Dawn Of The Dead

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. They jot notes.

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.

The two men each slug eagerly from the paper cup. Fran rushes
off toward a large teleprompter typing machine.

22 The broadcasters still argue emotionally.

TV Man 1: PEOPLE AREN’T WILLING TO ACCEPT YOUR SOLUTIONS,
DOCTOR, AND I, FOR ONE, DON’T BLAME THEM.

TV Man 2: EVERY DEAD BODY THAT IS NOT EXTERMINATED
BECOMES ONE OF THEM! IT GETS UP AND KILLS!
THE PEOPLE IT KILLS GET UP AND KILL!

23 Handing the list of active rescue stations to the teleprompter
typist, Fran rushes back toward the control room.

24 Around the monitor consoles, the commotion has been made even
more frantic by an angered Dan Givens, obviously one of the
station managers.

Givens: NOBODY HAS THE AUTHORITY TO DO THAT, I WANT…

Givens spots Fran as she moves into the room.

Givens: GARRET, WHO TOLD YOU TO KILL THE SUPERS?

Fran: NOBODY. I KILLED ‘EM. THEY’RE OUT OF DATE.

Givens: I WANT THOSE SUPERS ON THE AIR ALL THE TIME.

Fran: ARE YOU WILLING TO MURDER PEOPLE BY SENDING THEM
OUT TO STATIONS THAT HAVE CLOSED DOWN?

Givens: WITHOUT THOSE RESCUE STATIONS ON SCREEN EVERY
MINUTE PEOPLE WON’T WATCH US. THEY’LL TUNE OUT.

Fran stares at the red faced man in disbelief.

Givens: I WANT THAT LIST UP ON THE SCREEN EVERY MINUTE THAT
WE’RE ON THE AIR.

Fran is about to say something in anger, but before she can, one
of the technicians, having overheard Givens, gets up from the
control panel and starts to walk away.

Givens: LUCAS…LUCAS, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING…
GET ON THAT CONSOLE…LUCAS…WE’RE ON THE AIR!

Lucas: ANYBODY NEED A RIDE!

25 Two other men from various positions in the room snatch up
personal effects and follow the technician toward the door. The
door is guarded by a nervous Officer.

26 Givens: OFFICER…OFFICER…YOU STOP THEM…STOP THOSE
MEN…LUCAS…GET BACK ON THIS CONSOLE…

A frantic hubbub begins over the lack of console control. People
rush in and out, the floor director’s voice can be heard over a
talk back system…

Voices: WHAT THE HELL’S GOIN’ ON IN THERE.
SWITCH…SWITCH…THERE’S NO SWITCHER…
WE’RE LOSING PICTURE…

Givens: OFFICER…STOP THOSE MEN…

27 The young officer faces the men as they reach his post. He takes
a grip on his rifles, opens the door and lets the group through.
Then he runs out himself, deserting the losing cause.

28 Givens jumps toward the console. He frantically tries to work
the complex dials and pots…

Givens: GET SOMEBODY IN HERE THAT KNOWS HOW TO RUN
THIS THING…COME ON…I’LL TRIPLE THE MONEY
FOR THE MAN THAT CAN RUN THIS THING…TRIPLE
THE MONEY…WE’RE STAYING ON THE AIR…

Fran moves slowly off toward the studio.

29 In the big room, the tension is thicker than ever. A few of the
newsmen still earnestly try to perform their various functions,
but most of the crew are reduced to emotional polarisation over
the broadcast which still rages.

30 TV Man 2: THEY KILL FOR ONE REASON.
THEY KILL FOR FOOD.
THEY EAT THEIR VICTIMS, DO YOU UNDERSTAND THAT,
MR. BERMAN. THAT’S WHAT KEEPS THEM GOING.

31 Fran stops to listen to the argument. She falls back into the
shadows of the studio. People rush past her, some leaving the
studio in disgust.

32 TV Man 2: IF WE’D LISTENED…IF WE’D DEALT WITH THE
PHENOMENON PROPERLY…WITHOUT EMOTION…
WITHOUT…EMOTION…
IT WOULDN’T HAVE COME TO THIS!

Foster wipes his sweat with a dirty hanker chief. He pulls his
tie away from his tight collar, and pops the shirt button open.
He is desperate now, shivering with anger and frustration.

TV Man 2: THERE IS A MARTIAL LAW STATE IN EFFECT IN
PHILADELPHIA…AS IN ALL OTHER MAJOR CITIES IN
THE COUNTRY…
CITIZENS MUST UNDERSTAND THE…DIRE…DIRE
CONSEQUENCES OF THIS PHENOMENON…SHOULD WE
BE UNABLE TO CHECK THE SPREAD…
BECAUSE OF THE EMOTIONAL ATTITUDES..OF THE
CITIZENRY…TOWARD…THESE ISSUES OF…
MORALITY…
IT IS THE ORDER OF THE O.E.P. BY COMMAND OF THE
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT…THE PRESIDENT OF THE
UNITED STATES…
CITIZENS MAY NO LONGER OCCUPY PRIVATE RESIDENCES,
NO MATTER HOW SAFELY PROTECTED OR WELL STOCKED…

A murmur in the studio begins to build to an emotional
crescendo. Foster tries to talk over the noise…

TV Man 2: CITIZENS WILL BE MOVED INTO CENTRAL AREAS OF
THE CITY…

33 Technicians abandon their posts. A few others jump in to take
their places, but pandemonium reigns. A cameraman whips off his
headset and breaks for the door. His camera spins on its liquid
head, and on the monitors, we see a whirling blur as Foster
continues to speak.

Fran moves quickly for the spinning camera. She aims it back at
the sweating Foster, and she stares through the viewfinder not
believing what she is seeing.