George A. Romero Foundation Shares ‘Dawn of the Dead’ Test Screening Results from 1978

John Squires

“Dedicated to honoring the life and work of George A. Romero and supporting a new generation of filmmakers and artists inspired by his legacy,” The George A. Romero Foundation is a must-follow on social media and beyond, a place for Romero fans to come together and celebrate the late horror master’s life, career, and legacy that will endure until the end of time.

The foundation regularly digs up interesting gems from the Romero archives, and this week on Twitter they’ve shared something that Dawn of the Dead fans will get a kick out of.

What you’ll find below is a vintage questionnaire from a 1978 test screening for Romero’s zombie classic, showing off the results of one of the movie’s original test screenings. This is where, for those unfamiliar, audience members are invited to preview a movie before it’s released in the theaters, the studio taking notes based on those early reactions to the movie.

From 230 total responses, the results of nine different questions are presented here, including “How would you rate this film?” “Do you like the title?” “Did you find the violence necessary?” and “Would you go see the film again?” Here are some of the more interesting results:

  • 35% said the film was excellent
  • 51% said the film was too long
  • 29% found the violence offensive
  • 77% found the violence necessary to the film’s meaning
  • 70% would recommend the movie to friends
  • 23% of the responders were female, 74% were male

The general results here are that most people liked Dawn of the Dead, most liked the title of the movie, and about half would go see it again, while the other half likely would not.

You can see the full questionnaire below, courtesy of the official Romero Archive!

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