Dawn of the Dead 2004 Image 3

The third image is from the end of the film when Ana says goodbye to Michael and sails away. On the right hand side of the image you can see the American flag which supports the context of America versus the world with the zombies representing terrorists. The flag also connotes freedom both for the boat and America in general. The American flag is used in quite a lot of horror films including The Hills Have Eyes (2006) when the hero kills a mutant by stabbing him in the head with the American flag.

The characters who survive to the boat are the ‘underdogs’ of the film: the young girl (Nicole), the dog, the final girl (Ana), the black guy (Kenneth) and the male victim (Terry) which is unexpected by the audience and shows the forward-thinking nature of horror films. This close up of Ana is used to make the scene sadder as Michael has sacrificed himself for Ana. However, due to their escape the ending can be deemed open until extra clips during the end credits give the audience the real ending.