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Directed By
George A. Romero
Written By:
John A. Russo, George A. Romero
Cast:
Duane Jones, Russell Streiner, John A. Russo, Judith O'Dea, Karl Hardman, Marilyn Eastman, Keith Wayne, Judith Ridley, Kyra Schon, George A. Romero, John Simpson, Bill Chilly, Billy Cardille, Bill Hinzman, John Simpson, Vincent Survinski
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Night of the Living Dead (1968)
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Without exception, Night of the Living Dead (1968), directed by George A. Romero, is truly a horror masterpiece. Although the creatures are called "ghouls" in the movie, perhaps this is among the best zombie films ever made. Since this movie, there have been many zombie movies to follow, but none seem as compelling as the original. Even if you dislike these movies, I still think Night of the Living Dead (1968) is worth at least one viewing. This movie ranks with the original Frankenstein (1931) as one of the major horror films of its time and paves the way for inspirational directors like John Carpenter, Stuart Gordon, Wes Craven, and David Cronenberg.
The story begins with almost immediate thrilling horror when Barbara (Judith O'Dea) and her brother Johnny (Russell Streiner) are attacked by a cannibalistic zombie while visiting their father's grave in a cemetery. Leaving her brother behind to fight for himself (no need to worry she will see her brother again), Barbara flees to a house where she meets Ben (Duane Jones), the hero of the film. Soon inside they quickly discover there are five other people in the basement. Harry (Karl Hardman - the real father of Kyra Schon) and Helen Cooper (Marilyn Eastman - the real mother of Kyra Schon) are tending to their sick daughter Karen (Kyra Schon). Tom (Keith Wayne) and his girlfriend Judy (Judith Ridley) are also in the basement. A plan must be made and the alpha males start competing for leadership of the group. Do the survivors lock themselves in the basement or try and barricade themselves in on the main floor? Harry says the basement; Ben says the main floor. It soon becomes apparent that the dangerous conflict is not merely with the zombies outside. There is also a conflict inside that seems to reduce everyone to a level of primitive survival and this conflict is magnified by clashes in egos and personalities. Here, the film emerges as an interesting character study into what happens to humans when they are stripped of their psychological defenses. The rest of the movie details their efforts to survive the walking dead right up to an ending that is among the most unfortunate and savage in the history of horror films and almost as shocking as The Bad Seed (1956).
The use of an unknown cast seems to make this movie even more realistic. The characters are believable and their development is skillfully crafted. Duane Jones is the standout actor as Ben, a sensible man who is not without flaws, but determined to survive. Kyra Schon plays her role very well in which she is one of the most remembered zombies from the film. In fact, the image of Kyra as a child zombie is simply unforgettable. Judith O'Dea seems rather useless and annoying in her role as Barbra, but I guess someone has to play the role of the traumatized victim and she does it so well I can truly feel my aggravation.
Much of the fear in this film comes from the portrayal of the zombies as relentless, but unintelligent, weak, and very slow moving. These traits create a false sense of security that is easily transferred to the audience and increases the believability as it encourages the characters to take greater risks. This brilliant technique also gives the audience time to absorb their fear and adds to the gripping intensity and terror because the "risks" the characters now take seem more plausible despite the sheer numbers of roaming zombies. George Romero also effectively employed this same technique in the sequel Dawn of the Dead (1978). Unfortunately, the intensity from this technique is completely lost in Dawn of the Dead (2004) when Director Zack Snyder has the zombies running around like Olympic sprinters. While this style might have intensified the shock value, the audience has little time to experience the fear and absorb the horror.
The horror in this film, unlike most of the recent descendants, is less a matter of blood, gore, and special effects than a question of a slow active, seductive horror that realistically depicts scenes of murder, death, and cannibalism. While the black and white footage involving blood and gore is certainly effective, it may not be enough for today's horror fan. However, I think the photographic techniques of this film are innovative and powerful showing just enough of the sheer hideousness to disturb audiences, but not enough to allow them to emotionally detach from the film's protagonists as experienced in Dawn of the Dead (2004).
Many versions of this film have been released on DVD (including a reedited and bastardized version by Anchor Bay), but Elite's the new Millennium Edition DVD, released on December 03, 2002, is worth owning. This release is the best. It includes all the necessary people (notice that Russo, Streiner and Hinzman were included in this release despite their criminal butchery of this movie in the 30th Anniversary Edition) and presents the film as it is intended to be viewed.
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 | Movie Addict
Sep 23, 2007 11:21 AM
also wrote a review of Night of the Living Dead 
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RIP Karl Hardman (Unconfirmed)
I am getting reports that Karl Hardman passed away today. He was the egotistical, but loving father, Harry Cooper, in this classic film. Hardman was also a producer, make-up artist and ran the sound effects department on NOTLD. His performance was truly memorable and he will be greatly missed.
"That's my point! There's not going to be five, or even ten! There's going to be twenty, thirty, maybe a hundred of those things, and as soon as they find out we're here, this place will be crawling with them!"
- Harry Cooper NOTLD 1968 |
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