2004 Great Lakes Film Festival

Night Of The Living Dead

The landmark shocker about a group of people trapped in an isolated farmhouse under siege by hordes of the recently deceased, returned to "life" as flesh-eating ghouls. Gruesome and groundbreaking, director/co-writer George Romero's cult classic stars Duane Jones, Judith O'Dea, Karl Hardman. 96 min.
This is the motherlode of the modern zombie movie. Shot on a shoestring budget near Pittsburgh, PA, George Romero and his group of friends from his advertising company cobbled together a landmark film in the history of the Horror genre. (Think 'Blair Witch, 1964')

Assuming that most of you have had at least a peek at this gem; if not, you're missing the 'Citizen Kane' of the dead-folk films. Run out and get yourself a copy.
The plot needs no explanation - Guess who's coming to dinner; guess what they're eating for dinner. This was the first film to present 'the living dead' as predatory flesh-eaters, a concept that revolutionized the moribund monster film genre. Over the years the film has taken on near mythic proportions in the eyes of its legions of fans; to really enjoy the film, however, you need to throw away the high-flown concepts. They did the best with what they had, and that's enough to be proud of.

The film was made in black and white, and was, according to Romero, a very conscious decision. Not to make a statement. Because they already had a few scenes in the can on black-and-white stock, and didn't want to waste it. Barbara only crashed her car in the film because one of the actor's mothers - who owned the car - had an accident between filming scenes, and they needed to cover the continuity error. Duane Jones was chosen for the lead role not to make any point about racial relations; he was simply the very best actor that the filmmakers auditioned.

Of special note, in the opion of some, this is the early Superman of zombies, Bill Hinzman. He's the first zombie you'll meet in the film, and the last one you'll ever see with a really gung-ho attitude. He grapples well, trots at a brisk pace, is fast to pick up on the use of tools to solve complex problems, and really stays focused on the task at hand. Good manual dexterity, impressive coordination. I'd draft him for my army of darkness any day. Oddly, he all but disappears after the first ten minutes or so and is replaced by those slacker dullards we're all so much more familiar with. A good thing, too: a quartet of motivated Hinzman would have torched the house and been partying with a brace of barbecued ribs around 7:30 on the evening of the Night of the Living Dead. Of course, now he's comparatively sluggish, compared to his marathon Millenial cousins.

Annotation for Night of the Living Dead

Theatrical release: October 1, 1968.
Filmed in 1964 in the countryside around Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD was added to the Library of Congress National Film Registry in 1999.

NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD was director George Romero's first feature film.

NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD produced two sequels, DAWN OF THE DEAD (1978) and DAY OF THE DEAD (1985); one remake, NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1990); and countless imitations.

NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD was added to the Library of Congress National Film Registry in 1999.

NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD was director George Romero's first feature film.

NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD produced two sequels, DAWN OF THE DEAD (1978) and DAY OF THE DEAD (1985); one remake, NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1990); and countless imitations.

William Hinzman, who appeared as the Cemetery Zombie at the beginning of NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, also served as cinematographer on Romero's THE CRAZIES.

The film was made for $114,000.

Review for Night of the Living Dead DVD
--"...Second only to PSYCHO among influential horror films..." -- Rating: A+ - Entertainment Weekly 11/25/1994

Review for Night of the Living Dead DVD
--"...The best thing is that NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD isn't over-composed -- it just hurtles ahead with all its gruesomeness..." - Los Angeles Times 03/15/1991

Review for Night of the Living Dead DVD
--"Minted in chilling black and white, George A. Romero's indie classic manages to be scary as hell, funny, and political all at once..." - Premiere 12/01/2003