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Dawn of the Dead
Dawn of the Dead
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Dawn of the Dead

Dawn of the Dead

1978
Suspense/Thriller, Action
2h 7m
Following an epidemic of zombies two Philadelphia SWAT team members, a traffic reporter and his girlfriend seek refuge in a secluded shopping mall.

Dawn of the Dead

1978
Suspense/Thriller, Action
2h 7m
Your probable score
Avg Percentile 64.95% from 4809 total ratings

Ratings & Reviews

(4849)
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Rated 17 Oct 2020
95
91st
More action (and comedy, surprisingly) than pure horror, though that's not a bad thing. On the contrary, this is a supremely entertaining and highly rewatchable movie. However, I can't take it seriously as a piece of high-minded social commentary when it also contains a zombie pie fight. Also, it's a good thing the mall never lost power, eh?
Rated 12 Nov 2014
92
98th
Some weird anarchic type of masterpiece, Dawn of the Dead still manages evoke a wincing smile, throwing together biting social satire, goofy slapstick & plenty of disgusting gore. It revels in a sort of controlled chaos that Romero gleefully steers on an ocean of rampant creativity. His direction is far from masterful yet somehow from almost amateurish circumstances rises a sort of modern absurdist comedy masterpiece that stays true to its ideas and never overplays its grim satirical tone.
Rated 04 Dec 2020
100
98th
I’ve seen this countless times and every single time I’m just floored by it, the pacing is perfect. Also that part when Peter casually drops that he knows how to perform abortions.
Rated 23 Jun 2014
97
94th
My favorite zombie movie. I recognize that some of the acting is a bit poor and perhaps the editing is questionable at times, but it'll always be brilliant to me. I loved everything. The setting is great and the old make-up and effects are genuine. It may not be a perfect film, but it's thoroughly original and will always be one of my favorite scary movies.
Rated 29 Sep 2020
70
76th
My expectations were set too high. "It's a zombie movie set in a mall!" so I thought it was like Dead Rising. Obviously I had the benefits of decades of refinement in the genre so this looks primitive, but lackluster acting is timeless. The effects are inconsistent, with the biting looking silly but the helicopter slicing looking amazing. Some great storytelling elements, like the priest and the basement. I don't like white zombies. Black guy lives. Fav scene: settling into the mall.
Rated 04 May 2009
100
97th
Romero's _Night of the Living Dead_ sequel rates as a horror-movie masterpiece, the _Gone With The Wind_ of gore. In he midst of the abundant carnage, Romero also manages to get off some sardonic zingers re McAmerica's rampant brainwashed cult of consumerism. Couple Emge and Ross and ex-cops Foree (who's since become a genre mainstay) and Reiniger all turn in naturalistic perfs, while makeup-FX ace Savini lends conviction to his sadistic-biker role (loosely reprised in _From Dusk Till Dawn_).
Rated 20 Jul 2008
100
98th
Greatest horror film ever made. I don't care what anybody else says.
Rated 02 May 2007
50
48th
Overlong, clumsy and obvious. A few great scenes padded out by the reiteration of the thesis twenty times over. If I ever again see a zombie get cream-pied in the face, it will be too fucking soon. Thanks, George.
Rated 08 Jan 2007
90
97th
Romero's finest work to date and my personal favourite zombie movie.
Rated 18 Sep 2020
45
45th
anticonsumerism for dummies
Rated 01 Feb 2012
96
96th
Romero was not inspired to make this movie during Christmas. Those shoppers surely would've necessitated fast zombies.
