Dawn of the Dead: We got this by the ass!

There have been 11 million zombie films released since Dawn of the Dead came out in 1978, and none of them as good, because none of them have such a rich text deep in subtext and satire, none of them are as funny, and none of them are directed with such a clear authorial voice. 

I finally saw it on the big screen recently in a double feature with the original Night of the Living Dead, and that was a fine way to see it. It was the only movie of my all time top five films ever that I never saw on the big screen, so that's the end of that quest, I guess.

That trailer above literally gave me nightmares for years when I saw it in 1988, hiding among the coming attractions on a Jewel of the Nile rental. It was utterly terrifying and no matter how many times I read the cover of the cassette down the store, my parents wouldn't let me anywhere near it for another five years. I still have the video tape I got when I was turned 18. It's a prized possession.

But getting to see it on the big screen for once, that was something else, man. And the thing that I really noticed in watching the two films together is that Dawn fucking hums along.

The first movie is still brilliant - especially with the moody, skewed close-ups, with horrified eyes peeking out between the shadows - but does gets bogged down in long arguments about the merits of the cellar, while the boarding up of the house feels endless.

But Dawn skips from scene to scene with great authority. First they're trapped in a failing society, full of insanely dehumanizing housing projects and TV news that doesn't give a shit, and then our heroes are off, buzzing over rednecks and stopping off for one of the finest zombie kills in the entire medium.

Even when they're finally secured the mall for themselves and indulging in a hollow consumerist paradise, they still kill off one of the lead characters, and then the biker gang comes along and it all turns to shit again, and then they're off again.

The pace of the film - even as it established the clear parameters of the mall and which doors lead to their hide-out - is outstanding and keeps things entertaining, even as the biggest points are made.

The slow crawl of the zombies remains a vital part of the whole thing, but that doesn't stop the film from running you over at top speed. That was part of the genius of George Romero, and something few of his imitators ever really understood.