NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD
1968 • George A. Romero
Screenplay: John Russo, George A. Romero
Cast: Judith O'Dea, Duane Jones, Marilyn Eastman, Karl Hardman, Judith Ridley, Keith Wayne
Cinematography: George A. Romero
Producers: Russell W. Streiner, Karl Hardman
Continental Distributing
They’re coming to get you, Barbara.
Zombies. THEY WON'T STAY DEAD. Night of the Living Dead demonstrated this terrifying truth to the world in 1968, birthing a genre that has since become a staple in popular culture. What's remarkable about this film isn't just its ability to make your heart race and your skin crawl—it's the fact that it achieved all of this on a shoestring budget. It proved that you don't need big bucks to produce quality horror; all you need is a compelling story, dedicated filmmakers, and a lot of ingenuity.
An undeniably creepy, iconic, groundbreaking horror that remains my favorite of the genre. It possesses a unique rawness that sets it apart from other horror films of the time. Every frame exudes a sense of desperation and dread, captured in gritty black and white. The characters, far from polished Hollywood professionals, are real, flawed individuals. Their fear is tangible, their actions visceral. The film's low budget lends it a rough, unpolished quality, which paradoxically enhances its authenticity. The absence of glamorous sets or elaborate special effects creates an atmosphere that feels unsettlingly genuine. It's this rawness that makes every scream, every drop of blood, and every moment of silence resonate on a primal level. The unvarnished presentation of horror, stripped of embellishments, forces viewers to confront the nightmare head-on.
that is the zombie had been a little experimented with before in the film White Zombie, but never like the dark depths that George took it to. A collection of strangers are holed up in an abandoned house and fight off the zombies for as long as they can. The plot is pretty conventional nowadays, but you have to realize that this is the film that started it all. It's still pretty downright scary and effective filmmaking.
This movie was shot outside Pittsburgh on a very small budget. There is no on-screen copyright notice, nor any of the usual legal disclaimers typically found in movie credits; this is the main reason the film has been in the public domain since its release, making it accessible to everyone. For its time, this low-budget independent picture helped change the landscape and gave upcoming horror films a new path to follow.
Night of the Living Dead isn't just a horror movie; the great ones never are. It’s a reflection of societal fears, anxieties, and prejudices. Its legacy and how it has been interpreted as a commentary about racism are testaments to its depth. By putting ordinary people in an extraordinary situation, Romero created a narrative that transcends the horror genre, making us question our own humanity in the face of the monstrous. It reminds us that the scariest things are not always the undead banging on our doors, but the prejudices and ignorance that divide us as living beings. Nothing proves that more than the shocking final moments of the film
It serves as a powerful commentary on racism, albeit subtly woven into the fabric of its narrative. In casting a black actor, Duane Jones, as the film's protagonist Ben, director George A. Romero made a bold statement in a time when racial tensions were high in the United States, especially due to the Civil Rights Movement. Ben, intelligent and resourceful, takes charge, yet his competence is tragically undermined by one of the white characters around him, reflecting the deep-seated racial prejudices prevalent in society. [[SPOILER]] [[SPOILER]]The film's climax, where a posse of white vigilantes mistakes Ben for a zombie and shoots him without hesitation, is a gut-wrenching reminder of the racial injustice and brutality faced by black Americans. Night of the Living Dead challenges viewers to confront the horrors of racism, suggesting that in the face of a common enemy, humanity’s greatest threat may still lie within ourselves. [[SPOILER]] [[SPOILER]]
The word "zombie" is never once said in the whole movie. Usually, the living dead are referred to as "those things." Night of the Living Dead fundamentally redefined the term "zombie," transforming it from its traditional voodoo origins into the reanimated, flesh-eating creatures we recognize today. In the film, these reanimated corpses, brought back to life by mysterious radiation (a Cold War era boogeyman), were not just mindless slaves, as depicted in earlier zombie lore, but became relentless predators driven by an insatiable hunger for human flesh. Romero's vision of zombies as a relentless, unstoppable force, driven by an instinctual urge to consume the living, introduced a new archetype in horror. These creatures, once ordinary people, now reduced to an animalistic state, forced audiences to confront the unsettling idea of their own neighbors, friends, and family turning into monstrous, unfeeling beings. The film's depiction of these reanimated corpses as a horde of ravenous predators became the defining characteristic of zombies in popular culture. It set the stage for countless films, TV shows, and books, shaping the modern zombie mythos and ensuring that the undead would continue to haunt our nightmares for generations to come. In addition to its spinoffs like Dawn of the Dead and Day of the Dead and the 2004 Dawn of the Dead remake, you can trace back the roots of films like Shaun of the Dead, 28 Days Later, Zombieland, Planet Terror, World War Z, and the enormously successful TV show The Walking Dead all back to Night of the Living Dead.
Yeah, they're dead. They're all messed up.
Notoable Awards & Accomplishments
- National Film Registry: Inducted in 1999
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