dpastrovich-89940 Zombies have never been more popular than they are now and we have Night Of The Living Dead to thank for that. While not the first zombie movie, it is the first that defined zombies as living dead flesh eaters. Previous movies depicted zombies as people under voodoo spells.What I like about the story is that it's never revealed what causes the zombies to rise up. Sure, they mention a theory involving a space probe returning from Venus being deliberately exploded in the Earth's atmosphere when radiation was detected. However, they never reveal whether that is true or not. I think it's scarier not knowing the actual cause.One of the most charming aspects about this film is that it looks older than it actually happens to be. To put it in perspective, Night Of The Living Dead was released in 1968 - the same year as 2001: A Space Odyssey. If one were to view those films side-by-side, you would probably think they weren't made in the same decade; let alone the same year.It's not exactly a technical masterpiece in terms of editing. Often there are scenes that are supposed to take place at night but were clearly shot during daytime and vice versa. There's also a very noticeable jump cut during a conversation between Harry and Helen in the basement.The makeup effects are very subtle. Part of this is likely due to having a low budget, but also because they establish that these are the recently deceased. These are not rotting corpses that climbed out of their grave. Tom Savini had originally signed on to do the makeup effects, but had to pull out when he was called to duty by the US Army to serve as a combat photographer in Vietnam. On one hand, I can't help but wonder how Savini would have done the zombie makeup. On the other hand, perhaps being a witness to real horrors of The Vietnam War helped him become such an amazing horror makeup effects artist.Many people think there is a commentary about racism hidden in this movie. While I can see where people get that impression, it's my understanding that George A. Romero didn't intend that. When he and John A. Russo were writing the story, they didn't plan on making the character black. They simply hired the best actor for the part of Ben. Duane Jones (Ben) thought that the movie should promote that fact that it was one of the first movies with a black lead actor, but Romero thought it was better that they didn't (a decision he's apparently had some second thoughts about).One of the most beautiful things about this film is that it's in the public domain, so it's very easy to find and watch for free. This is due to a copyright error. Originally, the film was supposed to be called Night Of Anubis (the Egyptian god associated with the afterlife), but it was decided to change the title because not many people understood what it was referencing. The title was then changed to Night Of The Flesh Eaters. When it was discovered that there was already a film with "Flesh Eaters" in the title, the filmmakers decided to change the title again to avoid being confused with that movie. The title was finally changed to Night Of The Living Dead. However, when they made the new title frames for Night Of The Dead, the film distributor forgot to put the copyright notice on it.I don't want to spoil anything, but if you're looking for a film where the heroes walk off into the sunset after vanquishing the living dead, this is not the film for you. The tone of Night Of The Living Dead is very somber from the beginning to the very end. I saw this when I was younger and was upset with the way it ended. Now that I've watched it a few more times, I can appreciate just how gutsy the writers were.Without question, this is a classic. It has been selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Film Registry. It's a film that should be appreciated not only by horror fans, but film fans in general. It's a perfect demonstration that you don't need a large budget to make a great film - just some creativity and originality. It will continue to live on through new fans who will discover it's infectious storytelling...much like a zombie.

aaronlbacks Compared to most horror films these days, Night of the Living Dead is quite primeval. But that's not to say that it is bad - Primitive Technology on YouTube has shown me time and time again that early man was brilliant. And in a way it was refreshing to take a break from overdone gore and overacting. Well, overacting is still here. The plot is pretty simple by today's standards too. A couple of people, led by a Mr. Ben (Duane Jones) attempt to survive against a wave of zombies while trying hard not to attack each other first. And more than 90% of the movie takes place inside the same house which they barricade and raid for supplies. As far as the simple plot goes, I feel they do it justice, and it is supplemented by the interesting to watch power struggle between Ben and Mr. Cooper (Karl Hardman) and the racial undertones that the movie infers. But aside from the inherent fun this movie offers, about halfway through, the movie becomes a little repetitive. Even though new characters are introduced, the tone feels quite samey for the entire middle leg. It's not until the run where Tom (Keith Wayne), Judy (Judith Ridley), and Ben run out where things get moving again. Perhaps I am just accustomed to today's thrillers which keep up at a breakneck pace for the entire runtime, but it felt not too much was happening during that period. Overall, I think it a successful and worthy grandfather of modern horror.

