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. It was the second film made in Romero's Living Dead series
, but contains no characters or settings from Night of the Living Dead
, and shows in larger scale a zombie epidemic's apocalyptic effects on society
. In the film, a pandemic
of unknown origin has caused the reanimation of the dead
, who prey on human flesh, which subsequently causes mass hysteria. The cast features David Emge
, Ken Foree
, Scott Reiniger
and Gaylen Ross
as survivors of the outbreak who barricade themselves inside a suburban shopping mall
.
Dawn of the Dead was shot over approximately four months, from late 1977 to early 1978, in the Pennsylvania
cities of Pittsburgh and Monroeville
.
Many have died, last week, on these streets. In the basement of this building, you will find them. I have given them the last rites, now, you do what you will. You are stronger than us... But soon, I think they be stronger than you. When the dead walk, señores, we must stop the killing... or lose the war.
Every dead body that is not exterminated becomes one of them. It gets up and kills! The people it kills get up and kill!
You're not running a talk show here, Mr. Berman! You can forget pitching an audience the moral bullshit they want to hear!
They MUST be destroyed ON SIGHT!
[after shooting a zombie that almost bit him] You bastards, you bastards! We got 'em, didn't we? We got this, man! We got this by the ass!
Wooley's gone apeshit, man!
I've seen half-a-dozen guys in my unit get bitten by those things. None of them lasted more than... three days.
How the Hell come we stick these low-life bastards in these big-ass hotels anyway? Shit, man! This is better than I got!
We're still pretty close to Johnstown. Those rednecks are probably enjoying this whole thing.