Night Of The Living Dead
Good night and good luck
This is it. The end. The 365th
movie review. They said it couldn't be done. I didn't even think I
would make it this far, but we made it. I've seen movies about
vampires, werewolves, monsters, animals, serial killers, aliens,
killer clowns, ghosts, demons, Satan, and my favorite, zombies. I
have seen classics, independents, movies I've always wanted to see,
and movies I wish I had not. I will be taking a much needed break in
the coming days, but I will be doing at least a few more posts, which
will include a “Best Of” awards ceremony and Razzies for the
worst. I want to personally thank each and every one of you for
helping me, whether it was procuring certain movies, helping me with
research, correcting some mistakes, and spreading the word. Without
you, I would have stopped a long time ago. Without further ado, here
is the final review for 365 Days Of Horror.
Night Of The Living Dead is a 1968
zombie movie written and directed by George Romero (Dawn Of The Dead,
Creepshow). The movie stars Judith O'Dea (The Pirate, The Ocean) as
Barbra and Duane Jones (Vampires, To Die For) as Ben. Barbra and her
brother Johnny (Russell Streiner, The Majorettes, Night Of The Living
Dead 1990) drive to rural Pennsylvania to visit their father's grave.
Johnny is annoyed to be there and entertains himself by teasing
Barbra. He playfully chases Barbra, pointing to another man in the
cemetery and warning, “They're coming to get you, Barbra!” The
man, a zombie, attacks Barbra and then struggles with Johnny who
cracks his head on a gravestone. The man chases Barbra to her car and
smashes the window with a rock before she is able to pull the
emergency break and roll down a hill. The car crashes and Barbra
flees to a nearby farmhouse where she discovers a decomposing body
upstairs. When she leaves the house, she is surrounded by zombies and
is saved by a man named Ben who brings her back inside. Barbra is
traumatized by the events and goes into shock while Ben tries to
secure the house by boarding up the doors and windows. It is revealed
that a group of people have been hiding in the house's cellar the
entire time. The group is made up of a young couple named Tom (Keith
Wayne) and Judy (Judith Ridley) as well as Harry Cooper (Karl
Hardman, Santa Claws) his wife Helen (Kyra Schon) and their daughter,
Karen, who has been bitten by a zombie. The cowardly Harry tries to
explain why he did not help Ben when he heard him upstairs, but Ben
does not believe him. Harry insists that they are safer in the
cellar, but Ben rebuffs him, claiming it is a “death trap”. While
Harry and his family stay in the cellar, the rest of the group
listens to the radio and television for information. The problem is
widespread across the entire East Coast and the murderers, who appear
to be the recently deceased, are cannibalizing their victims. While
there is no definite explanation, it is believed that a space probe
returning from Venus that exploded in the Earth's atmosphere may have
been contaminated with radiation. A news report reveals that a rescue
center has been established nearby and, with the farmhouse becoming
increasingly surrounded by the undead, the group agrees to make a run
for it. Ben, Tom, and Judy make a run for a truck near the house
while Harry throws molotov cocktails at the zombies. Tom accidentally
spills fuel on the truck, causing it to eventually explode, killing
himself and Judy. Ben runs back to the house, but is unable to enter
because Harry refuses to unlock the door. Ben is forced to break down
the down, and after securing it, assaults Harry. Harry threatens to
shot him, but Ben takes his gun and shoots Harry, who stumbles down
the cellar. With the plan failing and zombies surrounding the house,
how will Ben and Barbra survive?
Welcome to the gun show
Night Of The Living Dead is the movie
to which all other zombie movies are compared. While there were
zombie movies previous to this one, like White Zombie and King Of The
Zombies, Night Of The Living Dead set the standard for the modern
zombie films. George Romero crafted a horror movie that is both smart
and graphic, appealing to all types of horror fans. The combination
of suspense, thrills, and action makes the movie an intense and
gut-wrenching experience. The movie's graphic nature was shocking at
the time as we see the zombies tearing at and eating human body
parts. Before NOTLD, most zombies were simply the product of voodoo
and mind control. Romero created zombies that are far scarier with
added aspect of cannibalism. They are violent monsters with an
insatiable hunger and virtually limitless numbers. Despite being in
black and white, the movie is still quite gory and bloody, especially
for a movie in the 1960's. The movie cleverly leaks out bits of
information about what is happening, putting the audience in the same
position as the characters, causing us to relate to them. By doing
this, we learn why there are zombies and how to stop them. We also
learn that armed posses are combing the area, a foreshadowing of
things to come.
"Oh, tombstone. You're such a great hugger."
More importantly, though, the zombies
in Night Of The Living Dead are not the true monsters. As is now
common among Romero and other zombie movies, social commentary is in
full effect. Romero's casting of a black man in the hero role was
seen as slightly controversial at the time. By doing so, the audience
is forced to deal with their own personal feelings of prejudice and
race. This is one of the main themes of the movie as hatred,
mistrust, and deceit are all at work in the movie. Harry is a coward
who is clearly out of his element, but refuses to listen to Ben,
despite clearly being in control. Harry thought the best idea was to
hide and hope for the best while Ben is proactive, boarding up the
house and getting the radio and television to work. We all hope to be
brave like Ben, but we secretly fear that at the moment of truth, we
may be more like Harry. It was disappointed that Barbra was virtually
useless for most of the movie and even Romero himself has stated that
he was unhappy with the way she was written. The acting is good all
around which helps make the movie emotional and believable.
These flash mobs are ridiculous
Night Of The Living Dead was George
Romero's feature-length directorial debut, but you would never know
it. Scenes are shot with a competent confidence with a mixture of
interesting angles that help convey a sense of frantic horror. The
film opens up like any normal event, but quickly disintegrates into
an uncontrollable horror that never ens. Less than ten minutes is all
it takes for the movie to become a dire struggle for survival. Rather
than having the movie take place in an easily recognizable area,
Night Of The Living Dead takes place in a rural area that could be
just about anywhere. Shot in central Pennsylvania, the natural open
setting is all the more terrifying because it appears to be calm and
comforting. The movie has a good amount of action and scares that
still make modern audiences jump. The musical flourishes are great
and make certain scenes far scarier than one would initially expect.
"Hey, put Cougar Town on."
Night Of The Living Dead was not the
first zombie movie, but it did manage to completely change the genre.
Bland mind-controlled zombies were replaced by the living dead who's
only motivation is to feed on the living. The movie established new
rules, like shooting zombies in the head, that are still followed to
this day. The movie is shockingly violent and gory, still capable of
scaring modern audiences. The story is great from the intense and
frantic beginning to the brutal, depressing ending. The movie is full
of important social commentary that still resonates today. The acting
is great and Romero's direction is perfect. Whether you're looking
for a straight-forward and scary horror film, or a smart, thoughtful
movie with lots of action, Night Of The Living Dead is an
all-encompassing and entertaining movie. There is a reason why the
Library of Congress selected it for preservation in the National Film
Registry. Unfortunately for Romero, but fortunately for you, the
movie entertained the public domain because the original distributor,
the Walter Reade Organization, did not put a copyright on prints of
the film. The movie is now available through many different mediums,
including for free on various websites. Night Of The Living Dead is
an incredibly entertaining and incredibly important movie. Aspiring
film makers, writers, and actors should watch the film as a blueprint
for making a great movie on a limited budget. As for horror fans,
it's required viewing. A movie like Night Of The Living Dead makes
horror fans proud of the genre they love.
10/10
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