top of page
Writer's pictureAllan Major

Is Land of the Dead connected to Dawn of the Dead?


Cholo DeMora smirks confidently, unaware of the approaching terror in Land of the Dead.
In a land where the dead walk, a smirk is all it takes to seal your fate.

Land of the Dead is connected to Dawn of the Dead, but not in the way you might expect from a direct sequel. Both films are part of George A. Romero’s iconic “Dead” series, which began with Night of the Living Dead in 1968. Each installment in the series exists in the same universe, reflecting different stages of the zombie apocalypse, but they do not follow a single, continuous narrative or the same set of characters.


Dawn of the Dead (1978) is the second film in the series, and it picks up shortly after the events of Night of the Living Dead. It portrays a world in chaos as the zombie epidemic spreads, focusing on a small group of survivors who take refuge in a shopping mall. The film explores consumerism and the illusion of safety, all while the undead hordes press in from outside.


Land of the Dead (2005), on the other hand, takes place much later in the timeline. By the time we reach Land of the Dead, society has significantly deteriorated. The living have established fortified cities to protect themselves from the zombies, who now dominate most of the world. The film introduces a new layer to Romero’s zombie mythology: the idea that the undead are evolving, beginning to exhibit signs of intelligence and organization.


Though there’s no direct link in terms of plot or characters between Dawn of the Dead and Land of the Dead, the connection lies in the thematic progression. Land of the Dead builds on the world Romero created in the earlier films, showing how the survivors have adapted—or failed to adapt—to the new world order. In Dawn of the Dead, the focus was on immediate survival and the breakdown of social norms. By Land of the Dead, we see the long-term consequences: a rigid class system, a corrupt elite exploiting the masses, and the undead becoming a more formidable force.


Romero’s films are renowned not just for their horror but for their social commentary, and Land of the Dead is no exception. While Dawn of the Dead critiqued consumerism, Land of the Dead takes aim at issues like class disparity and the dehumanization that can occur in both the living and the dead. The connection between these two films is not a continuation of a storyline but a continuation of themes, with Land of the Dead serving as a grim reflection on where society might end up if the problems highlighted in Dawn of the Dead are allowed to fester.


In essence, Land of the Dead and Dawn of the Dead are connected through their shared universe and thematic concerns, with each film building on the legacy of its predecessors to explore different facets of humanity in the face of a zombie apocalypse.

0 views

Recent Posts

See All
bottom of page