UNOFFICAL DAWN OF THE DEAD (1978) APRECIATION THREAD [Archive]

dillhead005

03-09-2004, 03:35 PM

I'm sure theres a thread very similar floating around like this somewhere but I figured i'd bring it up again.

I love George A Romero's Dawn of the Dead. Along with Halloween, its my favorite horror movie of all time. Its sleek humor, non dated gore, in depth plot, and memorable characters and sequences make Dawn equal to the horror greats.

And its getting remade. At first i was disgusted by the idea of redoing the priceless, but the remake dosn't look that damn bad.

Be that as it may, I think us Dawn of the Dead fans owe it to George A. Romero and 70's horror to pay a little homage to the film. Whether you have an anecdote, or a review of the film, feel free to post. I think its the perfect time being that its about to be remade.

pyscho dude

03-09-2004, 03:44 PM

Dawn of the dead is my second all time favorite movie just after Day of the dead. It's a classic in every sort and shouldn't be tampered with, although I do admit that the remake looks good I'm still very angry that anyone would ever dare to try and improve on what the great Romero has already achieved. DAWN 4/4. :D :D :D

XpatrickX

03-09-2004, 06:08 PM

It's definately a top 5 zombie movie of all time to me. I'm not going to see the remake; it looks like complete shit.

NuclearMisfit

03-09-2004, 07:20 PM

I just got the DVD today so its basically a first time for me (I was too young to remember when I first viewed it) Im speechless on how great this film is and after seeing it I have to say it shouldnt be tampered with, even though the remake might be good they might as well have just have another zombie movie out than calling it Dawn of the Dead , since they probably changed wayy too much and its probably nothing like Dawn 78'.

While watching Dawn 78' I noticed that I really cared for the wellbeing of the survivors, all out fantastic plot and gore.

9/9 Fantastic!

Shockwave

03-09-2004, 08:35 PM

One of the best movies ever, horror or not! 10/10!

On a side note, I think the remake will honor the original, not take away from it.

dillhead005

03-10-2004, 11:04 AM

Originally posted by Shockwave
One of the best movies ever, horror or not! 10/10!

On a side note, I think the remake will honor the original, not take away from it.

It could go either way. Tom Savini and Ken Foree both have cameos, so im guessing it dosn't taint the original. But then again, why master the already mastered.

EvilDeadGirl

03-10-2004, 01:42 PM

Tom Savini had a cameo in Children of the Living Dead. Well not really a cameo as his part was a bit long but anyway that movie was horrible (I love it).

SPOILERS - HIGHLIGHT TO READ

I love Dawn. The characters ruled and seeing Roger get bitten and turn into a zombie was a bit shocking. He kicked total ass! I cared about those characters and what happened to them.

I'm not looking forward to the remake or reimaging or whatever you want to call it but I'll give it a shot....

Lindsey

03-10-2004, 02:17 PM

I'm looking forward to the remake, even though I thought The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 03' was one of the worst films of the year. One of the reasons I loathe that film, is because my friends thought the remake was 100% better than the 74' version. That's what I don't want with Dawn of the Dead 04'! I want people to appreciate the original, 78' version!

Anyways, Dawn of the Dead is one of my favorite horror films of all time! Flesh-eating zombies are awesome, especially when the bikers come. Woo-hoo! This film definitely deserves a 10/10.

C-Desecration-

03-10-2004, 03:19 PM

"Maybe I don't 'get' zombie movies, although I loved Resident Evil . . . though most people said it wasn't exactly a zombie movie. I can see that. After all, it was fairly serious. Maybe I'm just not intelligent enough to get Romero's blunt, thick-as-a-brick-wall 'messages' ('I think they remember their past' . . . oh my, that's deep *sarcasm*)."
. . . "I could go on and on about how surprised I was with this trainwreck. What with a good premise, actors, and some interesting scenes (the redneck hunters were quite realistic, and I could actually see a few walking around and poppin' the undead if something like that did happen), but sadly, Romero ruins the movie with irrelevent dialogue, poor execution, lack-luster characters, and oh-so-many more mishaps."
--from my review of Dawn of the Dead (5/10)

