SummaryThere is panic throughout the nation as the dead suddenly come back to life. The film follows a group of characters who barricade themselves in an old farmhouse in an attempt to remain safe from these flesh eating monsters.
SummaryThere is panic throughout the nation as the dead suddenly come back to life. The film follows a group of characters who barricade themselves in an old farmhouse in an attempt to remain safe from these flesh eating monsters.
It remains a nightmare experience that’s not easily brushed off. And despite its ramshackle scrappiness in production terms, and some dated gender politics, the storytelling is first class, pitching us straight into the action, but only revealing its full hand gradually.
Whenever it seems there might be a glimmer of hope, Romero cruelly reverses our expectations. The nihilistic ending, in particular, has to be seen to be believed. Chuckle, if you can, during the first few minutes; because after that laughter catches in the throat as the clammy hand of terror tightens its grip.
George A. Romero's (RIP) Night of the Living Dead is the quintessential zombie film, and the most influential in the genre. It helped mold a lot of the films that we see today, and it holds up incredibly well, even when the film is nearly 60 years old.
Part of its strength is that it’s not a glossy, predictable Hollywood horror and so it has a grainy, semi-amateur, black and white look which gives it a dread sense of conviction.
It would be fun to be able to dismiss this as undoubtedly the best movie ever made in Pittsburgh, but it also happens to be one of the most gruesomely terrifying movies ever made.
Made for pennies in Pittsburgh. Its premise—the unburied dead arise and eat the living—is a powerful combination of the fantastic and the dumbly literal. Over its short, furious course, the picture violates so many strong taboos—cannibalism, incest, necrophilia—that it leaves audiences giddy and hysterical.
The movie had stopped being delightfully scary about halfway through, and had become unexpectedly terrifying. There was a little girl across the aisle from me, maybe nine years old, who was sitting very still in her seat and crying.
Night of the Living Dead is a grainy little movie acted by what appear to be nonprofessional actors, who are besieged in a farm house by some other nonprofessional actors who stagger around, stiff-legged, pretending to be flesh-eating ghouls.
The movie that started it all. Every piece of popular zombie fiction, from movies to TV shows and comics and video games, owes there existence to this film. George Romero's innovative and groundbreaking vision laid the framework for countless years of undead entertainment. Every trope, idea, rule, and moral conundrum you'll see in all of the zombie content that has come out over the years and has yet to can be found here. It's amazing to watch this, think of when it came out, and still see how all zombie fiction is using the exact same ideas. So next time you are watching an episode of The Walking Dead or playing some Zombies Mode in Call of Duty, just know that they wouldn't exist were it not for "Night of the Living Dead."
Of course it wouldn't matter that Romero did it first if he hadn't done it well. Night of the Living Dead holds up remarkably well after all these years. If anything, with the exception of (maybe) the low budget and some inexperienced acting, time might have actually improved this movie. It's black and white visuals, retro soundtrack, and to the basics approach add a tone and atmosphere to this that the refinements of the modern age can't always capture. I will admit that there is a lot of what I guess you could call empty space in the movie. The majority of the time is just watching the characters (mostly just Ben) board up the house they are trying to survive in. It isn't until the cast expands that the action really starts to get going. Like most zombie movies, the struggle survivors find between each other as the result of differing backgrounds and personality is just as large and dangerous to them as that of the undead hoards gathering just outside their defenses. One of the many examples I could cite to show you just how influential this movie was to the countless others of it's ilk that followed in suit.
While the low budget, independent nature of the film is something of a two-edged sword, it's clear that one edge is much sharper than the other. Fortunately, it's the one the swordsman doesn't have to worry about cutting (or worse, impaling) himself on. Without a great deal of special effects to rely on, we actually get to see the cast really use tools like fire and such to survive. It's pretty amazing to see our lead use a legitimate torch indoors, smoke and all, on his was outside. It makes the situation more believable. Yes, he's not actually going out there to ward off zombies, but he is risking some burns with that flame. The movie might actually be even creepier due to this smaller scale as well. I particularly enjoyed how the zombies were portrayed without much makeup, making them look more like, well, people. It's their behavior that sets them apart. I also think the way Romero envisioned them is also neat. They are much smarter then what we normally see nowadays, as they have the gumption to do things use tools in basic ways. It's also worth noting how incredibly bleak things are. With it's unforgettable ending and disturbing basement scenes, this is a movie that will stick with you long after you've made it to the final screen. Unlike other zombie fiction, this one even gives us an idea as to what caused the dead to return to feast on the living. Night of the Living Dead is a piece of cinema history. A real game changer that is still influencing the world today. Even though the zombie craze has slowed down a bit as of recently, the undead are still dominating our world. Well, ladies and gentlemen this is where the outbreak started. The late, great George Romero has gone down in history for a reason. You really should check out this starting movie in a series that has still has the ability to enchant and chill even today. Zombie fan or not, horror fan or not, movie buff or not, if you consider yourself a fan of fine cinema then this a must watch. Not only is it historic, but it's also fantastic as well. One of the most important, influential, and just darn enjoyable horror movies ever created.
This is a great piece of filmaking by George A. Romero which direct this movie full of anguish, suspense, horror and quality. It is a film that, while not perfect, will serve as an inspiration for subsequent zombie films.
This movie is a great example of what can be done with a limited budget, a simple idea and new actors. Movie is nicely shot and mostly well acted. Movie grabs your attention after 10-15 minutes of the beginning and it keeps you grab to the very end. The ending was expected but not in the way it way.
It didn't have bloody scenes which we expect from every zombie movie. It instead depicted scenes of murder, death and cannibalism. The black and white footage involving blood and gore made the movie more effective.
I would recommend this film to anybody interested in the art of film making and to those who enjoy the horror genre. Before watching the movie just keep one thing in mind; this was small budget movie of 1968 with new actors and it did great with all this.
Seminal in so many ways. Genre defining and sets a darker blueprint than you'd expect. However, if you like this genre you'll have seen everything expanded upon even by Romero himself so it won't hold any surprises. Also despite being "restored' it's barely watchable with iffy sound and appaling lighting. While like Citizen Kane it's almost required watching for a buff, a casual will probably want their 96 minutes back.