Rated 16 Sep 2011
30
1st
Just terrible.. the worst zombie-movie ive watched so far.. the walking dead look ridiculous (blue make-up?). Theyre pussies too, once they walked to one of the characters (with the speed of a slug) theyll instantly hit the ground after one slap on the cheek. Story is very annoying. Acting was okay. Music... uhm, is this a comedy-movie? Go watch the remake from Zack Snyder, dont waste your time on this one
Rated 01 Apr 2011
5
91st
Such a weird, dreamlike film that it defies description. Ostensibly horror, but it's not really scary - just unnervingly creepy at times. The consumerist theme running throughout is a bit blatant, but Romero drives it home so effectively, turning the mall from a novelty and safe haven into something ominous and subtly menacing without changing anything about the way he portrays it. Very patient, thoughtful and eerie, especially given its subject matter.
Rated 11 Mar 2011
30
13th
When there is no more room in hell, the dead will ... turn into smurfs?! Starts well but quickly (very quickly) degenerates into lousily edited cinema trash, with spell-it-out satire that cuts through consumerism, the way a 'what she said' joke cuts through the tension of meeting the parents-in-law. Between that and casting what looks to be Yaphet Kotto's little brother, this dull, drawn out amateur effort places itself dangerously near 'Samurai Cop' territory.
Rated 15 Nov 2010
40
23rd
Man, this hasn't aged well. The acting and the special effects are really awful (it's a cliché but the blood really does look like ketchup) and it's too long by about 30 minutes. There are long, long stretches where it drags so badly. The satirical elements are decent and there are lots of unintentional comedy moments, but overall I just found it fairly dull.
Rated 21 May 2010
64
75th
The biting comedic slant on commercialism is well done, and it's quite fun, but it doesn't quite live up to its flawless reputation.
Rated 27 Feb 2009
30
15th
Night of the Living Dead (1968) is where the living-dead epidemic concept originated, but this one is the paradigm that zombie (and many other) films conform to. Here Romero exemplifies the tendency of zombie movies to be zombie-like themselves: mindless, unfeeling, obstinately repetitive, fetishistically gorey. Every bit of this movie looks like every other bit to me, and indeed, like every other bit of almost every other zombie movie. Dull.
Rated 08 Oct 2008
80
62nd
Dug it, most definitely, but the excessive high praise is a little astounding. Yes, I get the social commentary...the attacks on consumerism. You'd have to be asleep, not to. Also, it's a little long, for what it is. Chop off 20 minutes and you'd have a tighter, more exciting film. So with that out of the way, it's still a fun movie, with lots of imaginative gore and dark humor. Call me crazy, but the best scene in the whole movie is the "turn the TV on or off" bit. "What's happened to us?"
Rated 17 May 2008
84
86th
Better in plot than the remake, but inferior in scare factor and realism. Had the plot of this bad boy been combined with the sentiments of the remake, we would have had a genre killing movie, since it could have never been topped. All i'm left with now is a hope that every time I pop in a zombie movie in my dvd player it doesn't suck.
Rated 09 May 2008
57
27th
Never managed to get my attention in any way. Why people actually like this, I'll never know.
Rated 13 Apr 2024
91
91st
Viewers who grew up on zombies that run & improved or CGI makeup efx may find the zombies here too slow & the production too cheap, but story-wise & character-wise this more than holds up & created the foundation on which all other zombie movies/shows were built. Much is said about the subtextual criticism of consumerism, but it's more a criticism about what it means to be human & simply survive however comfortably. It feels profound but thankfully never pretentious: there's gore aplenty!
Rated 03 Jul 2021
50
9th
As Night of the Living Dead is one of my favorite films ever, I thought I'd enjoy the sequel. But too many things don't work here. The consumer culture satire is too forced. And while the previous film is full of conflict that could fit in 12 Angry Men, these characters aren't fully rounded. Likewise, it makes a fanboy/Walking Dead mistake of thinking that a Crapsack World would cause people to devolve into doing horrific things to each other, instead of bonding over a common problem. Avoid.
Rated 08 Nov 2020
77
64th
This is a well made zombie film. The idea to be held up in a mall is a great one. There are plenty of exciting scenes in this movie. Overall I would recommend this horror film.
