Director: George A. Romero
Written by: John A. Russo, George A. Romero
Cast: Duane Jones, Judith O’Dea, Karl Hardman, Marilyn Eastman

Year / Country: 1968, USA
Running Time: 96 mins.

Director George A. Romero, who would dedicate most of his film career to making zombie movies, lays much of the groundwork right here. His feature debut would become an example of how to make a low budget horror movie; unknown actors, one central location and elements of social satire that appeal to the more intellectual viewer.

John and Barbra are visiting a graveyard where their father is buried, when John notices a strange phenomenon in the sky. Soon after they are attacked by a living dead man. Barbra manages to flee to a seemingly deserted farmhouse, leaving the annoying John behind as a zombie snack. In the farmhouse, Barbra soon gets company from both the living and the dead.

A possible explanation for the catastrophe is radiation that was released as a result from a NASA operation whereby a satellite was blown into bits. Romero’s message comes to the surface: not only are humans the cause of the major crisis, they are unable to deal with it once it’s there.

What works so well about this concept is the notion of crisis that erupts once the zombies are there. Their insatiable lust for human flesh and their large numbers make them a major threat. However, they are not nearly as scary as humans can be; narrow-minded, cruel and incapable of collaboration. A crisis of this scope would undoubtedly destroy us all.

There are many other elements that Romero would repeat and elaborate on in the zombie sequels that would follow. These include a lot of infighting among the ethnically mixed group of survivors, many panicky TV- and radio broadcasts, and quite a lot of graphic violence. Certainly considering the time in which this film was released.

Then there is the unexpected twist at the end that contributes to Night of the Living Dead’s status as a groundbreaking classic. The only thing I found lacking was the humour that its sequels contained. However this is still a film that is as tense as it is relevant. Maybe even more so in present times than back in 68’.

Rating:

Biography: George A. Romero (1940, New York), who lived in Pittsburgh, made his feature debut with Night of the Living Dead. It was a low budget zombie movie that was both groundbreaking and shocking in its time. Quickly, it became a major horror classic. He then directed some smaller, personal films in which he often combined horror and social commentary. In 1978 he topped the success of Night of the Living Dead with his brilliant follow-up Dawn of the Dead. In the eighties his career stagnated a bit when he created the third part in his zombie series Day of the Dead. It was a failure both commercially and critically. It is more appreciated nowadays. In a recent feature by Empire – The 25 Best Zombie Movies Of All Time – it is ranked second only after Dawn of the Dead. In 2005 Romero made a small comeback with Land of the Dead. He died in 2017.

Filmography (a selection): Night of the Living Dead (1968) / There’s Always Vanilla (1971) / Season of the Witch (1972) / The Winners (1973, TV episodes) / The Crazies (1973) / O.J. Simpson: Juice on the Loose (1974, TV doc) / Martin (1977) / Dawn of the Dead (1978) / Knightriders (1981) / Creepshow (1982) / Day of the Dead (1985) / Monkey Shines (1988) / Two Evil Eyes (1990) [with Dario Argento] / The Dark Half (1993) / Bruiser (2000) / Land of the Dead (2005) / Diary of the Dead (2007) / Survival of the Dead (2009)