Dawn of the Dead analysis (1979)

The scene from Dawn of the Dead (1979) depicts how Stephen tries to represent himself as the male hero by shooting at a zombie, however he ultimately fails and Roger steps in. It portrays how the horror film is somewhat unconventional as we expect Stephen to be the male hero due to his good looks, but this ideal is reversed onto Peter who is a black protagonist – thus suggesting it is forward thinking for the horror genre. The scene builds tension as the zombie approaches Stephen, but seems to deliver comically when he shoots and misses. Furthermore, this indicates Romero’s influence as an auteur as he alters the conventional stereotypes associated with the horror genre which adds shock/surprise value to Dawn of the Dead. We somewhat empathise for Stephen as his relationship with Fran seems to be breaking down but throughout the film, he represents incompetence by causing the majority of problems that occur for the group which leads to his death. Both men obtain phallic weapons but Roger reflects his strength as he understands how to use the gun correctly, reinforcing his occupation within the army. He also seems to obtain intellectual strength as he develops well planned ideas with Peter to benefit the group.