Dawn of the Dead 2004 Image 2

This image is from the van scene in the film and takes part in the quick montage that is used due to its action horror genre. This scene also uses a handheld camera to create the sense of panic.

Due to the action sub-genre of the film the zombies are a lot quicker than those in the original. The zombies speed makes them a bigger threat and as a result they are scarier and we, unlike the original, do not feel any sympathy for them. Because this film had a bigger budget there was more money spent on zombie extras which also makes the film more daunting. This is shown in the image where we can see 20 zombie extras.

In this shot we can see Michael protecting the mall. Michael is based on Stephen from the original Dawn of the Dead (1979) and fits the “male hero” stereotype. Unlike Stephen, Michael is more likeable due to being an ordinary guy (he works at “Best Buy”) and he is very honest – he admits he was a bad husband but a good dad.