Night Of The Living Dead... The Original

Night of the Living Dead (1968)

Runtime: 95 minutes

Directed by: George A. Romero

Starring: Duane Jones, Judith O'Dea, Karl Hardman, Marilyn Eastman, Keith Wayne

From: Image Ten

Of course I had seen this several times before, but I figured this was now a good time to give it a proper review. In short, it still is a classic and influential horror movie. I talk all about it below:

This is yet another one of those movies I've seen at least once before but the last viewing was a long time ago. Sometime next week I plan on seeing the original The Crazies, but I figured I better rewatch this before I do that. Not that I have a lot of innovative or thought-provoking commentary that hasn't been said already. We all know how it was one of the most important movies in the history of the horror genre and how it even became a part of pop culture as it not only popularized zombies-it is amazing to me how they became so popular in the past decade-but even provided the stereotypical image that everyone has in their mind when they think “zombie”. Quite impressive for a low-budget effort done by George A. Romero and his friends because they were tired of filming commercials and industrial films and wanted to make a movie which just happened to be inspired by the Richard Matheson book I Am Legend and the low budget meant that things were on a small scale, focusing on several random people who are stuck in a farmhouse that the dead converge on.

The other Dead movies are definitely different-which makes it an interesting series, as I'll talk about as I eventually see all of those and put up reviews for them-but for the original, I am definitely fine with how the dead reanimate (possibly became of a satellite from Venus) and the attention is how by happenstance several different people end up at a farmhouse in Western Pennsylvania and there is plenty of disagreement on how to handle an unprecedented event... should everyone stay on the ground floor of the house because the doors and windows are boarded up and if they break through, it is easy to defend, or should they hide in the secure cellar because there's a good chance they will break through? There's definitely a variety... a wise man who is the de facto leader and he happens to be a black man, a hothead A-hole who is in a broken marriage, a woman who is almost catatonic because her brother was attacked by a zombie, and a teenaged couple. It is fascinating watching all of them interact with each other.

While you can nitpick various things and the acting isn't always the best, it is still an effective story and it is still pretty chilling, and the ending is still a strong social statement which unfortunately is still relevant today. To think that Duane Jones was cast as Ben not because he was black, but because he was the best person who auditioned for the role; from there the role changed and it proved to be a rather progressive move for the time period; it also can be seen somewhat as an allegory for the Civil Rights Movement. Personally, I feel that Ben was an awesome character and Jones was great in the role. It makes the final act and all the things that happen in it all the rougher to watch.

I am glad that even almost 50 years later, this remains an effective horror flick. It being well-directed by Romero (one example is how information concerning the living dead is presented in a methodical manner via radio then television) and there being a proto-electronic score helps in that regard.