May 24, 2023

This Day in Halloween: The second in George A. Romero’s Living Dead zombie series "Dawn of the Dead" premieres in Los Angeles in 1978. / Illustration by Haley Underwood

George Romero’s Dawn of the Dead premieres in Los Angeles in 1978. The second in Romero’s Living Dead zombie series is a mocking of American consumerism and made with Italian horror director Dario Argento’s assistance in financing, distribution and plot. Tom Savini makes his debut as a make-up effects artist. It remains the most profitable of the series and is remade in 2004.

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