Dawn of the Dead (1978)
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
Reviews Counted:37
Fresh:35
Rotten:2
Average Rating:8.4/10
Consensus: One of the most compelling and entertaining zombie films ever, Dawn of the Dead perfectly blends pure horror and gore with social commentary on bourgeois society.
Runtime: 6 hrs 25 mins
Genre: Horror/Suspense
Synopsis: Picking up where NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD left off, and still offering no explanation of why the dead are walking the earth, DAWN OF THE DEAD plunges headlong into one of the most violent and... [More]
Starring: David Emge, Ken Foree, Scott Reiniger, Gaylen Ross
Director: George A. Romero
Get This Movie
Rent DVD
Click on the "ADD" button to put this movie into your Netflix queue.
Buy DVD
Reviews for Dawn of the Dead
| Tomatometer | Critic | Review | Category |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
Romero's script is banal when not incoherent. Full Review |
||
 |
This sequel to Night of the Living Dead (1968) abandoned the shadowy black-and-white creepiness of its progenitor in favor of a brightly lit color canvas that was bigger, broader, and bloodier. Full Review |
||
|
|
Romero's framing of social ills via his rotting, walking metaphors is ingenious but it's the more subtle, unspoken statements that register with the greatest force. Full Review |
||
|
4.5/5 |
This is both a fine straight-up horror and an archly sly comment on consumer society. Full Review |
||
|
5/5 |
Romero, who was his own editor this time out, keeps the scenes clipped and purposeful. Full Review |
||
|
4/4 |
In a rare league of ingenious horror films that are utterly timeless... Full Review |
||
|
4/4 |
Dawn of the Dead abandons easy scare tactics in favor of a darkly satirical assault on bourgeois culture, traditional notions of masculinity, and rampant consumerism. Full Review |
||
|
|
Romero's sensibility approaches the Swiftian in its wit, accuracy, excess, and profound misanthropy. Full Review |
||
|
|
Undoubtedly the zombie movie to end 'em all. Full Review |
||
|
3/5 |
No review available.
|
||
|
4/5 |
I still get queasy thinking about the biker and the blood pressure machine!
|
||
|
|
Romero's apocalyptic vision looks more like prophecy than fiction. Full Review |
||
|
5/5 |
Grim, gruelling but beautifully shot, this is intelligent, sophisticated horror. Full Review |
||
|
4/4 |
Dawn of the Dead is one of the best horror films ever made -- and, as an inescapable result, one of the most horrifying. It is gruesome, sickening, disgusting, violent, brutal and appalling. Full Review |
||
|
4/5 |
Classic zombie comedy-drama
|
||
|
4/4 |
Dawn of the Dead’s most unsettling aspect is in how it shows us how little we’ve changed as a culture. Full Review |
||
|
4/4 |
Upon a second viewing, Dawn of the Dead is still just as scary and just as relevant (more so than the remake). Full Review |
||
|
2.5/4 |
For my money, John Carpenter's Halloween, released the same year, is smarter, sharper, and more influential. Full Review |
||
|
5/5 |
No review available.
|
||
|
4/5 |
No review available.
|
5 CommentsLatest News for Dawn of the Dead
May 19, 2008:
Romero's Dawn of the Dead Rising in 3-D 
Thanks to a process called "dimensionalization," George A. Romero's Dawn for the Dead will see re-release in 3-D. More...
March 13, 2008:
Top Ten Death Proof Exploitation Films: the films that wouldn’t die.
Exploitation films are B-grade gold for those who like it rough, sleazy and thrill-packed. More...
March 07, 2008:
Guide of the Dead - An RT Romero Retrospective
As Diary of the Dead hits cinemas, we sit down with George A. Romero to talk retrospectively about what has come from his zombie opus, the Dead series, and what the future has... More...
February 15, 2008:
George A. Romero on Diary of the Dead: The RT Interview
With sequel talk already on the horizon, RT chats up horror legend George A. Romero about zombie movies and the latest addition to his Living Dead series. More...
RT On Current TV
What’s Hot On RT
Fresh Links
Featured
Last week, MSN gave us their top 09 films. Now see what their favorites of the decade are!
Here's a list of the 50 best movies of 2009, according to the good people over at Moviefone.
Hollywood.com takes a stab at determining who in movies will be on Santa's naughty list in 2009.
TIME chimes in with their own list of the best films released this year.
Click through to see which movies BuzzSugar placed in their Best-of-Decade list!
Promos
Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!
RSS Feeds