This screenshot from Dawn
of the Dead (2004) is taken during the opening credits of the film. In a
montage of clips we see news reports and mobile phone footage to set up the
narrative of the story: a zombie virus spreading around the world. During this
montage we hear the song “The Man Comes Around” by Johnny Cash. This song tells
of the apocalypse and who God will judge in the reckoning. Although the lyrics
to the song are very apt, the jovial nature of the guitar and piano in the
background makes the music feel contrapuntal to the action on screen.
Within this particular scene of the montage we
see an American news reporter addressing a grainy camera about the spread of
the virus. From the setting and the buildings surrounding him we can assume
this is an Islamic country in the Middle East (which is outside of his, and the
audience’s, CDI). As he is talking panic sets in and they are attacked. Due to
restricted narration the camera cuts in and out in a series of collision cuts and
we see a quick glimpse of the attackers: men and women in burkas, presumably
Muslim. It ends with a close up of one of these people. This links back to the
first part of the montage, a shot of a mosque and hundreds of people bowing in
one direction. From these clues we can assume that the virus supposedly started
through religion, more specifically in the Middle East. At the time in which
the film was made, terrorism was a main concern. This relates to the historical
context of the film and the theme of violence and fear of death within the
wider horror genre.
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