Night of the Living Dead (1968)

Night of the Living Dead is without a doubt a fantastically innovative film; creating the modern day interpretation of a zombie and forever changing the genre as we know it. There is a lot to like about this film, but unfortunately the limitations of its time hold it back, resulting in a somewhat boring viewing experience.

For starters, the story was pretty good. I really enjoyed how the plot focused on a single group of survivors and their thought process as they attempt to deal with the horror and panic of the dead reanimating. There was a tremendous amount of lore delivered via telecommunication broadcasts that I thought added to the movie perfectly.

The performances were uneven, some were quite stellar, particularly Duane Jones and Karl Hardman. But Judith O’Dea was quite bad. I’m not sure if it was her performance or the way her character was written but it was just bizarre to see her body language and gestures throughout the film. The beginning chase scene with her was fantastic, with some stellar cinematography. But after that, the way she portrayed shock was laughable.

The action in this movie was bad, with punches being all too slow and clunky. I would imagine this movie was quite scary for the time, but with modern day horror constantly elevating, I hardly found myself unnerved. Overall, this movie is Time Capsule for horror and the genre has taken so much from this film throughout the years, but unfortunately it’s legacy far outweighs the entertainment the film brings.

Score: 54% |
Verdict: Average

**The film that practically founded the zombie subgenre.**

As I've said on other occasions, I'm not a fan at all of films about zombies and similar creatures. It's a type of horror cinema with a strong graphic appeal that doesn't really captivate me. However, I confess that I liked this film. It is much more moderate in its approach to these types of monsters, and effective in building tension and suspense. It's not scary (I believe it was very scary at the time, but these are different times), but it's entertaining.

The story told doesn't give us much explanation: we see two brothers who visit a grave in an isolated cemetery and, upon returning to the car, they are chased by what looks like a very disturbed man. It's obviously a zombie, and we know it, but the characters don't know and are extremely confused by what happens next: a growing group of zombies attacks them and forces them to seek shelter in a nearby house, where shortly afterwards they realize that they are not alone and, thanks to radio and television, that the problem is not just there, but it's national.

George Romero was very intelligent in the way he conceived and wrote the film, which is an entirely independent production and the result of the ingeniously of everyone involved. It is an innovative work, it was one of the first films to bring zombies to the horror universe and the influence of “Carnival of Souls” is very clear in the cinematography, in the way the sound and soundtrack were worked on. The short budget forced the production to be very pragmatic and efficient, to do a lot with little and prioritize credibility and authenticity. I would like to highlight some effective effects such as the flesh eaten by zombies, fake blood and Molotov cocktails. The design of the sets and choice of filming locations is also to be congratulated.

The cast has a few points in its favor, but it is essentially amateur and only tries to do what has to be done. Despite being a minor issue and not usually subjected to reflection, it seems significant to me to highlight the choice of a black actor for the main role. Duane Jones, in the film of his life, does a very well done job, with great commitment and that fulfills everything necessary. Karl Hardman is just annoying and the two actresses, Judith O’Dea and Marilyn Eastman, don’t really add anything positive to the film, simply appearing helpless the whole time.

"Barbra" (Judith O'Dea) and her brother are laying some flowers at a cemetery when they espy a man wandering around aimlessly. He suggests it's really a zombie and boy how right he is. She manages to flee to their car but, oh, only if she could have just steered the thing - we might not have had a film! She hits a tree, though, and now dazed and suffering from shock has to take shelter in a nearby house where she gets an hint of what's marauding around outside. Luckily, "Ben" (Duane Jones) also finds the house and with a few emerging from the safety of it's cellar, they proceed to fortify the place as best they can and sit it out. It's soon clear from the television and radio reports that this is an epidemic and that those critters are resurrecting themselves and eating their victims. "Tom" (Keith Wayne) and girlfriend "Judy" (Judith Ridley) decide their best hope is to get the truck parked outside gassed up so they can all escape to the nearest town - but will that work? This film is almost as old as I am, and I am afraid to say it hasn't really aged an whole lot better. Much of the sense of peril comes from the frantic dialogue at the start and the scary elements are now more comical than menacing - especially towards the end. The regular use of the television reportage is useful at first but then seems more designed to pad out this thin story for a ninety minutes that I felt looked more like a TV movie that was just too contrived. It was good to see it on a big screen, but I really don't think I'd bother to watch it again.