Rated 03 Jun 2018
75
58th
Early on I feared that bad acting and stupid characters would grate, but the film got better, or the story got better and goofier to the point I didn't notice the problems as much. I can see where the genre gets many of its good ideas.
Rated 22 Jul 2017
70
72nd
Romero was always more effective when working in a restricted setting. When he spreads action out over multiple locations, the effect of his idiosyncratic craft tends to dissipate. This is why--aside from their obvious metaphorical import--the shopping mall scenes work best, and it's a shame that the entire film wasn't set there. It's needlessly long and edited rather haphazardly, but it's an appealingly gonzo gorefest with a sly satirical streak that firmly distinguishes it.
Rated 30 Mar 2017
40
10th
Grounded survival film without unnecessary drama. But the bad editing ruins most of the charm and momentum.
Rated 15 Mar 2015
95
96th
Capitalism, as Agamben claims, profanates even the most sacred thing, the dead, but that's not a complete profanation which is normally positive in itself, because the dead have only a value of presentation, not a transcendental value nor a use value. And eventually everyone (living or dead) is confined in a shopping mall where everything has a symbolic and fetishistic value which contain violence and destruction in themselves. A film imitating the fantasy it narrates, love it.
Rated 25 Sep 2011
45
1st
Ok... what the HELL did I just watch?? This was one of the most boring predictable horror movies I've ever watched! I don't get how so many people can like this piece of shit :S. The acting was horrible to say the least, the zombies looked like smurfs and were mostly harmless, the script was stupid and the story was boring. The only cool bit in the movie was when they had a fun time in the mall which didn't last very long. Remake is 100 times better!! this was BORING!
Rated 23 Dec 2010
75
56th
Ironically it looks worse than the first part. A quite decent zombie flick nevertheless.
Rated 29 Oct 2010
71
76th
Very little in the way of horror. The lead characters are a rather poor bunch too; the zombies have more personality than most of them. Still a fun flick, with the zombies used to some excellent comedic effect - I could watch them shambling about on escalators for hours. Drags a bit in places and as someone who grew up on more modern horror movies before finally seeing this, it has aged a bit.
Rated 17 Oct 2010
40
19th
Wow, okay. I'm not a horror guy. I'm going to generalize here, but horror guys I've met don't seem to care that much about performances. Disagree with me? I'm holding Dawn of the Dead up as exhibit A. A movie universally adored by horror fans which had me screaming at the television in frustration. I was not allowed to suspend my disbelief. I'd be half way there, and then a horribly written and horribly delivered line would have me screaming "HUMANS DON'T TALK THAT WAY." It's shit, guys.
Rated 05 Jul 2009
100
99th
The definitive Zombie flick. Almost perfect in terms of Horror movies. Sure, sometimes its a little silly and a bit slapstick but in my opinion as realistic as a zombie movie can be. The make-up may not be great but the story and the score make this film one of my favourites. It's a social commentary as well as a horror movie - after all, if you were stuck in a mall wouldn't you do the same thing? Truly outstanding directing and script and some good gore.
Rated 04 Oct 2008
95
97th
One of the most brilliant movies ever made. Satiric, horrific, and relentlessly creative. How do I even sum it up? Yes, the critique of American consumerism is heavy-handed, but what kind of subtlety can you ask for in a film where zombies disembowel people? The way this movie balances kick-ass action sequences with touching humanity, while still making time for humor, is just breathtaking. The film's ultimate message -- the will to survive despite our inability to commune -- is profound.
Rated 20 Sep 2008
8
82nd
Night of the Living Dead is better, barely.
Rated 11 Sep 2008
95
93rd
No one ever ever will step into Romero's footsteps. He created this Genre. Fuck those Remakes!!
Rated 17 Nov 2007
72
55th
Pretty poor opening but thankfully after our fantastic four get in the chopper and leave the film vastly improves. While it does offer social commentary for capitalism I'd be lying if I thought it was super insightful or impressive. Back when it was first made and "super malls" were a new thing I'm sure it was much more impressive but as it stand I don't think the film's quite stood the test of time. The special effects were a mixed bag, some were good, others were obviously done on a budget.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
87
84th
If a movie can actually make me have a plan in the event that a zombie pandemic should breakout, I consider it a success.
