Dawn of the Dead analysis (2004)

In the first scene, Ana discovers what is causing the zombie virus to spread – a bite – which is indicated when an injured woman is moved into the mall and eventually turns into a zombie, then proceeds to attack Ana. This represents her intellectual strength as she appears a knowledgeable character. Ana also displays physical strength to kill this same zombie when it makes an attempt to attack her. This represents an unconventional trait for blonde women to obtain in horror films, as it is typically the darker haired females who portray strength and are the characters who presumably survive. Ana also represents this when using a phallic weapon to kill Steve further on in the film, protecting the other survivors of the group which reinforces her career as a nurse. In the first image, Ana is shown darkly lit and wearing a black t-shirt, perhaps to re-emphasise her male-orientated attributes of strength, rather than negativity. In the second image, Steve is bloodied to convey the aspect of gore within the film and emphasise his zombie form. The effects in both scenes shows how the film has amplified its gore to fit the expectations of a modern audience which represents the ideologies of Janet Staiger as she wrote that films have to suit audiences over time as they become used to witnessing more horrific occurrences. The tragedy of 9/11 in 2001 had devastated people and made them tougher in what they can experience, so Dawn of the Dead subtly implied these events and used more severe gore in the film to suit its intended audience.