"With a chainsaw number that easily enters my top-five-kill-scenes-of-all-time-list, I say bring on the sequels" Mike Sage PETERBOROUGH THIS WEEK "Dawn of the Dead is creepy, smart, classy moviemaking. The film takes no prisoners in its sole goal to scare you silly." Dustin Putman THEMOVIEBOY.COM "A good script without any of that banal horror-movie dialog that makes you cringe, a cast that can act, and zombies that are scary and quick without being robotic." Cherryl Dawson and Leigh Ann Palone, THEMOVIECHICKS.COM "In the first eight or so minutes, Snyder firmly grips you and rarely lets go." Phoebe Flowers SOUTH FLORIDA SUN-SENTINEL "Tense, bloody, funny and smart; lacks original's conscience, but it's still a surprisingly gritty remake." ME Russell OREGONIAN

What The Critics Say

"Dawn of the Dead is ultra-violent, excessively bloody, and extremely gory – all in a good way. I left the theater feeling pumped full of adrenaline." Mike McGranaghan AISLE SEAT "A masterpiece of its genre." Chris Hewitt ST PAUL PIONEER PRESS "A banquet of creepy delights." Louis B Hobson JAM! MOVIES "A brilliant, riveting, action-packed remake." DK Holm MOVIE POOP SHOOT "If you are at all squeamish about screen gore, forget about it. But if you enjoy plenty of ketchup on your movie popcorn, you will have a frightfully good time." Sean Means SALT LAKE TRIBUNE "...a killer thriller that has an over-the-top raw presence that stimulates and takes its observers on a tumultuous trip through its perverse playground" Frank Ochieng MOVIE EYE

At A Glance

"A big chomping horror delight, Dawn of the Dead reworks director George Romero’s zombie classic with gobs of blood, buckets of black humor and enough cocky style to induce giggles between shivers." ........ Tom Long DETROIT NEWS

