Dawn of the Dead

Dawn of the Dead (1978)

Timing: 2:7 (127 min)

7.485/10
2272

7.068/10
17224

7.8/10
136000

All about film

Video 7

Photo 184

Actors and characters

Release date

1978-09-02

Country

Italy, United States

Production

Laurel Entertainment, Dawn Associates

Genre

Horror, Science Fiction

Budget

$640 000

Revenue

$55 000 000

Website

Director

George A. Romero

Actors

David Emge, Ken Foree, Scott H. Reiniger, Gaylen Ross, David Crawford, David Early, Richard France, Howard Smith, Daniel Dietrich, Fred Baker
All actors and roles (10)

Scenario

Producer

Richard P. Rubinstein, Claudio Argento, Alfredo Cuomo

Operator

Michael Gornick

Composer

Agostino Marangolo

Artist

Audition

John Amplas

Editing

George A. Romero
All team (59)

• The film's budget was $1,500,000: Dario Argento provided half, the director himself invested $25,000 and asked a friend for permission to use a large supermarket in Pennsylvania from 10 pm to 6 am. In exchange for funding, Argento had the right to use his version of the film, which runs 170 minutes in its entirety, for distribution in Europe.
• The department store in Monroeville, Pennsylvania, where the film was shot, never had a gun department. Romero filmed the corresponding scenes in a gun shop in Pittsburgh. The "apartments" that the film's characters made for themselves, as well as the scenes with the elevator shaft, were also filmed in Pittsburgh.
• Filming at the department store took place during the winter of 1976-1977 with a three-week break for the "Christmas shopping season," during which other scenes were filmed, in particular scenes in the television studio.
• Director George A. Romero appeared at the beginning of the film as the director of a television program, and his future wife, Christine Forrest, as his assistant (her parents also appeared in the film as zombies).
• Special effects artist Tom Savini played the leader of the bikers in the film.
• Many of the bikers featured in the film were actual members of the local Pagans Motorcycle Club.
• The helicopter scenes were filmed on the ground, with the background painted blue or black.
• The car used in the scenes of driving through the department store was a 1977 Volkswagen Scirocco, and the helicopter was a Bell Jet Ranger II.
• Gaylen Ross, who played Fran, refused to scream on camera, believing that her character was a strong and determined woman, and that any screaming would discredit her. Romero did not try to persuade her.
• Censors threatened to give the film an 'X' rating if Romero didn't cut out the most graphic scenes. Romero refused to 'cut' the film. Ultimately, citing the lack of pornography in the film, he managed to convince the distributors, and the film was officially released without an age restriction, although trailers and posters still stated that it was not intended for children under 17.
• The film had an alternative ending in which both Peter and Fran commit suicide, but Romero felt it would be too bleak, and on the advice of Christine Forrest, he "allowed" the main characters to survive.
• The idea for the film dates back to an incident in 1974 when a friend of Romero and one of its investors decided to show him his shopping mall in Monroeville – a few kilometers from Pittsburgh. While touring the mall, Romero came up with the idea that such a building could well serve as a shelter in the event of a disaster. This center ultimately served as a key element of the film.