I know this is an appreciation thread, but I guess because of that this would be the perfect place to ask: what's so good about?
Stupid question. I know. Let me try again . . .
The beginning is supposed to be horrifying, right? I was laughing. The direction was awful (as was the lighting, etc.--no, it didn't create a 'grunge' effect like TCM's did), everything was just really off. It looked like something someone shot in their garage. Now, again, that didn't give it a "gritty" look, but an amatuerish one. They aren't one in the same.
And the characters! Good acting, sure, but they are instantly forgettable! And people complained about Resident Evil's guys? Uh-huh . . .
Romero puts in hours of inane dialogue in hopes that that will trick the viewer into believing that they're interested. Now I know that many people say it's "realistic", just as, in a way, Seinfeld is: if you were held up in some mall, had a limited number of people to talk you, you'd obviously carry on about some pretty inconsequential things. But Romero drops the ball BIG TIME.

Usually with things considered classics, even if you didn't like it you can see how others might. Right? Well I can't with this. Maybe for the gore (even though none of it was realistic enough to be disturbing)? I dunno.

I did like Day though (8/10).

pyscho dude

03-10-2004, 03:28 PM

And you consider Resident Evil good? At least Dawn had characterization in it, hell Resident Evil has hardly any characterization in it and alot of the characters you don't even learn their names. I could go on and on and on and on and on and on about how much of a better movie Dawn is and how Resident Evil was a big dissapointment and how Anderson should be beaten but the fact remains that Resident Evil wouldn't exist if it wasn't for Dawn of the dead or probably several other horror movies so at least show some respect!:mad: :mad: :mad: I can't understand how anyone could possibly consider shit... oops I mean Resident Evil better than this.

C-Desecration-

03-10-2004, 03:33 PM

how Anderson should be beaten but the fact remains that Resident Evil wouldn't exist if it wasn't for Dawn of the dead or probably several other horror movies so at least show some respect!

Hmm . . . you know, a little off-topic, but what's with the "romero did 'dead' first so everyone should always reflect his work in their projects' attitude? Dead coming back to life wasn't new when Romero thought of it. It'd bee done. Folktales, basically. So . . . with this mentality, I guess Romero should've showed some respect to the folktales! Damn him to hell! ;)

At least Dawn had characterization in it, hell Resident Evil has hardly any characterization in it

You're wrong (in my opinion). Technically, Resident Evil's characters were more fleshed out(!). Well, at least Alice was. My problem with the characters in Dawn was that they didn't have any development! Who were these people? I don't know.
I know all of this is subjective, but still . . .

pyscho dude

03-10-2004, 03:43 PM

And so it began... fleshed out? Hell man most of the characters you never get to learn their name and most of the commandos looked/acted the same so they didn't even have distinct personalities. But on a side not it's a shame the awesome leader character (spoilers) died so early on. Yeah dead people walking has been done before but Romero revolutioned it and gave it a different spin. Besides we all know Night was based on the book I am legend and there's no denying that but at least Romero came up with some halfway original ideas and didn't rip off better moives like Day of the dead.(just watch the ending to RE and tell me that's not ripping off) Yeah as a Science-Fiction/Adventure movie I enjoyed Resident Evil but as a horror/zombie movie it failed on so many levels. Resident Evil could've been the next Dawn of the dead but Paul messed it up.

zZaNuBiZz

03-10-2004, 04:08 PM

Originally posted by pyscho dude
And so it began... fleshed out? Hell man most of the characters you never get to learn their name and most of the commandos looked/acted the same so they didn't even have distinct personalities. But on a side not it's a shame the awesome leader character (spoilers) died so early on. Yeah dead people walking has been done before but Romero revolutioned it and gave it a different spin. Besides we all know Night was based on the book I am legend and there's no denying that but at least Romero came up with some halfway original ideas and didn't rip off better moives like Day of the dead.(just watch the ending to RE and tell me that's not ripping off) Yeah as a Science-Fiction/Adventure movie I enjoyed Resident Evil but as a horror/zombie movie it failed on so many levels. Resident Evil could've been the next Dawn of the dead but Paul messed it up.