For the most part, the filmmakers and many of the talent behind Dawn of the Dead shared the same kind of single-minded drive as the ever-growing horde of living corpses at the center of their film. The zombies on-screen just want to feed; those involved in this Dawn just wanted to make a zombie movie. A longtime fan of horror films and the "not-quite-dead" sub-genre, producer Eric Newman remembers, "Growing up, I had always loved those movies, but Dawn of the Dead was my favorite. There were always other zombie movies around, but Dawn felt to me like the one movie that stood out from the rest. I feel that the genre has not received the attention it deserves in this generation." What Newman wanted to do was bring the zombie movie into the 21st Century with a quality script, a talented and respected cast and up-to-date production values provided by a Hollywood studio. Commenting on the unkillable nature of the genre, Newman observes, "Zombie myths are thousands of years old. It's almost a vampire thing. Plus, zombies were also, for me, the perfect villains because they were fearless, tireless and ubiquitous. They were singular of purpose-to stalk, kill and eat you. You can't reason with a zombie. People have always struggled to maintain their individuality against those who strive to crush it. Zombies are the mindless masses who forcibly convert you to their way of life." Newman's zombie fever quickly spread to respected, veteran producer, Strike Entertainment's Marc Abraham. It was then that Newman (on behalf of Strike) approached New Amsterdam Entertainment CEO Richard P. Rubinstein, who was the producer of the 1979 original, George A. Romero's Dawn of the Dead, and controlled the remake rights. The original Dawn was nationally distributed in 1979 without an MPAA rating by a small independent distributor, earned over $20 million at the U.S. box office and was highly praised by many critics, including Pulitzer Prize-winning Chicago Sun-Times' Roger Ebert, who gave the film four stars. Rubinstein had previously been approached over many years by filmmakers wanting to secure the rights for a remake, but it wasn't until Newman approached him that he began to consider granting the rights…and even then, not at first. Rubinstein commented, "I believed that George's film was successful critically and financially partially because it was written, directed, produced and distributed outside of the major studio system of moviemaking. I was concerned that somewhere along the way a studio would sanitize Newman's vision for producing a version with `attitude.' Ultimately, it was Marc Abraham's long track record in keeping the creative integrity of the studio distributed films he has produced intact that gave me reason to say `yes' and agree to turning the Strike team loose." Eric Newman adds, "I would like to see this movie make the old fans happy and make a lot of new fans. Because that's the only reason we are doing it." One idea proved to be the cornerstone for all, an overall dictum the production would follow in every aspect of the project. "This is a re-envisioning of a classic. There was not, is not, a valid reason to `remake' Dawn of the Dead. That's not what we set out to do, not what any of us wanted. There are some amazing updates on some great films: I love Kaufman's "Invasion of the Body Snatchers", Carpenter's "The Thing", Cronenberg's "The Fly". They're great movies that add to rather than diminish the original films. We really saw this as a chance to continue the zombie genre for a new audience," offers Newman. "The 1979 Dawn is obviously a cult film, revered by its fans and rightly viewed as a landmark in horror films. We believed we could bring the same intense kind of motion picture experience to a whole new audience of young moviegoers," Abraham said. Far more entertaining than 28 Days Later, more gruesome than House Of 1000 Corpses, twice as funny as The Haunted Mansion, bloodier than a slaughter room floor, that's the lastest remake of a hollywood classic, "Dawn Of The Dead". Debut director Zack Snyder has taken the 1978 George A Romero classic, "Dawn Of The Dead" and hyped it up, turning it into a highly entertaining, energy charged 21st century romp. Needless to say, "Dawn Of The Dead" is one blood splattered romp, one which should provide ample fare for horror fans who love getting off on a huge adrenalin rush. And what a rush it will be. The pace is frenetic. The zombies are relentless in the pursuit of their victims and as our battling survivers discover, the only way these zombies will stay dead is to put a bullet through their head. Chainsaws may be an effective way of slicing and dicing them, but getting them in the brain is guaranteed to stop them dead. Oh that's right, they're dead already. Or are they? Whatever! This race for survival is not easy. Thanks to screen writer James Gunn, there are plenty of lighter moments in "Dawn Of The Dead". In fact, many will find the lighter moments very funny, particularly if you take notice of the mall music used in many of the films critical moments. They truly help make "Dawn Of The Dead" a real classic. Of course, the question many will want answered is why another horror film? Surely we get enough violence on the television without giving us bucket loads more at the cinema? Try telling that to horror fans. Those who love a film dripping with bucket loads of blood and guts. Films filled with scenes of dismembered bodies, horrific decapitations and mutilations. Well, we all know horror isn't just the blood and guts. No, it's also about getting the crap scared out of you. The real victims [as we know damn well], are those in the audience. We're the once wincing in pain and distress, cringing in our aircraft style luxury cinema seats, throwing our hands across our eyes to block out the hideous events shocking and distressing us. The audience are the ones suffering hearts stopping moments, squeezing out a muffled gasp at what we see up there on the screen. Yes, we are the real victims. And our excuse? Simple, "It's all good fun." "Harmless fun." Hell, no-ones going to suddenly run out of the local multiplex and start chomping into the throat of the first innocent person they happen upon. Now be honest. Are they? Of course not. Well at least I hope not. Could I be wrong. Nah. It'll never happen. Bugger me! But what if it did. That surely would be a turn up for the books. Wouldn't it? But back to that question. "Growing up, I had always loved those movies, but Dawn Of The Dead was my favourite", explains long time horror fan and producer Eric Newman. "There were always other zombie movies around but Dawn felt to me like the one movie that stood out from the rest." So why revive it now? "I felt that the genre has not received the attention it deserves in this generation," he said. and it seems "For the most part, the filmmakers and many of the talent behind "Dawn Of The Dead" shared the same kind of single minded drive. Those in this Dawn Of The Dead" just wanted to make a zombie movie." And what's so facinating about zombies? "Zombie myths are a thousand years old. It's almost a vampire thing," Newman observes. "They were singular of purpose. To stalk, kill and eat you. You can't reason with a zombie. Zombies are the mindless masses who forcibly convert you to their way of life." Does that mean you've cloned the original for a new audience? "This is a re-envisioning of a classic. There was not, is not, a valid reason to 're-make' "Dawn Of The Dead". That's not what we set out to do," Newman says. "Not what any of us wanted." And the purpose behind that? "I would like to see this movie make the old fans happy and make a lot of new fans," Newman said. "Because that is the only reason we are doing it." Cast & Crew Bytes "Dawn Of The Dead" was directed by Zack Snyder ["Dawn Of The Dead"], written by James Gunn ["Tromeo and Juliet", "Terror Firmer", "The Specials" and "Scooby-Doo"], produced by Marc Abraham ["Air Force One", "End Of Days", "Tuck Everlasting" and "Welcome to the Jungle"], Eric Newman ["Black Sheep" and "The Emperor's Club"], Richard P Rubinstein ["Dawn of the Dead", "Pet Sematary", "Day of the Dead" and "Creepshow I & II"]; edited by Niven Howie ["Bullet" and "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels"]; costume design by Denise Cronenberg ["The Fly", "Dracula 2000", "Naked Lunch" and "Spider"]; original Mall Music by Tree Adams ["Drowning Mona", "Auto Focus", "Poor White Trash" and "Killer Diller"] with cinematograhpy by Matthew F Leonetti ["Breaking Away", "Raise The Titanic", "Poltergeist", "Another 48 Hrs" and "The Butterfly Effect"].
The title song "The Man Comes Around" is performed by Johhny Cash as John R Cash.
"Dawn Of The Dead" stars Sarah Polley ["Exotica", "Children First!", "Guinevere", "The Claim" and "Luck"], Ving Rhames ["The Long Walk Home", "Pulp Fiction", "Con Air" and "Dark Blue"], Jake Weber ["The Pelican Brief", "Meet Joe Black", "The Cell" and "Love Thy Neighbor"], Mekhi Phifer ["Clocker's", "Hell's Kitchen", "8 Mile" and "Honey"], Ty Burrell ["Black Hawk Down" and "Evolution"], Kevin Zegers ["Life With Mikey", "Specimen", "Komodo" and "Wrong Turn"], Michael Barry ["Last Night", "Strike!' and "Detroit Rock City"], Lindy Booth ["Teenage Space Vampires", "Detroit Rock City" and "Wrong Turn"], Jayne Eastwood ["One Man", "Videodrome", "Resurrection" and "Chicago"], Boyd Banks ["Black Sheep", "Dinner At Fred's", "Ladies Man" and "The Tuxedo"], Inna Korobkina ["The Ladies Man" and "How To Deal"], with Bruce Bohne ["Fargo", "Patch Adams" and "Fargo] as Jake and Michael Kelly ["River Red", "Origin Of The Species", "Man on the Moon" and "Unbreakable"] as CJ. The Story

