gets his face smashed by fist strike with a little heat behind it.

The zombies in Remake are several times more menacing. With this being a modern production, these zombies have been upgraded much like how present baseball's power hitters have been improved. They are faster, stronger and are out on a mission. And that mission is to tear apart as many humans possible and devour every last inch of them. With this upgrade, the movie is much more of an action film that movie-goers today are accustomed to. The gore is also an ingredient that goes hand in hand with this sub-genre of horrors.

Entertainment DOTD 8/10, Remake 8/10

DOTD is really quite comical. As a satire, it gets the job done pointing out flaws in society, sharing some screen time to some adorable zombies. I really enjoyed the biker gang's assault on the mall. Who would think to throw pies in the faces of zombies. The only word that comes to mind is kickass.

Remake was highly entertaining in that it was thrilling. Lots of gore and lots of deaths. Bigger, louder and more Hollywood. If there is to be such a thing as a zombie in the future, I definitely hope they don't take after the zombies in this movie.

Innovation DOTD 9/10, Remake 5/10

A society-conscious horror movie? Is that possible? DOTD achieves that, but does not get top marks as it is a sequel to Night of the Living Dead. Remake does not deserve high marks here frankly because it is a remake.

Emotional Resonance DOTD 6.5/10, Remake 6.5/10

Both films get 6.5 here because the characters failed to gnaw at my heart. Sure I sympathize with them, having their loved ones turned into the living dead, but their attitudes in the shopping malls tell me that they would gain more sympathy if they worked as a team with the other survivors. If I were a survivor, I would be a team player. Go team!

Social Context DOTD 10/10, Remake 8/10

DOTD really is a platform for ridiculing modern society. One that is so heavily entwined in commercialism and power struggles, DOTD reverses norms which may have seemed a bit odd to its viewers in 1978. Without giving much away, Francine uses her voice and breaks out of the inferior woman role. Though her pregnancy limits her, she learns how to shoot a rifle and fly a helicopter.

Furthermore, class can be argued here. As I mentioned, the four mall dwellers lived like royalty, whereas the biker gang were lower in class staging a revolt. The zombies were also low in class, as mindless as they were.

Remake touches upon some of the same issues its predecessor tackles. Because more time is devoted to shoot 'em up action, it fails to reach top marks. However, it did show a lot of potential and it surprisingly raises your eye brows.

Recall DOTD 8/10, Remake 7/10

The two films were both entertaining, but again, they are two different movies with the same premise. If you want to be left with a profound thought, watch the original. If you like guns, blood and zombies who can run the 40-yard dash in under 3.5 seconds, then go for Remake. The choice is yours, but your survival may depend on it.

Overall Dawn of the Dead (1978) 83%
Overall Dawn of the Dead (2004) 69%

Dawn of the Dead (1978)

Running Time: 2 hours 6 minutes
Director: George A. Romero
Producers: Dario Argento, Richard P. Rubinstein
Screenplay: George A. Romero
Director of Photography: Michael Gornick
Editor: George A. Romero
Music: Goblin, Agostino Marangolo, Massimo Morante, Fabio Pignatelli, Claudio Simonetti

Dawn of the Dead (2004)

Running Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Director: Zack Snyder
Producers: Marc Abraham, Eric Newman, Richard P. Rubinstein
Executive Producers: Armyan Bernstein, Thomas A. Bliss, Dennis E. Jones
Screenplay: James Gunn
Director of Photography: Matthew F. Leonetti
Editor: Niven Howie
Music: Tyler Bates