Every time George A. Romero is praised for using zombies to reveal something about the society of the time, Dawn of the Dead (1978) is mentioned without fail. Four main characters ride a helicopter and head to a large shopping mall, running away from a group of zombies. The mall, which looks like it sells everything, is occupied by floundering zombies instead of people. Stephen (played by David Emge) explains why zombies are infesting the mall: “Their memories or instincts have led them here. This mall must have been a place of significance for the zombies when they were human.” Once human, zombies have risen from the dead. They did not forget about the mall they frequented when they were humans, and returned to it as if they were possessed. What are these “memories and instincts” of the time? They are probably synonyms for the memories and experiences created by a capitalistic machine under which goods are consumed and money is circulated. And this film is full of scenes that back up this idea: some zombies drop to the bottom of an artificial pond in the mall and pick up the coins off the ground, and some zombies lose jewelry that they would have worn when they were humans to other zombies. From the characters’ perspective, they can own the mall as long as the zombies are gone because it is practically deserted. That is why they are excited for a moment, saying, “Que sera sera” and “Let’s do the shopping first.” It is understandable why they see the mall as the greatest paradise on earth, not a madhouse of zombies. Later on, motorcycle gangs that want to seize the mall join the scene, which solidifies the shopping mall, or a modern arcade created by capitalism, as a powerless space in the state of anarchy. This movie may have heavy and multi-layered implications, but it still has several moments which make the audience laugh in surprise. Perhaps that is what makes this film more brutal, it stands on the line between cruelty and silly laughter. (JEONG Ji-hye)