Are you refering to this(See Attachment)

zZaNuBiZz

03-10-2004, 04:09 PM

And the scene from Day

NuclearMisfit

03-10-2004, 05:20 PM

*spoilers ahead*

After hearing the audio commentary on Dawn of the Dead, Romero talks alot about a 4th script and how hard it is to get studios to lay down a budget for "Dusk of the Dead" since there are no stars in it.

After thinking this through I say why dont Universal let Romero do his thing, since they are all big on remaking his film, youd think they would.

Dawn of the Dead wasnt about flashy cgi or camera angles or not how "amateur" it looked, I think it served more of a social commentary on how we take alot of things for granted since during the time malls and consumerism sky rocketed.

C-Desecration-

03-10-2004, 06:06 PM

I think it served more of a social commentary on how we take alot of things for granted since during the time malls and consumerism sky rocketed.

Yeah . . . I just wasn't feeling that. I mean, I got the 'commentary', yet it was so obvious and uninteresting that it didn't leave any lasting impression.

But to each his own.

someguy

03-10-2004, 07:02 PM

It's funny how this is an APPRECIATION thread and someone comes on not appreciating the film. :D

dillhead005

03-10-2004, 08:00 PM

Originally posted by Lindsey
I'm looking forward to the remake, even though I thought The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 03' was one of the worst films of the year. One of the reasons I loathe that film, is because my friends thought the remake was 100% better than the 74' version. That's what I don't want with Dawn of the Dead 04'! I want people to appreciate the original, 78' version!
10/10.

Totally agree. That pissed me off. So many of my friends wouldnt shut up about how much better TCM 03 was the better of the two. My ass.

dillhead005

03-10-2004, 08:06 PM

Originally posted by C-Desecration-
Hmm . . . you know, a little off-topic, but what's with the "romero did 'dead' first so everyone should always reflect his work in their projects' attitude? Dead coming back to life wasn't new when Romero thought of it. It'd bee done. Folktales, basically. So . . . with this mentality, I guess Romero should've showed some respect to the folktales! Damn him to hell! ;)

.

Its not so much that Romero did it first, therfore we have this respect for them. So the answer to your "what's with the romero did dead first" attitude is that ROMERO DID IT BETTER. Resident Evil was the shit on the bottom of my shoe. Dawn of the Dead is gory as hell. Its not going for a serious angle on the gore, Romero even coments he wanted it to be "comic book gore". And saying Resident Evil is deeper than Dawn is ludicros.

countchocula

03-10-2004, 08:16 PM

I'm not so sure about the soundtrack, and I'm not so sure about the pastel zombies, but yes, Dawn of the Dead is a stellar film. The comparisons to Resident Evil are moot. Anderson couldn't accomplish what Romero did if he hired someone else to do it for him. RE is a razzle-dazzle cesspit of stereotypes. It works as mindless entertainment, but that's all that I can say in its favor.

X-Nightcrawler

03-10-2004, 08:33 PM

I haven't seen this but I would only because of the hype it has floating around it. I only saw NOTLD (original) and I fell asleep halfway. Not that I didn't like it, though.

I never ever got into Zombie movies. Really. The only 'Zombie' movies I really really like are Dead Alive, Resident Evil and Return Of The Living Dead (which I loved).

C-Desecration-

03-10-2004, 09:31 PM

And saying Resident Evil is deeper than Dawn is ludicros.

Hey now, I never said that. Resident Evil isn't deep. At all. That's not to say that I think Dawn particularly deep either . . .

Anderson couldn't accomplish what Romero did if he hired someone else to do it for him. RE is a razzle-dazzle cesspit of stereotypes. It works as mindless entertainment, but that's all that I can say in its favor.

