10 Horror Movies Where The American Dream Becomes A Nightmare

Few directors have struck the balance between gore and social commentary as well as George A. Romero. Night Of The Living Dead’s incredibly bleak ending tackles racism as the bodies stack. In 1978’s Dawn, Romero turns his eye to the very literal death - and reanimation - of the American dream.

Dawn follows on from Night with the unexplained plague causing mass zombification. Here, Romero sets much of his action in an abandoned shopping mall. Our heroes hole up inside, but they’re not alone for long: hordes of zombies continue to flock to the mall, inured to the concept of spending, consuming, repeating.

Dawn Of The Dead takes the notion of a supermarket sweep to its sinister conclusion. When the survivors finally clear the area of undead, they themselves revert to a bestial form, ransacking the mall and living like kings and queens.

During a zombie apocalypse, the insidious spectre of consumerism is no one’s greatest concern, but Romero’s eagerness to add sharp satire to his undead schlockfests elevates him above other genre directors. However dire one’s situation, retail therapy is always the solution.