What movie was screened?
The first movie screened for the Thrills and Chills line-up was Zack Snyder’s 2004 remake of Dawn of the Dead. This movie has a glowing creative team and a large ensemble cast. As mentioned above, it was directed by Zack Snyder who went on to direct 300, Sucker Punch, and the raved about director’s cut of the Justice League. His connection to the Dawn of the Dead Universe continues to prevail as years later, in 2021, he directed a spiritual successor for Netflix called Army of the Dead. A prequel called Army of Thieves is set to premiere at the end of October as well, with Synder producing the project.
Adding to Snyder’s work in 2004 is writer James Gunn who penned the Dawn of the Dead screenplay. While he distanced himself from the related projects that followed, he moved on to become a staple in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the DC Extended Universe. He famously wrote and directed both Guardians of the Galaxy movies and The Suicide Squad.
Dawn of the Dead follows a group of diverse people, struggling to survive a sudden onslaught of zombies in their city. Actors in the ensemble include Sarah Polley, Jake Weber, Mekhi Phifer and the incredible Ty Burrell, all of whom delivered raving performances. Like most zombie movies, the apocalypse was not predicted and by the time people caught wind of the infestation, it was too late. These characters fight for their survival and eventually find themselves taking shelter in a large mall. They bump into one major snafu: The mall is already occupied by a group of security guards and the wave of zombies is quickly growing.
After a short-lived class battle, the protagonists find themselves leading the charge and doing their best to rescue other survivors in the area. The movie is a bloodbath, filled with ruthless zombie kills and heartbreaking losses. But, did it live up to the Thrills and Chills hype?
Was Dawn of the Dead a hit or a miss?
Unfortunately, Dawn of the Dead wasn’t the best start to kick off AMC’s spooky movie initiative. The movie didn’t feel traditionally scary — it was a mixture of zombie frights, comedy, and action. And, given the context of the screening: It felt like more of an action movie than a horror movie. It felt as though AMC set it up for failure from the get-go. As the opening credits ran, multiple people left the theater (probably sneaking into Venom: Let There Be Carnage) which was simultaneously playing next door.
Aside from the movie’s brilliant writing and cast, it’s been a long-running challenge to accept Dawn of the Dead as a horror flick. While it has a high approval rate from critics, a consistent criticism it has faced is its lack of commitment to the scary genre. Back in 2004, critic Mark Robison wrote in the Reno Gazette-Journal, “Nothing fresh or interesting, and it’s not scary after the opening scene.”
Adam Nayman agreed, writing in Eye Weekly, “Basically, it’s a very well-photographed and edited B-movie, admirably relying less on bass-chord jump scares than mercilessly ratcheted – and usually character-based – dramatic and logistical tension.”
While the movie was steller, it certainly wasn’t one that screams “Halloween!” Given the range of choices that AMC had: anything based on a Stephen King novel (Carrie, Children of the Corn), something witchy like The Craft, or even a new cult favorite like Midsommar or Hereditary, selecting a cross-genre zombie flick was a definite cop-out.
Even Shaun of the Dead would’ve been a better choice and Rotten Tomatoes agrees. At least that spoof commits to its genre and emulates the quick wit of beloved cult classics in the horror genre. It also doesn’t rely on cheap thrills like zombie babies and irrelevant “divorced dad” energy. Here’s hoping that the next AMC Chills and Thrills screening lives up to its potential.
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