Dawn of the Dead

Romero shot in the Monroeville Mall in Pennsylvania overnight, between closing and opening, over four months. The mall let him because nobody thought the film would be seen.

Its reputation as satire is deserved but oversold. It is a satire for about twenty minutes; the rest of the time it is four people building a functional life in a shopping centre, which is the part that makes the ending work.

Savini's effects look crude in high definition and were astonishing in 1978. He was in Vietnam as a combat photographer and has said plainly where the reference came from.

Two versions worth knowing about. Romero's US cut runs 127 minutes. The European cut, supervised by Argento with a wall-to-wall Goblin score, runs 119 and is tighter and considerably meaner. They are different films and both are worth an evening.