On this episode of The Movies, I fulfill another listener request! My buddy Jarrett Barnard sent me a stone-cold classic to cover: 1978's DAWN OF THE DEAD, directed by George A. Romero.

Widely regarded as the best of Romero's DEAD franchise, this film about a group of survivors waiting out the zombie apocalypse inside a shopping mall is a hallmark moment for horror fans, beautifully blending slapstick and viscera before Sam Raimi & Peter Jackson took their proverbial batons and ran their legs of the race.

This movie's marked as a critique on mindless consumerism but I don't think Romero solely leaves the blame on the living dead. For as much as these folks rejoice in having a safe place to stay (relatively) zombie-free, the dopamine of having the world at one's disposal rapidly wears off. Even during the end of the world, we're rarely satisfied.

And in a post-COVID world, the way this society responds to a global threat rings eerily and depressingly familiar. We are fickle, stupid beasts, one mere bite, one bad day away from a blue face and a lust for flesh.

But hey, it's not all bad. Have you ever pied a zombie in the face? That shit's hilarious!

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Please assist animal shelters working to reunite pets with owners, treat injuries and take in evacuated animals due to the recent wildfires in L.A. County. Two lists of places you can support are down below:

https://animalcare.lacounty.gov/emergency-animal-shelter-information-los-angeles-county-fires/ - (This is the list I read from in the episode, which by the time of its publishing, has drastically reduced in size. I leave the audio as is because all the places I mention still need help. As of January 24, the Castaic Animal Care center is temporarily closed due to the Hughes Fire.)

https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2025/1/7/palisades-fire/updates/36cabf7c-1843-4bea-bc99-851d9a6296d4#:~:text=Animal%20Evacuation%20Shelters&text=Agoura%20Animal%20Care%20Center%2C%2029525,216%20W%20Victoria%20St%2C%20Gardena

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