Dawn of the Dead would bring the
gruesome violence of the zombie to audiences in vivid color. While Night
of the Living Dead was filmed in black and white (simply because it was a
cheaper film cost), Dawn would flaunt
its gore brilliantly. Brooding and sinister darkness would be replaced with
in-your-face disembowelment.
The second film
in the Romero-zombie franchise would quickly establish the infectiousness of
the zombie. The opening scene in the WGON newsroom would have a man being
interviewed on camera state very emphatically, “These things get up and kill!
The people they kill get up and kill!” (Dawn, 1978). The zombie created by Romero is horrifying
because it comes in the form of friends, family, and loved ones. Even though
their bodies carried the graphic depictions of their demise and an unhealthy
skin tone of bluish-green, their victims still “saw” their former human selves.
There could be
no mistake that these monsters were in no way human. In addition to their
discoloration, they moved in slow jerks and fits. The zombie showed no recollection, remorse,
or hesitation as they tore into living flesh.
No longer human, these undead creatures were not cannibals. They are monsters.
Standing on the
balcony in the mall, Ken Foree would recount something his character’s
grandfather once said. This line would be echoed by fans for the decades to
follow. “When there is no room in Hell, the dead will walk the earth.” (Dawn,
1978). Like so many have done over the
past three decades, giving a “tip of the hat” to Romero, he gives acknowledgement
to the Afro-Caribbean belief system of Vodoun.
However, there can be no mistaking the Romero-zombie with Wade Davis’
tetrodotoxin-induced zombies. Romero’s creation is no mindless servant.
Instead, these monsters attack and eat the living. They are no longer human and are immune to
all forms of attack used against them save one: destroy the brain.
There is a
darkly humorous scene in Dawn of the Dead
which illustrates the frighteningly near-imperviousness of the zombie David
Emge’s character (Stephen) is shooting at approaching zombies. His bullets strike the body several times to
no avail. Scott Reiniger’s character (Roger)
steps in, knocks Stephen’s rifle aside, and with a single headshot, drops the
approaching zombie to Stephen’s befuddlement. While the scene plays out in
comedic fashion, the horror aspect can be easily seen. These monsters, while slow moving, will keep
coming for you. They may be missing
limbs, or have gaping wounds with viscera spewing forth, but that does not
matter.
Like any
legitimate monster, the zombie has a glaring weakness that will bring it down.
Vampires have stakes to the heart or sunshine. Were-creatures can be dispatched
with silver bullets. Zombies need a critical blow to the head. In each case,
nothing else would suffice.
Dawn of the Dead would officially launch
the zombie to monster stardom. It would
be a vehicle for tales of morality as well as horror. And, like anything groundbreaking as well as
outstanding, it would inspire imitation in the form of everything from generic
rip-off to lampoon.
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