"Good zombie fun, the remake of George A. Romero's Dawn of the Dead is the best proof in ages that cannibalizing old material sometimes works fiendishly well." Manohla Dargis, LOS ANGELES TIMES

It's dawn. The start of a new day. A day like no other. Awoken by a terrifying scream Ana, a nurse at the local hospital discovers her husband staggering around the bedroom with a gaping wound to his throat. He has been attacked by their neighbours daughter. Frantically Ana tries to stem the flow of blood as the life drains from him. As she does, the child tries unsuccessfully to attack her. Locking herself in the bedroom she packs her husbands wound but it is to no avail. Distraught, Ana desperately tries to telephone for help but no-one is answering. Her efforts are in vain, the loss of blood is too great and her husband bleeds to death. Sitting on the bed she tries to gather her senses. Then she hears a hideous, hissing sound. She turns just in time. Somehow her husband has come back from the dead and now he wants to kill her. She flees to the bathroom and locks herself in, but the monster on the other side of the door is determined to break in. Finally she escapes his clutches by climbing through a small window. She rushes to her car and as she drives off is confronted by a scene like something out of hell. Neighbours are attacking and devouring each other, houses are on fire, chaos is everywhere. Then, while trying to escape, she crashes her vehicle. She comes to, only to find she is staring straight down the barrel of a pump action shotgun. Thankfully the police officer realizes she isn't infected like the others. They join forces with three others and make their way to the local shopping mall. It will be safer there. But their nightmare has only just begun. It's a fight for survival. A dangerous game of life or death. Of staying one step ahead of the Zombies. The Verdict "A fabulously satisfying combination of throat chomping, body devouring, blood splattered, chainsaw ripping scenes, punctuated by a constant assault of big bore shotgun blow their brains away action. Far and away the best gore-fest film to come out in a long while. Debut director Zack Snyder has taken the 1978 George A Romero classic, "Dawn Of The Dead" and hyped it up and turned it into a highly entertaining 21st century romp. While there is a deep dark side to "Dawn Of The Dead" there is an undercurrent of comedy which is very clever indeed. Buckets of blood, masses of Zombies and plenty of victims ensure a great time for genuine horror fans as well as the curious. Highly recommended Zombie viewing! **SPECIAL NOTE** Don't leave when the credits start. DOTD continues to the very end." Visit These Great Websites Click Images Above To Enter A Website The Cast

Sarah Polley Ving Rhames Jake Weber Mekhi Phifer Ty Burrell Michael Kelly Kevin Zegers Michael Barry Lindy Booth Jayne Eastwood Boyd Banks Inna Korobkina RD Reid Kim Poirier Matt Frewer Justin Louis Hannah Lochner Bruce Bohne Ermes Blarasin Sanjay Talwar Kim Roberts Tim Post

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Ana Kenneth Michael Andre Steve CJ Terry Bart Nicole Norma Tucker Luda Glen Monica Frank Luis Vivian Andy Bloated Woman Doctor Rosen Cora Reviving Doctor

The Crew Directed by Zack Snyder Remade from the 1978 George A Romero Motion Picture Screenplay BY James Gunn Produced by Marc Abraham/Eric Newman/Richard P Rubinstein Original Music by Tree Adams & Tyler Bates Cinematography by Matthew F Leonetti Film Editing by Niven Howie Casting by Robin D Cook & Joseph Middleton Production Design by Andrew Neskoromny Art Direction by Arvinder Grewal Set Decoration by Steve Shewchuk Costume Design by Denise Cronenberg Prosthetic Makeup Department Heads Barney Burman & Toni G Prosthetic Supervisor Shaun Smith Prosthetic Effects & Makeup Artist Deborah Patino Special Makeup Effects A rtistDave Snyder Unit Production Management Michael MacDonald Run Time 100 minutes Rated MA15+ [AUST] Copyright ©2004 - Universal Studios - All Rights Reserved Copyright Protected © 2004 - Impact Internet Services & The Movie Pages - All Rights Reserved