Harry Situation Reviews: Night of the Living Dead
With the passing of legendary film director George A. Romero, I figured it would be fitting to honor his memory by writing a short review of his most famous film, Night of the Living Dead.
Night of the Living Dead was a black and white horror film released in 1968, and is worldly regarded as the film that put zombies in the spotlight for Hollywood. The story follows characters Ben (played by Duane Jones), Barbra (played by Judith O'Dea), and five others trapped in a rural farmhouse in Western Pennsylvania, which is attacked by a large and growing group of undead monsters.
The film was significant for three things:
1) Paving the way for zombies to become one of the most well known monsters in cinema history. I mean zombies are everywhere nowadays. In movies, television shows, video games. You name it, there's zombies in it.
2) This is one of the very few films to feature an African-American as the main hero for the story. At the time, it was unheard of and considered controversial. So good for the crew for taking a bold step.
3) No studio wanted to release this film. Romero tried to pitch it to numerous studios, but no one bought it. In the end, the film became a financial success, grossing $12 million domestically and $18 million internationally, which made it one of the most successful independent films of all time.
There's a lot to enjoy about this movie. The scares are good and genuine. The extras acting as zombies is entertaining.
Though of course this being a horror film back in the 60s, it comes off as cheesy. I mean some of the acting is over the top, especially coming from Judith O'Dea. And the makeup for the zombies is laughable, considering how much gory effects we can add to zombies now. I've even caught notice when Duane Jones is making it look as though he's bashing a zombie's head in, he's smacking a pipe or whatever above the guy's head. It just makes is so hilarious to watch.
However it's better to look at this film and appreciate at what it stood out for. It wanted to be a different film and it was. It wanted to feature a new breed of monsters and it did. It wanted to be a creepy gore-filled action adventure and it was.
I can see why this film is often considered a classic film. There's so much attention to detail and atmosphere that helps build the world the characters are in as well as the growing fear of being killed by these zombies. Without this film we couldn't have The Walking Dead, or Zombieland, or any zombie feature. I enjoy this film for all the right reasons, and I think this is one for everyone to check out.
No grading scale this time.
Final Grade: A+
In memory of George A. Romero. So that's my brief tribute. Have you seen this movie? What are your thoughts? What's your favorite movie featuring zombies? Please be kind, leave a like and comment, and check back for more reviews.
Best Quote:
Johnny: "They're coming to get you, Barbra."