Rated: 2 out of 5

Synopsis: The second installment in director George A. Romero’s series of zombie flicks, “Dawn of the Dead,” sees the living dead spread into an urban setting, leaving a small band of survivors trapped in a shopping mall. The film starts off with a number of explicit, gore-drenched scenes that are given a surreal, comic book-like feel because of the fake blood that is brightly colored red. The film’s over-the-top violence and satirical look at American consumerism, characterized by hordes of zombies aimlessly and mindlessly wandering around the mall, makes this the most highly regarded “Living Dead” film.

Featurettes: It would have been great to see footage of legendary special effects artist Tom Savini transforming a bunch of extras into hordes of undead flesh-eaters or showing us how to properly film an exploding zombie head, but sadly there is no behind-the-scenes footage to be found on this edition.

Deleted Scenes: Apparently, any extra footage that might have been shot during the filming has been left buried along with anyone who didn’t rise from the dead during the movie.

Commentary: This is where the movie earns its keep in any horror fan’s collection, as Anchor Bay managed to get both Romero and Savini to sit down and reminisce about one of their favorite blood-baths along with assistant director, Romero’s wife Chris Romero. Whereas some commentary seems stiff and almost scripted, the Romeros and Savini make it feel as if you’re casually watching the film with old friends, while still giving insight into its creation. Particularly amusing is Romero’s anecdote about having to deal with extras sneaking off to the bar during filming; apparently drunk zombies are even more difficult to deal with than the regular kind.

Other: The DVD also features theatrical and TV trailers, radio commercials, a poster gallery and a Romero biography. Although they’re nothing spectacular, these can be interesting viewing for the horror fanatic.

The Bottom Line: Although lacking many of the extras one would expect from a special edition, “Dawn of the Dead” is nonetheless a classic piece of splatter cinema. Modern zombie films, from “28 Days Later” to “Resident Evil” all owe something to this film’s pioneering take on the now standard-issue “zombie outbreak” tale.