There are some movies that make such an impact on cinema that their legacy manages to live on literally and spiritually for years to come. Night of the Living Dead is one such film that lives in this type of infamy. George A. Romero is know as the pioneer of the modern horror film. The significant addition of violence, gore, language, and even nudity in Night of the Living Dead were just some of the things that set this film apart for its time. The film also dealt with serious issues and the effects those issues had on a cast of extremely real and humanized characters. Additionally, this was one of the first films that cast an African American man in the lead role.
But the one real thing that sets this movie apart as a pioneer of horror is its ability to still frighten audience members despite its age and low budget. I first watch this film when I was about eleven or twelve. My mother took me to the video store to rent me a movie, a great tradition that I always remember fondly. I loved monster movies and horror movies and I remember walking down the horror isle and looking at all the graphic pictures on the covers of many of the cases. I wished I could rent so many of these films but was not allowed to at that time. I was allowed to rent any of the old horror films. Anything that was black and white seemed to be free game. So, on that fateful day I selected Night of the Living Dead as my rental of choice. My mother quickly paid for the rental and then took us home—unaware of what she had just enabled me to rent. She went out to run errands and left me at home alone to watch my movie.
But the one real thing that sets this movie apart as a pioneer of horror is its ability to still frighten audience members despite its age and low budget. I first watch this film when I was about eleven or twelve. My mother took me to the video store to rent me a movie, a great tradition that I always remember fondly. I loved monster movies and horror movies and I remember walking down the horror isle and looking at all the graphic pictures on the covers of many of the cases. I wished I could rent so many of these films but was not allowed to at that time. I was allowed to rent any of the old horror films. Anything that was black and white seemed to be free game. So, on that fateful day I selected Night of the Living Dead as my rental of choice. My mother quickly paid for the rental and then took us home—unaware of what she had just enabled me to rent. She went out to run errands and left me at home alone to watch my movie.
The movie began and I expected to see the normal b-horror goodness I usually got from horror films of the 1950s and 60s. I expected to laugh at cheesy effects and funny actors running and screaming. Instead I was given the dark and gory wonderment that is George A. Romero’s work. The film ended with the classic images of the corpse piles being burned and I simply sat there wide eyed and in shock. I had never seen anything so frightening or intense. And I had loved it.
Night of the Living Dead opens with a brother and sister—Barbra and Jonny—on a rural country road to drop some flowers off on their father’s grave. Both are tense and unhappy to have to be out so late in the day. Barbra has always been a little afraid of the graveyard and just wants to get out of there before it gets dark. But at the graveyard they are attacked by a seemingly insane man who kills Jonny and pursues Barbra. Barbra runs away until she finds a farmhouse. She runs inside to call for help but no one responds. She eventually finds the half eaten body of the farmer’s wife at the top of the stairs. She screams and goes into shock.
Soon, a tall African American arrives and storms in the house. He finds Barbra and tries to help her out. Turning on the radio they hear that there have been mass killings around the entire county. The killings seem to have no motive or logical reason behind them. It is also confirmed that the murderers are eating their victims. The radio tells them to stay inside wherever they are. So they begin boarding up the farmhouse to protect themselves from the growing hordes of flesh eaters outside.
Night of the Living Dead opens with a brother and sister—Barbra and Jonny—on a rural country road to drop some flowers off on their father’s grave. Both are tense and unhappy to have to be out so late in the day. Barbra has always been a little afraid of the graveyard and just wants to get out of there before it gets dark. But at the graveyard they are attacked by a seemingly insane man who kills Jonny and pursues Barbra. Barbra runs away until she finds a farmhouse. She runs inside to call for help but no one responds. She eventually finds the half eaten body of the farmer’s wife at the top of the stairs. She screams and goes into shock.
Soon, a tall African American arrives and storms in the house. He finds Barbra and tries to help her out. Turning on the radio they hear that there have been mass killings around the entire county. The killings seem to have no motive or logical reason behind them. It is also confirmed that the murderers are eating their victims. The radio tells them to stay inside wherever they are. So they begin boarding up the farmhouse to protect themselves from the growing hordes of flesh eaters outside.
As night falls things get worse. The number of undead outside is growing and they seem to be getting stronger the more of them there are together. It turns out that anyone who dies comes back to life and kills. Then, a sound from the cellar reveals that there is a whole other group of people who were hiding out in the basement. The groups don’t get along and the fighting between them begins. They argue about whether it is safer to stay upstairs with the boarded up windows or to lock themselves in the basement. Ultimately everyone decides that they need to try and get out of there. So they beg planning on how they’re going to escape.
The ending of the film was something different then audiences expected as well. This entire film broke the normal shell that horror films had been in for many years. It was controversial and dark for its time. And it is one of the best horror films of all time. Similar to Hitchcock’s Psycho, Night of the Living Dead managed to bring horror out of the gothic castles and haunted houses and straight into the American home.
The acting and tension between characters is realistic and palpable. I both love and hate many of the characters. I grind myself getting stressed as the tension and horror builds. The mood is very foreboding right from the beginning. The buildup of the story structure is well written. But the final act of this movie is where it really shines. It is gruesome and intense and sets the mood for the entire horror genre that came afterward.
The ending of the film was something different then audiences expected as well. This entire film broke the normal shell that horror films had been in for many years. It was controversial and dark for its time. And it is one of the best horror films of all time. Similar to Hitchcock’s Psycho, Night of the Living Dead managed to bring horror out of the gothic castles and haunted houses and straight into the American home.
The acting and tension between characters is realistic and palpable. I both love and hate many of the characters. I grind myself getting stressed as the tension and horror builds. The mood is very foreboding right from the beginning. The buildup of the story structure is well written. But the final act of this movie is where it really shines. It is gruesome and intense and sets the mood for the entire horror genre that came afterward.
Summing it Up
George A. Romero is the man that created the zombie genre. Without this horror masterpiece we wouldn’t have shows such as The Walking Dead. But in my opinion it is still, by far, the best zombie film of all time. There have been many greats that have followed including most of Romero’s follow up films. But this is one of the most frightening and well made horror films available. And it is free to watch in multiple places around the internet. So go check it out.
Deaths: 8
Language: 2
Gore Factor: 4
Sex Factor: 2
Scare Factor: 5
Fun Factor: 5
Overall Rating: 5
Deaths: 8
Language: 2
Gore Factor: 4
Sex Factor: 2
Scare Factor: 5
Fun Factor: 5
Overall Rating: 5