DAWN OF THE DEAD

DAWN OF THE DEAD  

by George A. Romero

"WHEN THERE IS NO MORE ROOM IN HELL

THE DEAD WILL WALK THE EARTH"

1 We see the face of a young woman. She is asleep. It is very

quiet at first, as credits appear. The woman's face begins to

twitch, as though she is having a bad dream. She moans slightly

and her expression grows more desperate.

A mix of subtle sounds begin to fade in. As they get louder, we

can discern what sounds like a busy office area. It is actually

a frantic television studio with the hum of panic in a national

emergency.

The woman's moans get louder and more desperate as the

background sounds reach full volume and the credits stop. The

woman sits up, snapping awake.

2 She lurches forwards into the arms of a strong young man. She is

Francine, twenty three years old and very attractive, although

she is gritty with dirt. Her hair is hanging, dishevelled and

sweaty. Her jeans and blouse have been worn for several days.

She is sitting on the floor, where she has slept the last

several hours, covered by an old overcoat.

Tony: YOU OK?

Fran stares at the young man. She is shaking. She doesn't speak.

Tony: THE SHIT'S REALLY HITTING THE FAN.

The girl tries to clear her head as the young man moves on to

where others sleep on the floor. He wakes them up one at a time.

We begin to hear voices over the busy hum of the studio. They

have an electronic tinniness, as broadcast over a monitor. Fran

looks about. She is still shaken from her dream.

3 We see the television studio. Reporters buzz about madly.

Everybody looks dishevelled and exhausted. Technicians man

monitors, and we see people on the little screens, arguing

emotionally.

4 Voice: WHAT'S MAKING IT HAPPEN? WHAT THE HELL

DIFFERENCE DOES IT MAKE, WHAT'S MAKING IT

HAPPEN.

Voice: YES, BUT THAT'S...

Voice: THAT'S A WHOLE OTHER STUDY. THEY'RE TRYING...

Voice: BUT IF WE KNEW THAT, WE COULD...

Voice: WE DON'T KNOW THAT! WE DON'T KNOW THAT!

WE'VE GOTTA OPERATE ON WHAT WE DO KNOW!

5 The room is pandemonium. People run in with wire copy; others

ORGANIZE the stacks of bulletins as they arrive. Others trip

over cables and generally get in each other's way.

6 Francine stares at the madness, still trying to clear her head.

Man's voice: I'M STILL DREAMING.

Fran turns her head. Another young man sits next to her on the

floor. He is one of the ones Tony awakened.

Fran: NO YOU'RE NOT.

Woman: MY TURN WITH THE COAT.

Fran looks up. A young woman is offering her coffee in a paper

cup. She is next in line for the overcoat and a few hours sleep.

Fran takes the coffee and struggles to her feet.

Woman: THE GUYS ON THE CREW ARE GETTING CRAZY.

A BUNCH OF 'EM FLEW THE COOP ALREADY.

I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH LONGER WE'LL BE ABLE

TO STAY ON AIR.

7 Fran staggers over to the control consoles. The technicians are

at the end of their ropes.

Technicians: (all at once)

WATCH CAMERA TWO...WHO THE HELL'S ON CAMERA

TWO, A BLIND MAN...

WATCH THE FRAME...WATCH THE FRAME...

ROLL THE RESCUE STATIONS AGAIN.

Technicians: WE GOT A REPORT THAT HALF THOSE RESCUE

STATIONS HAVE BEEN KNOCKED OUT.

SO GET ME A NEW LIST.

SURE, I'LL PULL IT OUTTA MY ASS.

Fran focuses on the monitors. She is incredulous... stunned by

the madness which surrounds her. She realizes the hopelessness

of the situation as she zeroes in on the televised conversation.

8 We begin to listen over the din of the news room.

TV Man 1: I DON'T BELIEVE THAT, DOCTOR, AND I DON'T

BELIEVE...ITS FROM ANOTHER SITE...

