Dawn of the Dead (also known internationally as
Zombi) is a 1978 American independent
horror film directed by
George A. Romero. It was written by Romero in collaboration with the Italian filmmaker
Dario Argento, and produced by
Claudio Argento,
Richard P. Rubinstein and Alfredo Cuomo. It was the second film made in Romero's
Living Dead series, but contains no characters or settings from
Night of the Living Dead, and shows in a larger scale the
apocalyptic effects on society. In the film, a phenomenon of unidentified origin has caused the
reanimation of the dead, who prey on human flesh, which subsequently causes mass hysteria. The cast features
David Emge,
Ken Foree,
Scott Reiniger, and
Gaylen Ross as survivors of the outbreak who barricade themselves inside a suburban
shopping mall.