Dawn of the Dead (remake)

I usually don't like remakes. My thought on the matter is "if it's not broke, don't fix it." That said, I enjoyed the Dawn of the Dead remake a lot.
For one thing, it wasn't a retelling of the story using the same characters. No toes were stepped on that way. The writers made the story their own. Also, the location was different. The original took place in Pennsylvania. The remake is set in Wisconsin. Yes, both have survivors holing up in shopping malls. I would expect some people in such a situation to do the same (and how many malls are there? A lot?) so that was no big deal.
I also liked the soundtrack. Songs by Johnny Cash, Disturbed, Richard Cheese, among others helped to carry the movie. The acting was great. The action and visual effects were, too. Who doesn't like explosions? The zombies were scary. I know I'd hate to have a runner on my ass. All in all, it was a wonderful way to spend time.
I also noticed a couple of things that made me laugh. Tom Savini (who played a biker in the original) was a sheriff in the remake. You can see him when the survivors are watching the news. Also, Ken Foree (who played the cop named Peter in the original) was a television evangelist in this one. In both movies he delivers the classic tagline "When there is no more room in hell, the dead will walk the earth".

Here is more information on both movies:
Dawn of the Dead (original)
Dawn of the Dead (remake)

I can't find the movies on youtube so you can compare them but I have trailers.
Remake

Original


This goes to show that you don't have to trample on beloved characters if you want to remake a movie.

We saw it in the theater. I even own it on DVD.

But I have only been able to watch it that once. Reason? It scared the sh!t out of me. Not even the whole movie, just that first scene with the zombie little girl. Freakin' zombie little girl.

We still lived in an apartment then, and the orientation of everything in that scene, even the way the couple was in the bed, was dead ringer for my husband and I and how our apartment bedroom was. Even the colors. Oh, lord, it was months before I could sleep well at night, even after we'd move out and into our new place.

I'm just afraid to watch it again.

a reply to: Skid Mark

I also liked the remake . I grew up in the 70s and watched all the cheesy slasher flicks . Many were good but almost all could use improvement.

originally posted by: ketsuko
We saw it in the theater. I even own it on DVD.

But I have only been able to watch it that once. Reason? It scared the sh!t out of me. Not even the whole movie, just that first scene with the zombie little girl. Freakin' zombie little girl.

We still lived in an apartment then, and the orientation of everything in that scene, even the way the couple was in the bed, was dead ringer for my husband and I and how our apartment bedroom was. Even the colors. Oh, lord, it was months before I could sleep well at night, even after we'd move out and into our new place.

I'm just afraid to watch it again.

That's funny. I can imagine you coming home and insisting on things getting moved around so it would be different.

a reply to: Skid Mark

Great remake - the newborn zombie baby freaked the hell out of me. I also loved that Ving Rhames was in it - the guy who was the ex-boxer in Mars Attacks.

And it was sick how they played chess with the gunstore owner across the street using binoculars and writing their next chess move on a whiteboard.

Creative, great cast, fantastic movie.

a reply to: Greathouse

The 70's had a lot of good horror movies. Also, the early 80's. I remember seeing them at the drive in theater. The grindhouse ones were cool. They were low budget but it didn't really matter. They were fun to watch.

a reply to: Skid Mark

What? And admit I'd been scared by a movie? Nuh-uh. I suffered in silence like any self-respecting adult.

a reply to: ketsuko

I hear that. You're supposed to be a grown up. Things like that aren't supposed to scare you. Just act like everything is normal, like whistling past the cemetery to keep the scary things at bay.

a reply to: Skid Mark



Honestly I had forgotten most of them. But one that sticks in my mind is the Legend of Boggy Creek .

Whenever I catch on the classic Romero films on TV, it's usually this one.



Day of the Dead

This is the first part, but all of the parts are there.

a reply to: Greathouse

I can't remember if I ever saw that one. It's on youtube. I'll look it up.

a reply to: ketsuko

I like that one. Fun fact: The guy who plays Johnson is Greg Nicotero. He was Tom Savini's assistant on makeup for the movie and learned from him. He started his own company with two friends and now does zombie makeup for The Walking Dead.

originally posted by: FamCore
a reply to: Skid Mark

Great remake - the newborn zombie baby freaked the hell out of me. I also loved that Ving Rhames was in it - the guy who was the ex-boxer in Mars Attacks.

And it was sick how they played chess with the gunstore owner across the street using binoculars and writing their next chess move on a whiteboard.

Creative, great cast, fantastic movie.

The baby was scary. I also liked the chess game. You can actually buy a chess set like that. It's called The Alamo Chess Set. I forget where you can get it but it's listed in the credits toward the end.
I also like how Andy used it to send a final message when he became a zombie. Just smeared blood all over it and held it up. That was a nice touch.

a reply to: Skid Mark

On a sidenote, did you ever find cook county ?

a reply to: Greathouse

No, I did not. I saw it listed on netflix but the TV is always tied up for video games. I watch everything on my laptop.

a reply to: Skid Mark

I thought about starting a thread on it. But after I told you about it I figured I'd wait and you would start one.

Because it is a damn good movie .

a reply to: Greathouse

Go on ahead, man. You won't hear any complaints from me.

a reply to: Skid Mark

Thanks for the info. I was a huge zombie fan long before they became mainstream. I recall as a kid getting the Romero movies on VHS. They were so gory.

I've always wondered WTF I'd do if a zombie outbreak occurred.

originally posted by: Edumakated
a reply to: Skid Mark

Thanks for the info. I was a huge zombie fan long before they became mainstream. I recall as a kid getting the Romero movies on VHS. They were so gory.

I've always wondered WTF I'd do if a zombie outbreak occurred.

You'd try to act like you're not excited? A little joke. I think about it when I watch them, too.

Wow, never knew there was an original. I just saw the remake.