It's a creature double-feature this week, as The Unenthusiastic Critic devours George Romero's Dawn of the Dead (1978) and Zack Snyder's 2004 remake.
First, we're talking about horror movies: how Nakea claims to hate them (she doesn't), and how she firmly believes that she herself would survive them (she wouldn't). Then, we're sitting down for a living-dead double-bill, to discuss white flight, rampant consumerism, zombie ice capades, apocalyptic family planning, and other ways to ride out the end of the world.
Program
0:00: Prologue: from Dawn of the Dead (1978)
0:46: Preliminary Discussion: Horror Movies
20:29: Musical Interlude: "Re: Your Brains" by Jonathan Coulton
22:33: Cultural Osmosis: Pre-Viewing Discussion
29:58: Trailer for Dawn of the Dead (1978)
31:08: The Verdict I: Post-Viewing Discussion of Dawn of the Dead (1978)
1:09:46: TV Trailer for Dawn of the Dead (2004)
1:10:47 The Verdict II: Post-Viewing Discussion of Dawn of the Dead (2004)
1:54:49: Outro and Next Week's Movie
Notes and Links
—Films discussed: Dawn of the Dead (dir. George Romero, Laurel Group, 1978) and Dawn of the Dead (dir. Zack Snyder, Strike Entertainment, 2004).
— Reviews of 1978 version discussed: Roger Ebert; Janet Maslin; Variety.
—Reviews of 2004 version discussed: Michael O'Sullivan; Roger Ebert
—Article mentioned: "The 100 Best Horror Films," Time Out.
—Books referenced: Danse Macabre by Stephen King; The Fearmakers by John McCarty
—Listen to additional episodes and read The Unenthusiastic Critic in prose form at unaffiliatedcritic.com.
—Email us, or follow us on Twitter and Facebook. (Suggestions of movies to watch for future episodes are welcome!)
—"Warm Duck Shuffle" by Arne Huseby is licensed under CC BY 3.0.
—"Re: Your Brains" by Jonathan Coulton is licensed under CC BY NC 3.0.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:56:06 — 66.8MB)
2 thoughts on “DAWN OF THE DEAD (1978 & 2004)”
In 1968 it was social upheaval. In 1978, it was consumerism. Today, it's smartphone and social media addiction that are ripe for a zombie film to comment on.
Personally, I prefer the recently evolved sub-genre of zombies who are conscious, have personalities, and are the protagonists of their stories. Examples are the movie, "Warm Bodies," the BBC series, "In the Flesh," and the admittedly uneven CW series, "I Zombie."
I forgot to mention "The Girl with All the Gifts," which is essentially what happens if they didn't kill the zombie baby.