243 of 1001 Movies: Dawn of the Dead (1978)

After watching Night of the Living Dead I was impressed enough to be looking forward to Dawn of the Dead. I can see the appeal, especially for zombie lovers who seem to really love the movie, and it's impact on the genre is very noticeable and profound. It also seems a lot of zombie stories now copy the character types and plots though that Romero himself wrote. There was a lot about the movie I felt didn't progress though outside of just now having the budget to film in color though.

Summary: Peter and Roger are both SWAT team members who meet in the middle of the chaos abandoning their mission when it's over run with zombies. Francine is an executive at a news station, and Stephen is a reporter who have to abandon their television station once it also goes crazy as well, and they take the opportunity to load their helicopter. Now all four are put together and trying to search for a place that they can live in that is safer from the rest of the world. The logical step seems to be to find somewhere that is secluded from the city to take refuge in to protect themselves. The place they find is a shopping mall that they begin to make their own.

210 of 1001 Movies: Night of the Living Dead (1968)

George A. Romero is like the ruler of zombie movies. He paved the way in popularizing the monsters in movies, and was an inspiration for many horror movies to follow. At the time audiences were terrified by the gory scenes. While it seems Romero was still establishing what a zombie was, even to himself, the creatures are still terrifying. Also, if you're someone who watches The Walking Dead and thinks they were one of the first to explore that during a zombie apocalypse your worst fear just might be other living people, then you're wrong. Romero tackles the attachment to the dead loved ones by the living and explores the dangers of paranoia that other humans have began to live in.

Summary: Barbara and her brother, Johnny, are out in the countryside to visit their father's grave. After a strange man attacks them it leaves  Johnny dead, and Barbara on the run. Barbara finds a farmhouse where she hides, and also meets Ben. He has been forced to park there after his car has run out of gas. These two and the people they meet will not only have to survive the living dead that is stalking them, but also the people they meet and each other.