PopHorror Let's Get Scared
George Romero’s seminal 1978 film, Dawn Of The Dead, is widely regarded as one of the most influential films in modern horror. Being such an iconic film interest in anything, and everything, about the fabled production is in high demand. Surviving stars of the film are regulars on the convention circuit and still, to this day, produce long lines of fans waiting to further connect with this beloved film. Director Chad Campbell (Amityverse), went for an extremely deep dive with Jeanie’s Face Exploded, a short documentary now available from SRS Cinema.
Synopsis
In 1977, Jeanie Jefferies began assisting with makeup for George A. Romero’s “Dawn of the Dead“, eventually being cast for an iconic role known as The Blonde Zombie. In 1980, Jeanie was given a larger role and led makeup for George’s next film, Knightriders. In 1981, she vanished from the business.
Chronicling the brief career of Jean Ann Boshoven nee Jeanie Jeffries, Jeanie’s Face Exploded is less a documentary and more of an extended interview (if fact, the full 86 minutes “raw” interview is included as an extra on the Blu).
Beginning with her work for Pittsburgh mainstay Iron City Beer, to a chance meeting with Tom Savini while judging a radio station costume contest, Jeanie’s Face Exploded focuses on her work, as Savini’s assistant on Dawn of the Dead, and her subsequent casting as the “blond zombie” that famously attacks Roger (Scott Reiniger) during the truck sequence, also famously dispatched by Peter (Ken Foree), hence the “face exploding” part.
We’re treated to a brief tour of her relationship with Savini (they dated during the Dawn production, and are still friends), her work on Romero’s Knightriders, stories from both sets, and a look back at Boshoven’s troubled childhood and adoption. The biggest revelation here is that Boshoven was blissfully unaware of Dawn of the Dead’s popularity until recently, and that she never saved a single memento from her time as a makeup artist.
As mentioned above, this is an extended interview masquerading as a documentary. However, at 21 minutes or so, it doesn’t seem overly long. As a peripheral player in the legendary lore, Boshoven provides a different perspective than most of the more recognized cast & crew of the film, but doesn’t add a whole lot to the soup, so to speak. Not to say that this isn’t entertaining, Boshoven comes across as earnest and sweet, the interviewers ask all the right questions, and she seems to recall quite a lot of detail about those heady times.
Essential for only the most rabid Dawn of the Dead fans, this film would have been probably better suited as an extra on a limited blu release of Dawn. To that end, there’s a lot of “extra” content on this disc. The 86 minute “raw” interview that the short was culled from, an endearing short about the closing of the final Family Video store in Kalamazoo, MI (with a Lloyd Kaufman intro), and couple of other featurettes about Campbell & friends’ annual Halloween tradition, and a Covid era kaiju film marathon. All in all, a decent watch if, and only if, you’re a fan of that sort of thing.
A quick, concise, look back at one of the players of the golden age of the zombie film, offering a unique perspective from the make-up department, Jeanie’s Face Exploded is something made for, and likely to only appeal to, the Dawn of the Dead die-hards. Luckily, for the guys at SRS Cinema, they are legion!
SRS Cinema’s Blu-ray of Jeanie’s Face Exploded is available starting March 10, 2026 from fine retailers.