What, exactly, did Romero do? Make a plodding 'movie' in desperate need of interesting characters, a 'movie' that boiled down to nothing more than a lump of nice ideas? RE was fun and very watchable. It even has a great amnesia subplot.
In my opinion, Dawn's a grade-B movie.
*braces for schmoe attack*

Mr.HyDe807

03-10-2004, 11:07 PM

I really dont mean to be rude guys, but this is an appreciation thread of Dawn of the Dead!!!!!! Not how much better RE was to Dawn. Lets stick with the praising here people!:D

BTW i never saw Dawn of the Dead yet, but im going too:D

Shockwave

03-11-2004, 02:25 AM

Anderson couldn't accomplish what Romero did if he hired someone else to do it for him. RE is a razzle-dazzle cesspit of stereotypes. It works as mindless entertainment, but that's all that I can say in its favor.

Damn straight!

Re wasnt smart or scarey, two things that horror movie nees to be good. All RE was was special effects, and bad ones at that. It sure as hell wasnt a horror movie, cction maybe(bad action at that)but not horror. It was a brainless crapshack of a movie that could have been the greatest zombie movie of all time IF they had enough brain power to relize that people crave more then cookie cutter crap out of horror movies.

It was a cheap, cop out of a movie, that felt like it was a quick cash in to recieve a pay-check. nothing more. It fucking blew.

:mad:

On a positive note it made me appricaite Dawn, Day , Night, 28 Days Later and all the other zombie movie that didnt feel like they were made in a Hollywood backlot by the "EXTREEEMMME" generation.

EvilDeadGirl

03-11-2004, 12:13 PM

Wow....I don't even know where to begin here.

To tell you all the truth I enjoy Resident Evil. I thought it was a well done film and to compare it to Dawn, Day, or Night well that shouldn't be done. I don't think that one should look at RE and go "Gee, this movie sux compared to Romero's work." When you start comparing films like that then it's going to take away from one or the other.

I don't understand that. I love Romero's work as much as the next schmoe but come on, there are a lot of people that enjoy the three dead films because Romero's name is attached to it. (Not saying that anyone here is.)

So, I have but one question to ask the schmoes that are bashing Resident Evil. Had Romero been involved in Resident Evil a bit more than jes' creating the dogs, IE if his name was attached to this film would you all still hate the film?

I seem to be confusing myself and not sure how to word what I'm thinking I can only hope that you guys are catching my drift here and I'm not offending anyone. :)

dillhead005

03-11-2004, 12:28 PM

Originally posted by C-Desecration-

What, exactly, did Romero do? Make a plodding 'movie' in desperate need of interesting characters, a 'movie' that boiled down to nothing more than a lump of nice ideas? RE was fun and very watchable. It even has a great amnesia subplot.
In my opinion, Dawn's a grade-B movie.
*braces for schmoe attack*

Im not going to attack. I just dont see how you can compare Romero's Dead films to Resident Evil. Its like trying to compare Deuces Wild to The Godfather. Its a silly comparison. The films work on two completly different levels. Resident Evil is a mindless wannabe zombie flick which was thrown out their to scare 14 year old girls. It was a total rip-off and made me sick (this was from someone who was anticipating the film.) As for George A. Romero's Dawn of the Dead this is an instant classic. And whether the underlying themes sell you or not is your problem. I think his film is perfect and succeeds on an entertaining and a deeper level. So therefore you trying to convince people on a DAWN OF THE DEAD APRECIATION BOARD that Resident Evil is comparable to Dawn of the Dead is off-topic, and WRONG.

syxxpac

03-11-2004, 12:59 PM

Originally posted by Shockwave
Damn straight!

Re wasnt smart or scarey, two things that horror movie nees to be good. All RE was was special effects, and bad ones at that. It sure as hell wasnt a horror movie, cction maybe(bad action at that)but not horror. It was a brainless crapshack of a movie that could have been the greatest zombie movie of all time IF they had enough brain power to relize that people crave more then cookie cutter crap out of horror movies.

It was a cheap, cop out of a movie, that felt like it was a quick cash in to recieve a pay-check. nothing more. It fucking blew.

:mad:

You're my new hero.