Rated 05 Jul 2007
0
1st
The people who justify this crap with psuedo-intellectual bullshit games are just as bad as the movie itself, which wants only to shock, gross-out and offend.
Rated 21 May 2007
94
97th
Probably the greatest pure horror film ever made. Full of excellent gore and, most importantly, a brain. The commentary on society is spot on and once again, humans are their own worst enemy.
Rated 01 Sep 2021
78
80th
I prefer the later version but this one is not without its appeal. The bargain bin zombies are excellent. The blood effects are also to be commended.
Rated 13 Apr 2020
10
14th
I admit existence of some obvious campyness here. But it's simply unwatchable.
Rated 13 Oct 2018
6
40th
Too long and has too many dull passages, otherwise goodish and certainly entertaining at what it does. Politically it's braindead, and loudly so.
Rated 28 Oct 2017
63
34th
The acting outside of the four leads is horrible, the special effects are frequently laughable, and the pacing is all over the place. Despite this, Romero does manage a level of suspense through smart usage of claustrophobic locations, and the humor generally hits its mark. I just get the feeling that Romero shouldn't have been allowed editorial control here.
Rated 14 Oct 2017
63
28th
I enjoyed this experience more than watching Day of the Dead. However, I am still not a huge fan of the franchise. Having the survivors in a shopping mall was a brilliant concept. I had fun although I'm not sure if it was intentional or at the movie's expense.
Rated 11 Aug 2017
89
93rd
George Romero invented the zombie film as we know it with "Night of the Living Dead"(1968), and continued to define the genre with this sequel ten years later. Although still a great movie, this is personally my least favorite of Romero's original "Dead" trilogy. Some of the movie's quirky idiosyncrasies are at times more grating than they are charming over what can feel like a long two hours. Besides all the great zombie gags, the movie remains one of the best zombie survival movies.
Rated 29 May 2016
35
4th
May have been groundbreaking at the time, but fails the test of time. To 2016 eyes it just looks laughably amateurish - terrible acting, dreadful plot, bargain basement effects and zombies to laugh at rather than be scared of.
Rated 02 Mar 2015
47
25th
Good fun in parts but feels very dated and drags on a little
Rated 09 Feb 2015
60
28th
I had a hard time sitting through the entire 2 hours. It suffers from terrible writing; stupid, nearly retarded characters make ridiculous decisions time after time, just to get them in situations where they are attacked by slow moving zombies. A shitload of boring action scenes combined with a continuous overdose of gore and exploding zombie brains result in a severe lack of suspense, not worthy of 'the best zombie film ever made'.
Rated 17 Oct 2014
80
73rd
I honestly found this slightly overrated. I mean, this was still a great zombie movie, but I found this to be more action than the pure tension and horror of than Night of The Living Dead. Not to say that this movie doesn't have its upsides. The acting and characters are dramatically improved from its predecessors. Just the tone and pacing could have been improved to make this the better of the franchise.
Rated 06 May 2014
76
43rd
While it does have some gleefully silly action sequences and moments of cutting satire, Romero's film most often doesn't know what it's trying to be and comes across as aimless. A lot of time spent running around and getting surprised by slow-moving softies seems unnecessary. The characters are ok for a B-movie but the plot and action sequences could have been so much tighter. The music was unexpected at times. An essential contribution to the genre but not a real satisfying watch.
Rated 28 Sep 2013
70
51st
I respect the work that went into this film enormously, especially from Tom Savini and Ken Foree. It still feels painfully overlong, and most of the characters grated in my nerves. Outside of the one scene where she asserts herself, I found Gaylen Ross' character in particular absolutely insufferable. In terms of memorable imagery, though, I can absolutely see how this film earned its reputation.
