The original Dawn of the Dead is perhaps the best zombie film and critique of consumerism set in a shopping mall ever made. George Romero’s second entry into his zombieverse has been remade (Zack Snyder’s first film!), and influenced one of cable’s most successful TV shows. Pieces of the 1978 film can also be heard in samples of songs by the Gorillaz, King Geedorah, and White Zombie. Despite its enduring prominence and influence in pop culture (The Walking Dead, 28 Days Later, The Last of Us—basically every zombie story you can think of), Dawn of the Dead sometimes flies under the radar. Hopefully, Tom Fallows, author of George A. Romero’s Independent Cinema: Horror, Industry, Economics, can explain why the original Dawn of the Dead has both endured and sometimes been overlooked. The 45th anniversary screening of Dawn of the Dead, with an introduction by Tom Fallows, opens at 7:10 p.m. (and 9:45 p.m.) on April 12, additional screenings take place on April 13, 14, and 18 at AFI Silver. silver.afi.com. $8–$13. —Brandon Wetherbee
Dawn of the Dead 45th Anniversary Screening, April 12