And as appreciation for the greatness of DotD, I've created this poem, tentatively titled Ode to Pete, Rog, Steve & Fran:

Brainless zombies were the name of the game,
Whose purpose was to savagely maim.

Four survivors crowded into a mall,
Trying to survive despite of it all.

The zombies followed them to their consumerist haven,
With single minded purpose human flesh they be cravin'.

Roger got cocky and got himself bit,
At that point they realized he was in very deep shit.

Peter was forced to kill his best friend,
A tragic and depressing way to meet one's end.

Things got worse when some bikers arrived,
Materialistic bastards with some seriously sweet rides.

They raided and pillaged and looted and stole,
And flushed the three rabbits from their comfortable hole.

The three stood their ground and fought for their joint,
Not in the least bit realizing there was really no point.

The apocalypse was upon them and the zombies were strong,
The world they once knew was all but gone.

Steve was mortally injured in a hard fought fight,
And became one of the undead from a few choice bites.

Peter was forced to kill him as well,
And wanted to die himself to escape the living hell.

Better sense got a hold of him and he fought to the chopper,
Leaving with Fran to be one of only two surviving "shoppers".

So ends the tale from the brain in Romero's head,
Those Universal bastards better fund Dusk Of The Dead.

They need to take gore lessons and horror classes,
If they wish to pull their heads out of their asses.

(P.S. Fuck you, Universal.)

*note* I apologize for the shitty poem above.

Shockwave

03-11-2004, 01:16 PM

So, I have but one question to ask the schmoes that are bashing Resident Evil. Had Romero been involved in Resident Evil a bit more than jes' creating the dogs, IE if his name was attached to this film would you all still hate the film? -EvilDeadGirl

I would actually hate it alot more more then i do now, because i know that Romero is capable of so much better. At least as far as zombie movies go.

Anderson made RE as a fanboy and like most things made by fanboys, it turned out horrible. The ending was the only part of that train wreck that had any kind of atmosphere at all.

countchocula

03-11-2004, 03:20 PM

Originally posted by C-Desecration-
What, exactly, did Romero do? Make a plodding 'movie' in desperate need of interesting characters, a 'movie' that boiled down to nothing more than a lump of nice ideas? RE was fun and very watchable. It even has a great amnesia subplot.
In my opinion, Dawn's a grade-B movie.

Oh, he only redefined an entire genre. NOTLD, in particular, tinkered with taboos, dished out caustic social commentary, and even served as a bleak, claustrophobic horror film that would be poorly pantomimed a squillion times over. Anderson has made a few popcorn movies. I know that you don't deny the fact that RE is shallow, but it should never be juxtaposed with Dawn of the Dead. There's just no comparison.

To answer EvilDeadGirl's question, if Romero had directed RE, I'd suggest that he retire. I'm critical of his work. I won't blindly hail his next film as a masterpiece just because it was helmed by George A. Romero.

KillerKlown

03-11-2004, 03:39 PM

I also love George A Romero's Dawn of the Dead, It's my favourite horror film of all time.

I'm still disgusted by the thought of the upcoming remake and I don't think I will watch it (until it's on Sky in a few years).

pyscho dude

03-11-2004, 03:47 PM

If Romero's name was on the Resident Evil movie that got released then yes I would still hate it but if his name was on the Resident Evil that he wanted to make then I'd more and likely like it. Also I have to agree that this is an appreciation thread and we shouldn't be getting so off topic but still I'll admit that I did get some entertainment out of Resident Evil on an action/adventure level but if it was a late night and I was in the horror mood I'd go for Dawn waaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyy before I'll ever go for Resident Evil.

C-Desecration-

03-11-2004, 05:06 PM

Okay, I completely get everyone's hang-up about comparing RE to Dawn.
That's (correct me if I'm wrong) like comparing Blade to Interview with the Vampire.
Did I get it?