putrescent_stench This is my #1 favorite horror film of all time. It is the only movie to ever give me nightmares. I started getting them as a teenager, put into the same situation as the film – one among a small band of people trying to survive a zombie apocalypse, surrounded by an increasing number of the living dead.Aside from the nightmares, this is my #1 horror movie because it creates an atmosphere of absolute dread – something that I appreciate in a movie (thus my screen name AnDread). The protagonists face what seems to be a pretty much hopeless situation, surrounded by numerous antagonists who want to eat you, who can't be reasoned with, and who continue to grow in number. On top of that, they are faced with in-fighting and incompetence. Perhaps they could survive if they just learned to work together, rather than constantly argue with each other. But this is Romero's not-so-subtle point: compromise rather than dominance is the key to survival. He has said that he thought of the living dead as a revolution, a new (single- minded) generation cannibalizing the older, obsolete generation. Actually, I think of them more akin to a natural disaster – or Godzilla, a monster birthed from our own violent ways, a new creation bent on destroying everything old.The nihilistic ending still gives me chills – it's one of the bleakest movie endings ever. I don't want to spoil it. I'll just say that when I saw it for the first time as a teen, it hit me pretty hard. I had never seen any movie end like that.For such a low-budget film, Romero does a fantastic job using sound, lighting, practical effects, and performances to maximum advantage. The acting is excellent. Some may not be impressed with the way the characters are written, or the way they are portrayed. But while both are handled with a simplistic, at times seemingly melodramatic, approach, the writing is more layered than you might first think. And I think most people would agree that the performances are highly memorable. Duane Jones as Ben and Karl Hardman as Harry Cooper make this film work so well; seeing their increasing aggression and rivalry ratchets the tension to an almost unbearable degree. This dynamic is so complex that I see it a new way each time. While I've always identified with and rooted for Ben – quite a feat for an African American protagonist in 1968 – on recent viewings, I've come to realize that Ben isn't always that reasonable either. If he hadn't been so pushy and competitive with Cooper, maybe things could have turned out differently. Judith O'Dea as Barbara and Marilyn Eastman as Helen Cooper also deserve mention. Some people criticize O'Dea's performance as wooden or the way her character is written as sexist, because she's either hysterical or catatonic through much of the narrative. But I think plenty of people, men and women, would be like Barbara in a similarly horrifying situation. Although she has a minor role, Eastman as Helen is a great counterpoint to both Barbara and her husband, spitting sarcastic barbs at Harry and trying to become part of the larger group. I can't say that Keith Wayne as Tom and Judith Ridley as Judy add much, except as a counterpoint to the Coopers, a couple who tries to hang on to love during a crisis. Kyra Schon as Karen, the Coopers' daughter, George Kosana as Sheriff McClelland, and Russell Streiner as Johnny (who, according to IMDb, is uncredited for some reason), show just how memorable minor characters can be. Streiner and Kosana speak two of the most memorable lines in horror movie history – "They're coming to get you, Barbara," and "They're dead, they're all messed up." And to many, Schon's big scene is one of the most disturbing scenes in all of horror cinema.The black and white cinematography also adds to the bleakness of the film; for me, the often washed-out look and dark lighting make the zombies more frightening than in any of the subsequent films, with skin tones of blues, greens, and grays, and bright red blood flowing. Something about watching the ghouls stumble around in the shadows, and blood pour out in dark swatches, adds a sinister air to them that doesn't quite translate to color, even in the more realistic and disgusting effects in later films.Many have already spoken eloquently about the film's social commentary and influence on later horror films, and culture generally. I'll just say that Romero and John Russo (who co-wrote the script) tapped into already existing horror elements and current social anxieties around civil unrest, clashes with authorities, and Vietnam, by creating a new genre, the flesh-eating zombie film (as opposed to the Voodoo zombie), and virtually helping to usher in a new horror aesthetic – bleaker, gorier, and more focused on gritty realism than stylized aesthetics.

manisimmati Barbara and Johnny visit their father's grave somewhere in the American countryside. When they arrive at the spooky graveyard, Johnny teases his jumpy sister: "They're coming to get you, Barbara." But the joke is on him, because they are really coming to get Barbara. And Johnny, too. And the hole country for that matter. A mysterious epidemic causes the dead to rise from their graves and attack the living. One of those ghouls attacks Barbara. Johnny defends her, and Barbara flees in terror. She reaches a secluded farm house and meets other people who seek shelter. Can these strangers work together in order to survive? Or are they going to destroy each other, before the ghouls even reach them?"Night of the Living Dead" is one of my favorite movies of all time. It certainly is the best horror movie I've ever seen. That being said, it's difficult to explain why I love it so much. It is a low budget flick. There are some glaring editing mistakes and the acting is subpar most of the time. But like no other movie out there, "Night of the Living Dead" is able to turn its trash atmosphere into pure art. It's such a gritty and dirty experience, you feel like you need a shower afterwards. There are two main reasons why this movie is so effective: the director George A. Romero and the subtext of the screenplay.Romero didn't have much to work with, but he made it count. The scene where Barbara explores the empty farm house is exquisite. The lighting is reminiscent of German Expressionism. The awry camera settings and the contrast between light and dark are great devices to elucidate Barbara's trauma. There is a scene where Romero pans over the barricaded interior of the farm house. The intersecting planks form an abstract pattern that is strangely unsettling. You'll soon realize that this movie might be cheap, but surprisingly artful as well."Night of the Living Dead" was a watershed for modern horror because it was insanely gruesome for the time: There are zombies hunting people and eating the flesh of their prey. But it's not the explicit gore that makes this movie so effective. The true horror stems from the way Romero depicts these acts of violence. They come across as surreal and deviant, like you're having a sick fever dream. The subtext of this movie is incredibly rich. The screenplay tackles many unwieldy political topics - war, racism and marriage are only a few of them. "Night of the Living Dead" is a relentless, apocalyptic nightmare that has nothing for the audience except unnerving pessimism. The ending of this movie might just be the best ending in movie history: It's poignant, courageous and subversive. "Night of the Living Dead" is an utterly unique, matchless horror movie. If you haven't seen it, watch it. Now. And if you already saw it, watch it again. Now.