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For me, both Dawn and Night are head, shoulders and torso above any other zombie film I've seen.

Dawn has lost none of its impact in my mind. Even the comedic stuff doesn't bother me (it used to the first few times I saw it but not anymore). I don't mind it because there's nothing unrealistic about it - nothing that violates the inner reality of the film. In other words - I can see those bikers behaving that way - messing around the zombies, flirting with death.

In my opinion, Romero is the only one who has treated the zombie concept seriously - and attempted to create a realistic depiction.

The new Dawn was an entertaining diversion - but it was more concerned with thrills and fast action than realism (if the word "realism" can be applied to a zombie film). For me there was nothing about it that resonated on any level deeper than your typical roller coaster ride.

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The entire "truck sequence" in DAWN is about as tense and suspenseful as cinema gets. I have to re-grow my fingernails every time I watch this.

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I agree - even after having watched this who knows how many times, I still squirm at this scene and want scream "Get out of there Roger! Leave the bag!"

The apartment scene is profoundly disturbing. And the opening scene in the studio - without a drop of blood - might be my all time favorite zombie movie scene. It perfectly captures that precise moment when people are beginning to realize that things are getting out of control and even the authorities are losing their grip.

Night is probably a more consistent and flawless little gem of a film - but Dawn, even with all its flaws and bad makeup is without question my favorite zombie film (maybe my favorite horror film). I never get tired of watching it.

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I've always maintained that a great horror film, to me, is one that is believably conceived in the midst of incredible circumstances.

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That's EXACTLY how I feel about it. I am repeatedly frustrated by horror filmmakers who don't respect horror. By that, I mean they don't take it seriously enough to tell a realistic story.

Too often, they fall back on ironic humor or excessive gore/violence or cheap shocks or too cool self-referencing - and these things are really just safety nets for filmmakers that don't have an honest belief in their own product. If the film gets rejected or ridiculed, they can always say, "Hey, I was just making a crappy horror film for the teenagers, what do you expect, Shakespeare?"

And no, I don't expect Shakespeare - far from it. I love the bad films almost as much as the good ones. All I ask is that you have the cojones to stand behind your work and treat it seriously.

Romero doesn't hedge his bets. He is serious about the subject matter. Dead serious (sorry I couldn't resist.)

I don't mind humor in a horror film as long as it maintains the inner realism of the film - which in this case I think it does. Could he have scaled it back a touch? Probably.

But I think if anything hurts Dawn, it's the choice of music during these scenes. The songs are what bring it over the top and give it that "keystone cop" feeling - and if I could change one thing about the movie, this would be it.

At least for me, though, this possible misstep is not enough to do the film any serious damage. Maybe I've seen it so many times that even the flaws are endearing to me. Even so, I remember the atmosphere it evoked the first time I saw it - and for me the film has lost none of its impact.

Don't get me wrong - I love the mall muzak!

Hey - two years ago, my family went on a trip to Washington DC. On the way back home (we live in Michigan), I insisted that we take a slight detour to Monroeville, PA - home of the Monroeville Mall. There's a nice hotel right by the mall and from our window we had a great view of the hill where the trucks drive into the parking lot.

I can't express what a joy it was to explore that mall - and recognize various locales from the film. But I was desperately wishing I had a Walkman or something so I could walk around with that Muzak playing.

The mall looks very different - updated with new fixtures, new railings on the upper level, etc. But there was much that was still recognizable - including that little oasis with the fountain and the wooden footbridge.

You know those rectangular light fixtures on the pillars? They've all been replaced, but at one end of the mall (I think it's by Sears), you will find the one remaining original light fixture. I later learned that when they were updating the fixtures, they ran short by one - and decided to just leave that final one alone. I took three or four pictures of that lone light fixture - while customers and employees looked at me in confusion. (If I can find them, I'll scan in one of those pictures.)

I'm sure I was walking around with a big stupid grin on my face. I've always wondered if the mall employees can recognize the Dawn of the Dead fans by the way they walk around smiling and pointing at walls, light fixtures and elevator doors. I also wonder how often Dead fans give in to temptation and begin shuffling, zombie-like through the hallways.

And believe me - the temptation was almost overpowering. Of course, I was able to resist - I'm 41 years old, a family man. I'm beyond that kind of thing.

Um - except for one brief moment over by Sears, when the rest of the family was out of sight in one of the stores, the hall was relatively empty - and my jaw went slack, my eyes stared lifelessly and I shambled along to the Musak that played in my head.

You're kidding! I took an entire roll of pictures in the mall.