Night Of The Living Dead
90 minutes,
USA (1968), 18
Average user rating 
(4.2 / 179 votes)
(4.2 / 179 votes)
George A Romero's classic low budget zombie epic. A caustic political allegory and a shocking thriller
Director:
Night Of The Living Dead Review
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George A Romero's classic low budget zombie epic. A caustic political allegory and a shocking thriller
After an early career making industrial documentaries in his native Pittsburgh, Romero decided to branch out into feature films with this no-budget zombie movie.
Despite its lurid storyline the film was most notable for its bleakness and cynicism, in marked contrast to the cheesy, melodramatic nature of most horror cinema at the time. Essentially, and innovatively, this was schlock-free horror. All this in spite of a lurid, B-movie storyline that sees a group of mismatched people find themselves trapped in a deserted farmhouse by marauding cannibal zombies (a radio announcer provides this exposition: "It has been established that persons who have recently died have been returning to life and committing acts of murder.")
From the opening shot of the American flag hanging in the stagnant air to the closing montage as Ben - young black actor Duane Jones playing the film's most heroic, sympathetic and resourceful character - is pointlessly slaughtered by a gang of redneck goons, the film is perfectly in tune with an America torn apart by self-serving politicians, civil rights protests and the Vietnam War.
Night Of The Living Dead not only bulldozed through several cinematic taboos but also changed the way that people perceived horror movies.
Despite its lurid storyline the film was most notable for its bleakness and cynicism, in marked contrast to the cheesy, melodramatic nature of most horror cinema at the time. Essentially, and innovatively, this was schlock-free horror. All this in spite of a lurid, B-movie storyline that sees a group of mismatched people find themselves trapped in a deserted farmhouse by marauding cannibal zombies (a radio announcer provides this exposition: "It has been established that persons who have recently died have been returning to life and committing acts of murder.")
From the opening shot of the American flag hanging in the stagnant air to the closing montage as Ben - young black actor Duane Jones playing the film's most heroic, sympathetic and resourceful character - is pointlessly slaughtered by a gang of redneck goons, the film is perfectly in tune with an America torn apart by self-serving politicians, civil rights protests and the Vietnam War.
Night Of The Living Dead not only bulldozed through several cinematic taboos but also changed the way that people perceived horror movies.
Verdict
Cheap, effective and thoroughly innovative, Night Of The Living Dead would spawn two sequels (so far) and innumerable imitators. A quarter of a century old and it is still absolutely terrifying.
Cheap, effective and thoroughly innovative, Night Of The Living Dead would spawn two sequels (so far) and innumerable imitators. A quarter of a century old and it is still absolutely terrifying.
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