Rated 13 May 2013
92
86th
The best zombie movie ever made. The setting and the zombies come together perfectly for some great social commentary. Couple that with the characters and Tom Savini's special effects, and this movie is an incredibly fun ride that set the standards for all other zombie films.
Rated 05 Aug 2012
90
98th
I SEE YOU........chocolate man.
Rated 29 Jul 2012
87
91st
We got this, man! We got this by the ass!
Rated 14 Aug 2011
87
85th
I miss the days when zombie movies weren't afraid to be both fun and tense.
Rated 04 Mar 2011
76
55th
real fun :)
Rated 25 Feb 2011
85
95th
the epitome of zombie movie brimming with jabs at consumerist society. the line between disturbing and hilarious is a fine one, with a big emphasis on the latter. still there's some unsettling framing and camerawork which has argento written all over it. i also simply adore the film's low budget style, it has a certain "honesty" down to the actors, who look just like your everyday normal people. gutsy move by emge to play the most incapable idiot ever.
Rated 05 Feb 2011
92
89th
"The" Zombie movie. This is the movie that other zombies movies strive to be. With the social commentary, the great directing by Romero, and the special effects of Tom Savini, this film really packs a punch and leaves a lasting impression.
Rated 14 Jan 2011
92
70th
I love this movie, but I find the film's criticisms of consumer culture to be a bit heavy-handed at times. One of the best zombie films ever.
Rated 08 Oct 2010
75
68th
Stuck in a mall just trying to efficiently kill zombies while browsing the latest consumer products!? How could it NOT be decent!?
Rated 26 Sep 2010
80
70th
Like in 'Night of the Living Dead', Romero impales our entire society with his film. The result is a black satire about rampant consumer culture, presented as a sombre horror vision. Featuring a great number of zombies and elaborate gore; viewers can look forward to exploding heads, zombies that are decapitated by a helicopter and machetes, and screwdrivers that are crushed into the skulls of the living dead!
Rated 25 Sep 2010
79
94th
My favorite straight zombie film. It isn't clean and some of the acting is a bit wooden but it still is brilliant to me.
Rated 06 Sep 2010
73
46th
Being so colourfully gory and silly kinda of undermines the strong theme Romero is trying to deliver. When Tom Savini showed up, it was then I really felt the evil in this newly fucked up society.
Rated 21 Aug 2010
85
51st
I found this more funny than scary but still one of Romero's best sociological horror statements. Savini is brilliant with the make-up special effects.
Rated 06 Jun 2010
96
93rd
the mall...the helicopter scene...Romero s best film...I absolutely love this movie...great zombie and horror film
Rated 05 Jun 2010
80
90th
Maybe a 90. I dunno. Meaty anyway.
Rated 22 May 2010
95
99th
basically the best zombie movie
Rated 26 Feb 2010
100
97th
The best B-movie ever made.
Rated 16 Feb 2010
85
86th
There's not much to say here; it started a craze and rightfully so. The original and likely the best.
Rated 22 Dec 2009
95
99th
A very innovative action movie. The social commentary is a bit heavy-handed and the pacing is a bit slow, but the plot is ridiculously original and expands hugely on Night of the Living Dead, and some of the first act action is awesome. It starts to drag by the end, but it's still a great film, and in many ways is the reason zombie survival has become the cultural phenomenon it is.
Rated 18 Dec 2009
55
29th
Pretty awful special effects, but once I got used to it, I actually started to enjoy the film. If you're looking for scares, this isn't it though. It's more humorous than scary.
Rated 13 Dec 2009
83
60th
Possibly the greatest zombie flick ever made and the fact that it was filmed in the mall I go to.
Rated 18 Jun 2009
10
97th
Zombies. Best straight out horror movie ever.
Rated 27 May 2009
85
88th
A horror classic, very entertaining, funny, tense, grotesque and disgusting. One of the best zombie movie ever made. The special effects are dated, but it does not matter much.
