Day 15: Night of the Living Dead

15. Night of the Living Dead (1968)
Dir: George A. Romero
Cast: Duane Jones, Judith O'Dea, Karl hardman, Marilyn Eastman, Keith Wayne, Judith Ridley
Our next film was a significant turning point not only in horror movies but for film in general. Exploding out of the Vietnam-era, Night of the Living Dead may have been considered a violent scare-fest when it was released but looking deeper you can see the political and social critiques buried within this dark story. It may not necessarily hold up as well when viewed today, but it's still an influential film in the the timeline of horror movies and actually broke a lot of barriers.

Co-Written and Directed by George Andrew Romero, who had become inspired to make a horror film after filming a tonsillectomy segment for Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood, he and his friends formed "Image Ten Productions" in the 60s to fund a low budget feature length film.

Filming in rural Pennsylvania with a cast of virtual unknowns. Romero and co-writer John Russo set out to tell the story of a group of individuals trying to survive in farmhouse, while being attacked by the reanimated corpses of the dead. Were never really given an explanation of why this is happening, but that's part of the charm. Your basically thrown right into the drama with very little set up and it's quite effective. Where so many lame horror movies have to explain all the scientific jargon, Night focuses more on it's characters and the emotions they go through on one devastating night.



As I previously stated this film initially broke several barriers in film. Violence and graphic images were brought to a new height but something else notable about Night is that it was one of the first films to depict an African American man in the lead role. Casting Duane Jones who portrays Ben, was at the time considered a controversial move but he won over audiences with his strong performance and presence. The supporting cast had little experience but are suitable for the low budget flick and overall make for a compelling piece of horror.

This baby is basically the father of all zombie movies, at least how we portray zombies in movies today. Romero's gone on to make quite a name for himself in frightening features and here's where it all started. From it's thrilling opening to it's dark and controversial ending, Night of the Living Dead is a cult classic and an important part of movie history.

Fright Fact: This has been remade twice, once as a made for TV movie in 1990 and then again a year or two back in a limited theater release... In 3D.

Horror Highlight: Couldn't find any impressive clips, so here's the trailer... If you haven't seen this movie and you care to it's in the public domain.