Forty years after the release of George A. Romero's Dawn of the Dead, the horror and despair are still vivid.

A sharp reference to taboos that are being avoided

And over 40 years, the depiction of Dawn of the Dead characters has naturally changed. This is because the attribute of cannibalism (cannibalism) is fading due to humanitarian considerations. Although it has not become a formality, in recent years depictions of people being infected by being bitten have been suppressed, and there seems to be a tendency to avoid direct depictions of cannibalism.

`` Dawn of the Dead '' makes full use of this attribute, and one of its characteristics is its brutal depiction that visualizes it. The destruction of human bodies created by special makeup artist Tom Savini is so gruesome and tasteless that you'll want to turn away. However, it fully fulfills the role required of entertainment fiction, as it is full of ingenuity and ingenuity to ensure thoroughness of cruelty.

"Dawn of the Dead" (C) 1978 THE MKR GROUP INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

However, what makes `` Dawn of the Dead '' special within its genre is that it incorporates cannibalism not just visually, but also as a theme, posing an important question to the audience.

This can be seen in the second half of the story. On a TV discussion show that is barely airing, a scholar suggests that the solution to an apocalyptic situation is to feed Dawn of the Dead with human flesh (to help them coexist with them).

In other words, it is nothing but an endorsement of cannibalism, which should be taboo. `` Dawn of the Dead '' uses this situation to make us realize the true horror of the collapse of civilization and ethics due to social chaos, and how hopeless a world that has lost its morals and human dignity is.

The trend of the times is that as minor entities become major, specifications become more sophisticated and negative facts are removed. This is how the character Dawn of the Dead also gained citizenship. However, the movie `` Dawn of the Dead '' stays true to the setting of Romero, the pioneer of modern Dawn of the Dead, and attempts to delve into the essence of fear by confronting taboo issues head on. No one fascinated by Dawn of the Dead should be able to avoid this important work in the history of horror movies.

Text: Kazuo Ozaki 

Film critic and writer. His main writing sites include print media such as ``Figure King'', ``Champion RED'', ``Eiga Hiho'', and ``Hokkaido'', and web media such as ``Eiga.com'' and ``The Cinema''. In addition, he has contributed many explanations and essays to theater pamphlets, movie mook books, and DVD & Blu-ray software booklets. She also formed a cinema comedian unit [Movie Gachinko Brothers] under the name "Dolly Ozaki" and appears on TV and at talk events.

Twitter: @dolly_ozaki

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Dawn of the Dead director's cut version

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Publisher: “Dawn of the Dead” BD Release Committee Publisher: Happinet

(C) 1978 THE MKR GROUP INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

*Information as of August 2018 article publication.