Anyways, I do understand that the moods of Dawn and RE were very different . . . polar opposites, in fact. Dawn wanted to be subdued and thoughtful, while RE wasn't opposed to being loud a quick (though it was still quite serious). The issue is that RE knows what it was. It never tried to be something different. Dawn thought it was something more. And for me, there's nothing worse than a cheesy movie trying to be smart.
Yeah, I know this is an 'appreciation' thread, but that's why I thought it'd be good to kind of pitch the q' "what's the big deal", seeing as how most everyone here would be a huge fan of the film. So far I've got a pretty good idea what the deal was from most of your responses.

And I'm not knocking Romero in general. I liked Day. Smart, emotional (bubba's breakdown), dark, serious . . . aside from some wonky music and the overwhelming melodrama (complete with the "bum-bum-buuuum" tunes') it was damn-near perfect.

countchocula

03-11-2004, 05:33 PM

Originally posted by C-Desecration-
Anyways, I do understand that the moods of Dawn and RE were very different . . . polar opposites, in fact. Dawn wanted to be subdued and thoughtful, while RE wasn't opposed to being loud a quick (though it was still quite serious). The issue is that RE knows what it was. It never tried to be something different. Dawn thought it was something more. And for me, there's nothing worse than a cheesy movie trying to be smart.

I've never viewed Dawn as cheese. Perhaps it depends on how much cheese you and I have seen, but compared to the shockingly schlocky films that have sleazed up my VCR/DVD player, Dawn is a-list material. It's dated, I'll grant you that. It's going to come off as clunky and tiresome when one of your favorite zombie flicks is Resident Evil. But I don't equate cheese with age. Yeah, the effects are substandard and the lighting is amiss, but given Romero's budget (not to mention the year in which the film was made), that comes with the territory.

In my eyes, Resident Evil took itself too seriously. When you have that many formal, interchangeable characters, you need to loosen up a bit (see Jason X).

Brett Talley

03-12-2004, 12:05 AM

I enjoyed this movie however, the make-up was fucking horendous and I found myself not very scared of them....they were just too funny...good movie though and I'm looking forward to the remake because it actually looks scary..but then again, marketing could be doing what it does best..making the trailers seem a hell of a lot better than the actual movie...eg.) 28 Days Later...

someguy

03-12-2004, 10:21 AM

Well you have to understand the number of people as zombies. Plus they were just recently turned into zombies so there wasn't really any damage done to their bodies.

I was only scared of them because the thought of being eaten alive freaks me out.

X-Nightcrawler

03-12-2004, 11:11 AM

I might be going somewhere else but . . . Egad! RE unintelligent mindless entertainment? No fugga way! Resident Evil was an extremely good HORROR movie with hot chicks kicking ass (shit . . . that actually sounds like mindless entertainment). It's well written (home to million of plot twists, a very interesting sub-plot), extremely well directed (the shot of the Umbrella Corp bullet falling in the ground alone is worth the watch), decently acted claustrophbic movie that made me jump more than once.

IMO, a movie reinvented the genre is nesessarily a masterpiece like it's hyped to be. Take Friday the 13th (or Halloween, whichever was that 'reinvented' the genre): None of these movies are really REALLY excelent. I might be watching it from an 18 year old in 2004 POV here but I thought Halloween was really uninteresting and didn't scare me a bit, Michael Myers is also an uninteresting psycho (err . . . evil personified [aren't they all?]). I thought the movie was good at best and it remade the genre for years.

C-Desecration-

03-12-2004, 11:49 AM

It's well written (home to million of plot twists, a very interesting sub-plot), extremely well directed (the shot of the Umbrella Corp bullet falling in the ground alone is worth the watch), decently acted claustrophbic movie that made me jump more than once.

I agree except for the well-written. Yes the amnesia subplot was one of the best I've seen, and the movie was clever and VERY intense (Rain in the sewers), but the juries out on well-written.
Oh, and I thought the acting was fantastic all around.

But back to Dawn . . .
Well you have to understand the number of people as zombies. Plus they were just recently turned into zombies so there wasn't really any damage done to their bodies.

Yeah, dead people have perfectly blue faces. Oh, and when your dead your teeth can chew through skin like it was dried wallpaper! Harrah!
Why were the zombies so super-powerful anyway? They weren't like that in RE.