TV Man 2: DO YOU BELIEVE THE DEAD ARE RETURNING TO

LIFE? THEY ARE TAKING THINGS!

TV Man 1: I'M NOT SO...

TV Man 2: DO YOU BELIEVE THE DEAD ARE RETURNING TO

LIFE AND ATTACKING THE LIVING?

TV Man 1: I'M NOT SO SURE WHAT TO BELIEVE DOCTOR!

9 Suddenly we cut into the studio, and we see the argument as it

is being shot.

TV Man 1: (con't)

ALL WE GET IS WHAT YOU PEOPLE TELL US.

AND IT'S HARD ENOUGH TO BELIEVE...

TV Man 2: IT'S FACT... IT'S FACT...

TV Man 1: IT'S HARD ENOUGH TO BELIEVE WITHOUT YOU

COMING IN HERE AND TELLING US WE HAVE TO

FORGET ALL HUMAN DIGNITY AND...

TV Man 2: HUMAN DIG... YOU CAN'T...

TV Man 1: ...FORGET ALL HUMAN DIGNITY...

TV Man 2: YOU'RE NOT RUNNING A TALK SHOW HERE, MR.

BERMAN...YOU CAN FORGET PITCHING AN AUDIENCE

THE MORAL BULL SHIT THEY WANT TO HEAR!

TV Man 1: YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT ABANDONING EVERY HUMAN

CODE OF BEHAVIOUR, AND THERE'S A LOT OF US

WHO AREN'T READY FOR THAT DOCTOR FOSTER...

10 A great cry of assent goes up from the studio floor. Doctor

Foster is flustered and frustrated. The stage hands and

cameramen are all screaming at him, swearing and ridiculing. We

notice Police guards, armed, at the studio doors. They control

the traffic in and out of the big room.

11 Back at the control panel. Fran stares at the screens. Confusion

still reigns.

Man: FRANNIE, GET ON THE NEW LIST OF RESCUE STATIONS.

CHARLIE'S RECEIVING ON THE EMERGENCIES...

Fran pulls herself away from the monitors as the argument rages

on screen.

12 She fights through the heavy traffic and reaches Charlie, a

harassed typist who holds the receiver of an emergency radio

unit under his chin...

Charlie: (into receiver)

SAY AGAIN...CAN'T HEAR YOU...

Fran: RESCUE STATIONS?

Fran leafs through sheets of paper on Charlie's desk. He writes

notes as he listens on the receiver, and he speaks to the woman.

Charlie: HALF THOSE AREN'T OPERATIVE ANY MORE.

I'M TRYIN' TO FIND OUT AT LEAST ABOUT THE

IMMEDIATE AREA. WE'VE HAD OLD INFORMATION

ON THE AIR FOR THE LAST TWELVE HOURS.

Fran: THESE ARE RESCUE STATIONS. WE CAN'T SEND

PEOPLE TO INOPERATIVE...

Charlie: (into receiver)

SAY AGAIN, NEW HOPE...

Charlie makes more notes and hands them to Fran. Still listening

on the receiver, he speaks to the woman again.

Charlie: I'M DOIN' WHAT I CAN. THESE ARE DEFINITE

AS OF NOW. SKIP AND DUSTY ARE ON THE RADIO,

TOO. GOOD LUCK.

Fran snatches up the sheets and moves across the room.

13 She stops at the consoles...

Fran: I'M GONNA KNOCK OFF THE OLD RESCUE STATIONS.

I'LL HAVE THE NEW ONES READY AS SOON AS I CAN.

Technician: WE'RE SENDING PEOPLE TO PLACES THAT HAVE

CLOSED DOWN. I'M GONNA KILL THE OLD LIST.

14 Fran moves toward another control room. An armed officer stops

her. A young man rushing through with copy intercedes.

Man: HEY, SHE'S ALRIGHT.

Officer: WHERE'S YOUR BADGE?

