Review of Night of the Living Dead (1968) by Anders H — 29 Oct 2010

â~Their coming to get you Barbaraâ(TM). That actually might be the best line ever said in a horror film. To coincide with the fact that Halloween is upon us, I am going to review three of my favourite horror films that I have seen. I did Switchblade Romance and A Nightmare on Elm Street but those were not positive reviews, but these will. The first of my three favourite horror films I will do is George A Romeroâ(TM)s Zombie classic â~Night if the Living Deadâ(TM).

This is the film that started the zombie horror genre and made George A Romero a household name. The zombie genre wasnâ(TM)t an original idea and it had been done before in other films like I Walked with a Zombie and also White Zombie but Romero just took it to a whole new level. This small independent feature is such a masterpiece and it is really the quintessential horror film all people should have in their collection. Theres so much that makes this film really good. It has great characters, great scenes that freak you out, great social commentary and well done and thought out camera work. For its time when it was released in 1968, it really spoke out what the times were like. People were at war with other countries and themselves, there was hate in the air and people were paranoid. 1968 was a really dark time for America. Segregation and discrimination against African Americans was at a high and there was a lot of prejudice. This is one of the themes that are seen throughout the film.

The film has a pretty average plot and while watching it, it feels like a B-Movie with the black and white cinematography and the music but its so much more than that. The movie starts off with a brother and a sister going to a cemetery near Pittsburgh to put flowers on the grave of their father. A zombie then attacks them and it gives chase to Barbara who finds shelter at a farmhouse along with other survivors. One of them is Ben played by Black actor Duane Jones who takes charge of the group. Most of the action happens inside the farmhouse and they argue about what should they do. Ben mainly argues with another survivor Harry Cooper who is with his wife Karen and daughter who was bitten by one of the zombies off screen. They argue about whether they should go into the cellar or if they should stay up on the first floor where they can defend themselves. Ben feels they should be up on the first floor.

The film is interesting because the main focus about the film is not the zombies but the people inside the farmhouse. The zombies in the early Romero zombie films were always as secondary characters. The people inside are the main interest of the film and we are interested by how they deal with the dead rising and how they deal with each other. The film captures that blind prejudice and hate that people were infected with in the sixties. This is what makes the film very powerful and realistic. They are many striking elements of the film such as Duane Jones who is the hero of the film. It was very rare of that time to have a strong African American lead. It was criticised for it and I think nowadays it makes the film powerful and relevant to our times. The character of Ben wasnâ(TM)t described as a black man in the script but when Duane Jones became part of project, thatâ(TM)s when the film became a satire on class conflict.

The film does have its fair share of scary moments. Nothing that makes you jump out of your seat but makes you feel at unease and disturbs you. The claustrophobia adds to the fear and the fact there is nowhere to run, as there are a lot of dead people. There are some images that are very horrible for that time like half naked people walking around with mouldy faces, people eating flesh and what not. One particular scene that I find the creepiest is the scene where the now zombielike daughter attacks her mother and father. It just shows that these zombies have lost all humanity and the arenâ(TM)t you friends or you family or your neighbours they are these killing machines that will eat you and donâ(TM)t care who you are and thatâ(TM)s pretty fucking scary.

This was a groundbreaking film and along with Easy Rider released that year brought independent films to a whole new level and changed movies. They showed what America was at that time and thatâ(TM)s what makes them great. This is my first review of my 3 favourite horror films. One more will be produced this evening and the last will come out tomorrow. Take care and beware what lies in the dark. You donâ(TM)t know what it is but it will get you. Bye.

P.S. I may review the other Romero zombie films. So keep an eye out for them.