Dawn of the Dead, is a prominent 1978 zombie horror film which contributed to the rise of the so-called "splatter craze" in horror films. (The film was the sequel to George A. Romero's Night of the Living Dead, and was followed by Day of the Dead and Land of the Dead, while a fourth sequel, Diary of the Dead, is forthcoming). Dawn of the Dead received much critical acclaim for, among other things, the subtext involving American consumerism and materialism, as well as comments on news media and racism. Unlike its predecessor, this film is more of a polemic, exploring the apocalyptic effects a "zombie epidemic" would have on society, than a straightforward horror film. It features the tagline "When there's no more room in Hell, the dead will walk the Earth." Many consider it to be the best of Romero's "Dead" films, although Romero himself cites 1985's Day of the Dead as his personal favorite (he mentions this in the documentary entitled "The Many Days of the Dead" on the Region 1 Divimax Special Edition DVD release of Day of the Dead from Anchor Bay Entertainment).

Dawn of the Dead was shot over approximately four months from late 1977 to early 1978, and was made on a relatively modest budget of about US$500,000. Filming of scenes in the Pittsburgh suburban Monroeville Mall in Monroeville, Pennsylvania was done only when the shopping center was closed for business, roughly between 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. Director Romero was quoted as saying, "Filming in the mall was hell." Tom Savini's zombie make-up effects, varied widely from the austere to the elaborate. Most of the "undead" extras received little more than gray make-up slathered on their skin.

Despite limitations imposed by 1970s filmmaking technology, inconvenient late-night filming and budgetary constraints, the film is one of the most financially successful horror films, when one considers production cost versus profit. The film's success was greatly helped by the fact that it was sold on the international market, as it was edited in varied ways to suit each market. For example, Italian producer Dario Argento edited the movie to achieve a story with considerably less character development and a much faster pace compared to Romero's definitive cut, which was peppered with humor and cultural satire.

A remake of the movie premiered in the United States on March 10, 2004. The new version departs considerably from the original, though several major themes, including the primary setting in a shopping mall, remain essentially the same. But the film is a complete rewrite with no input from Romero and is considered, at best, a "reimagining" by the original's fans.