DOTD (1978) Image Analysis

In this scene from DOTD(1979), we can see an establishing shot of the mall and then the zombies. This high angled, point of view shots makes the zombies seem smaller than the viewer and therefore less scary. This is supported by the fact that they are slow moving monsters, very different from the fast moving zombies in modern horror films like 28 Weeks Later and REC. Using the mall as the main location in DOTD(1979) was important to the director George A. Romero because he hated the rise of consumerism, and large shopping malls were a part of this. Seeing these large malls portrayed in a negative way would again be a ‘shock’ to the audience, who would have mostly been excited by being able to shop in one location. When Stephen (Flyboy) states “Instinct, memory. This was an important place in their lives” maybe this is what Romero is trying to point out if people start to think that malls and consumerism is such an important thing in their lives that they may also become a living zombie walking around mall, which in turn may scare the audience. This links to the auteur theory by Andrew Sarris, he states that ‘the auteur theory is the only hope for extending the appreciation of personal qualities in the cinema.’ the best directors add a part of their personal ‘soul’ in a way to the film to make it a better view, and Romero’s anti-mainstream ideologies are key to the power of DOTD (1979).