Release: 1968 Written by: George A. Romero and John A. Russo Directed by: George A. Romero
Starring:
Duane Jones as Ben Judith O’Dea as Barbara Karl Hardman as Harry Cooper Marilyn Eastman as Helen Cooper Keith Wayne as Tom Judith Ridley as Judy
I sit here, in front of my laptop, staring at the screen
pondering on where one begins when writing a review on the greatest
horror movie ever made (IMHO). Night of the Living
Dead
is the film that started not just me, but many people on the path of
“zombie masterdom”. There is probably no movie that
has had
as much impact on the horror genre as NOTLD. George A. Romero
(director, cinematographer, editor, and co-writer) is responsible for
catapulting the zombie from a voodoo-induced mindless slave to a true
flesh-eating monster. I mean, come on, we are talking about royalty
here. Well, here goes.
Night
of the Living Dead begins with Barbara (Judith
O’Dea) and her brother Johnny (Russell Streiner) driving to
visit
a grave site. Johnny is complaining about having to go and is teasing
Barbara about being afraid of cemeteries. Once
there though, her fear is justified when they are attacked by a zombie
(BTW they are never called zombies in the film).
Barbara barely escapes with her life, but not her mind.
Barbara makes her way to a farm
house where she meets up with Ben
(Duane Jones) who ends ups being the hero more out of necessity than
anything else.
Barbara and Ben soon discover that a
family with a sick child and a
younger couple has been hiding in the farmhouse basement. With each
others help (somewhat) the group barricades the farm house doors and
windows and work to discover what is happening and what to do next.
Night
of the Living Dead was shot on 35mm grainy black and white
film and the total budget came in at $114,000. It also is one of the
most ground breaking horror films of all time. Calling NOTLD
influential would be an understatement. Elements
from Night of the Living Dead can be seen in the
works of Raimi, Carpenter, and Hooper and in titles such as The
Exorcist, The
Blair Witch Project, and 28
Days Later.
Romero put the movie industry on notice with his graphic shots of blood,
guts and gore.
There was no MPAA or ratings board at the time, but no one had been
willing to step outside the status quo. Romero was the first to do so
not by asking if it could be done but by simply asking why it
hadn’t been done yet. When released, NOTLD was met
with controversy because of its graphic nature but went on to
be a drive-in success.
A lot of young film makers took notice as
well. They realized that you
didn’t need a large budget to see your vision come to life.
NOTLD
was filmed on black and white film, not because Romero thought it would
add to the character of the movie but because it was cheaper
than color. The blood was Bosco chocolate syrup, which looks
just like blood in b/w.
Night of the Living Dead
put audiences on notice too. No longer was the horror movie just a
place to take your girl friend in hopes of having her jump
into your arms.
Now there were graphic depictions of murder and death intermingled with
social overtones meant to inspire and produce thought. The horror fan
became more mature over night. There was a new
standard by which all others would be compared. The bar had just been
raised.
If you have never seen Night
of the Living Dead, do yourself a favor and watch it. It will
change the way you watch movies, not just horror. One word of warning
though; Stay away
from any version that has “30th Anniversary” or
“colorized” on it. The less you know the better off
you
will be, just take my word for it. Questions
or comments about Night of the Living Dead? Contact
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Night
of the Living Dead begins with Barbara (Judith
O’Dea) and her brother Johnny (Russell Streiner) driving to
visit
a grave site. Johnny is complaining about having to go and is teasing
Barbara about being afraid of cemeteries. Once
there though, her fear is justified when they are attacked by a zombie
(BTW they are never called zombies in the film).
Barbara barely escapes with her life, but not her mind.
Night
of the Living Dead was shot on 35mm grainy black and white
film and the total budget came in at $114,000. It also is one of the
most ground breaking horror films of all time. Calling NOTLD
influential would be an understatement. Elements
from Night of the Living Dead can be seen in the
works of Raimi, Carpenter, and Hooper and in titles such as 
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