Fran reaches instinctively for the lapel of her blouse. Her

badge is missing.

Fran: JESUS!

Man: SHE'S ALRIGHT.

Fran: I HAD IT...I WAS ASLEEP OVER THERE...

She makes a move toward the corner where she was asleep.

Man: SOMEBODY STOLE IT. THERE'S A LOT OF 'EM

MISSING.

(to officer)

SHE'S ALRIGHT. LET HER THROUGH.

The officer reluctantly steps aside.

15 The young man and Fan move down a crowded hall and into a small

camera room. The foot traffic is solid. They talk as they walk.

Fran: I DON'T BELIEVE IT.

Man: ONE OF THOSE LITTLE BADGES CAN OPEN A LOT

OF DOORS...YOU AVOID A LOT OF HASSLES IF

YOU GOT A BADGE...ANY KIND OF BADGE...

Fran: IT'S REALLY GOING CRAZY.

16 They reach a small camera installation. The camera is aimed at a

machine which rolls out a list of rescue stations. The list is

superimposed over the live broadcast as it goes out.

Cameraman: YOU GOT NEW ONES?

Fran: I GOTTA TYPE 'EM UP. KILL THE OLD ONES.

Cameraman: GIVENS WANT 'EM...

Fran: KILL 'EM, DICK. TELL GIVENS TO SEE ME!

The man clicks off his camera. Fran moves toward the studio.

17 On the monitors, we see the rescue stations blink off over shots

of the two men who still argue on the air.

TV Man 1: WELL I DON'T BELIEVE IN GHOSTS, DOCTOR.

TV Man 2: THESE ARE NOT GHOSTS. NOR ARE THESE HUMANS!

THESE ARE DEAD CORPSES. ANY UN-BURIED HUMAN

CORPSE WITH ITS BRAIN INTACT WILL IN FACT

RE-ACTIVATE. AND IT'S PRECISELY BECAUSE OF

INCITEMENT BY IRRESPONSIBLE PUBLIC FIGURES

LIKE YOURSELF THAT THIS SITUATION IS BEING

DEALT WITH IRRESPONSIBLY BY THE PUBLIC AT

LARGE!

18 Another outraged cry goes up from the stagehands and observers.

Doctor Foster tries to out-scream the cries...

TV Man 2: YOU HAVE NOT LISTENED...YOU HAVE NOT LISTENED...

FOR THE LAST THREE WEEKS...WHAT DOES IT TAKE...

WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO MAKE PEOPLE SEE?

19 Fran moves into the large studio area where the broadcasters

argue. The commotion is maddening. Fran stares for a moment.

20 TV Man 2: (now distraught...almost pleading)

THIS SITUATION IS CONTROLLABLE. PEOPLE

MUST COME TO GRIPS WITH THIS CONCEPT.

IT'S EXTREMELY DIFFICULT...WITH FRIENDS...

WITH FAMILY...BUT A DEAD BODY MUST BE DE-

ACTIVATED BY EITHER DESTROYING THE BRAIN

OR SEVERING THE BRAIN FROM THE REST OF THE

BODY.

Another outburst in the studio.

TV Man 2: THE SITUATION MUST BE CONTROLLED...BEFORE IT'S

TOO LATE...THEY ARE MULTIPLYING TOO RAPIDLY...

21 Fran moves through the crowded room of emotional people and

finally reaches another emergency radio installation. Skip and

Dusty are trying to listen to their receivers.

Fran: OPERATIVE RESCUE STATIONS?

Dusty: THEY'RE DROPPIN' LIKE FLIES. HERE'S A FEW.

YOU KNOW, I THINK FOSTER'S RIGHT. I THINK

WE'RE LOSIN' THIS WAR.

Fran: YEAH, BUT NOT TO THE ENEMY.

WE'RE BLOWIN' IT OURSELVES.

She gives the rest of her coffee to the two men.

Fran: NOT MUCH LEFT, BUT HAVE A BALL.