10 Facts You Never Knew About The Original Dawn Of The Dead

Night Of The Living Dead might have single-handedly kicked off the zombie movie craze, but its sequel Dawn Of The Dead is the one that solidified its iconic status. Without the film, The Walking Dead would never have seen the light of the day, not to mention so many other films and franchises focusing on undead rising from their graves.

George Romero’s visionary style and uncanny ability to tack on social messages into the underlining fabric of his movies is what helped make Dawn Of The Dead so memorable. It’s become a classic in its own right. Here’s 10 things you may never have known about the movie.

10 The Zombies Are Actually Grey

For years, many fans assumed that the film’s undead hordes were blue to simulate lack of blood flow and overall death status, but it turns out that the original intention was to have them appear grey, instead.

Makeup artist Tom Savini revealed that the grey makeup used for the zombies ended up appearing blue-tinted during filming. It’s not a total loss, and it’s doubtful anyone questioned it.

9 Two Zombies Actually Run

The 2004 remake of Dawn Of The Dead was heavily criticized for the Olympian-level track sprinting abilities of the undead, which was a far cry from the traditional slow-moving zombie. Dawn Of The Dead sticks to the latter formula, but there are two zombies in the film who can actually motor around!

These two of course, are the child zombies who attack Peter at the airport, forcing him to put them down. The scene was especially unpleasant for actor Ken Foree, who did not like the thought of shooting children.

8 The Filming Block Was Tricky

Due to the film being shot at the Monroeville Mall in Pennsylvania, the cast and crew were forced to shoot at night, beginning at 10PM and striking at 6AM to prepare for shoppers. Romero and his crew were handed a huge degree of trust by the owners, who essentially gave them free run of the place.

The filming would have commenced past 6AM, if not for the fact that prerecorded music would begin to play at that time, and nobody had a clue how to shut it off.

7 Everyone Pitched In To Help

Never mind the run and gun style of filmmaking that Romero was participating in to get the picture done. Credit should be given to the countless, enthusiastic extras and volunteers who came out to help sell the narrative and make Dawn Of The Dead such a hit.

Even the National Guard, the police and fire and ambulance crews got in on the action, showing up to set in their gear to act as extras. Not only did this shave costs off the budget, but it helped sell the authenticity of normal, everyday folks living it up after the apocalypse.

6 The Nun Zombie Was Spared

Even in death, nuns get some sympathy! At least, that’s how George Romero thought of it during a scene involving a nun zombie stuck in a door. Rather than have her killed, Romero quickly revised the script to allow her to be released to go on her merry way.

The actress who portrayed the nun zombie was Conchita Lazarus, who to this day only has one (uncredited) starring role – Dawn Of The Dead.

5 No Money For Stunts

George Romero was working on such a pathetic budget that he couldn’t even afford proper stunt people for various scenes. To compensate, Tom Savini and a friend Taso Stavrakis did the stunts themselves, with varying degrees of success.

Stavrakis ended up eating the ceiling during a scene where he slides down a banner, and Savini nearly broke his back after his tumble over the guard railing, where half his body missed the safety boxes underneath. It’s a wonder no one was killed.

4 There Was No Gun Store In The Mall

The idea of a gun store in a shopping mall might seem preposterous to most, and that’s for a good reason. Safety aside, it would doubtlessly have raised an uproar even during a time when America was less gun-shy.

Monroeville Mall never had a gun store at all. Instead, Romero got creative by visiting a gun shop in Pittsburgh, then cutting the footage together to create the illusion that it was inside the mall.

3 A Battle Of Blood

Tom Savini was so unhappy with the bright look of the blood in the film that he laments it to this day. By contrast, George Romero felt that it fit the nature of the movie perfectly, as he was going for more of a comic book aesthetic and feel.

In fact, the comedic nature of the film in comparison to Night Of The Living Dead was also an idea of George’s, to further sell the comic book horror/adventure element.

2 Romero Didn’t Have Dailies

As unfathomable as it may seem, Romero shot the entire film without the benefit of dailies, meaning there was no way he could check shots for quality or corrections. Instead, he would have the film transferred to New York to get processed.

Once finished, the lab would call George to inform him if the shots looked Ok, and those that didn’t would require a reshoot. It’s one example of the things today’s filmmakers take for granted.

1 The Argento Connection

Dario Argento not only encouraged Romero to write the script, but invited him to Rome to write it without any distraction. He then helped raise the money necessary to shoot the film, and all he asked in return was the rights to edit the European edition.

Argento trimmed out much of the humor in the American version in favor of a darker take. This doubtlessly had a huge impact on the super-gory series of Italian zombie films coming out around that time.

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