Rated 26 May 2009
94
95th
Fantastic! Without sacrificing the apocalyptic bleakness or horror inherent in zombie movies, this one adds in comedy, great characterization, social commentary, and an ending that's not a total downer. I can't believe how good this zombie movie is.
Rated 27 Apr 2009
91
89th
One of the best zombie movies ever made.
Rated 20 Apr 2009
50
40th
If you've ever been drawn to visit the mall without being sure why, SEE THIS MOVIE!
Rated 10 Apr 2009
0
15th
Seemingly endless horror comic with absurd pretensions to be an allegory of something or other; occasionally laughable, otherwise sickening or boring.
Rated 25 Jan 2009
85
81st
Fun horror flick with some substance, even if that substance is a bit obvious and heavy handed.
Rated 21 Dec 2008
9
93rd
Basically the best zombie movie. It gets stupid at the ending, but stupid in a good way.
Rated 05 Dec 2008
95
79th
It's Zombie time!
Rated 27 Jul 2008
65
31st
Don't put this movie or its remake on par with, say, 28 Days Later, but for a late 70s horror flick it does its job.
Rated 28 Jun 2008
89
84th
A classic. Extremely compelling, with the right amount of humor and fun factor.
Rated 27 Apr 2008
95
97th
Oh, how I admire and love this film.
Rated 08 Apr 2008
85
90th
I love the story and all, the only flaw is that the zombies look really outdated by now.
Rated 25 Sep 2007
40
11th
A definite disappointment (especially after all the great things everybody'd said about it). Quite a letdown from the first movie.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
100
97th
Not only is this is a magnificent satire, but it is also an amazing dark comedy. Chock full of plenty of gore and quite possibly the best bunch of characters Romero has ever created, this is a must see for horror fans. The commentary on capitalism, greed, and the evils of commercialism are easy to spot, but less obvious is his critique of mankind and how quickly and apt they are to to turn to primative means of solving their problems. Also contains one of the best scenes in horror movie history.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
93
87th
Best horror movie ever made. Some silliness prevents it from getting a higher score.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
100
97th
Considered by many to be the greatest zombie movie of all-time and for good reason: it is. In retrospect, the make-up and effects are corny, but it really doesn't matter; what sets Dawn of the Dead apart is the human drama that takes place within the confines of a zombie movie.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
70
55th
Cool premise, and the best of the "Dead" movies.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
68
32nd
Doesn't hold up nearly as well as Night of the Living Dead does. It's okay, but the humor isn't that funny, the make-up and special effects are pretty lame (blood is not bright red!), and it's not really that gory.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
95
77th
The perfect balance between horror and satire, this is arguable the best of Romero's tetralogy of zombie movies.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
87
91st
It's amazing how Romero can inject valid social commentary and humor into his horror films so well. "Dawn" is a little corny, but it still works quite well.
Rated 22 Feb 2007
70
82nd
Best Zombie film ever made.
Rated 11 Dec 2006
99
99th
This is the perfect horror film, and the best zombie movie ever.
Rated 02 Sep 2024
82
78th
Argento cut - 82
Rated 26 Aug 2024
74
63rd
What we have here is a mostly really smartly written zombie joint with good performances from no-name actors, with charming—and at times truly grisly—low-budget practical effects, and a killer score from Goblin (one of the few things that didn’t escape me on that first viewing—the music from this has surfaced in my mind at least once a month since that initial experience).
Rated 07 Jul 2024
50
36th
Razzies for everyone involved
Rated 16 Feb 2024
48
51st
I get all the social commentary and whatnot, but this was not for me. Also, it's way too long; I shouldn't have watched the extended version lol.
Rated 21 Apr 2023
20
21st
I don't understand what people saw about this. The movie has nothing going on and everytime I try to give it a chance I get bored. I like the first 20 minutes but as soon as they go to the mall the movie has no longer nothing interesting going on. "Social commentary" how about just telling a good story instead of being a pseudo intellectual

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