Review #507: 'Night of the Living Dead' (1968)

It's difficult to imagine a pre-zombie world nowadays, given that film, TV and computer games are now littered with the walking dead. The term 'zombie' had been coined many times before, possibly earlier than 1932's White Zombie, but was a label given to creatures and humans under voodoo spells in many different incarnations. In 1968, writers John Russo and George A. Romero took the term and applied it to the walking dead - brainless creatures who existed for nothing other than human flesh; a shuffling army that would stop only if their brain was destroyed, or their head removed from their body. The film was Night of the Living Dead, and although it was ridiculously criticised for its gory content (which was very extreme for its day), changed the face of horror forever, and would influence movies right up to the modern day.

The now-familiar story begins with siblings Barbra (Judith O'Dea) and Johnny (Russell Streiner) visiting the grave of their father. With Johnny teasing Barbra about monsters and ghoulies, a man attacks Johnny, causing him to hit his head on a gravestone while Barbra flees to a nearby house. Traumatised by what she has just witnessed, Barbra is joined at the house by Ben (Duane Jones), who quickly starts boarding up the house to halt the encroaching zombies. They watch the news reports on the television about this strange attack, while married couple Harry (Karl Hardman) and Helen (Marilyn Eastman) emerge from the cellar, claiming their daughter has been attacked and is lying unconscious. With the outside fires set by Ben only delaying the zombie onslaught, they must hatch a plan to escape.

It was alarming watching this film again after a number of years, after devouring many horror films in the past ten years or so. Living Dead's basic concept and plot devices have been used time and time again throughout the decades, and is a massive testament to the legacy of the film. It plays out like a guidebook on how to make a zombie film - the retreat, the do-good male lead, the annoying guy with a shirt and tie, the make-or-break run for the escape vehicle, the overwhelming final attack - are now so familiar. Yet after seeing this basic plot played out hundreds of times, Night of the Living Dead still seems fresh and ground-breaking, never coming across as clichéd or a tired idea.

Of course, most horror films lack the social bite or political commentary of Romero's zombie series. While its 'sequel' Dawn of the Dead (1978) used its shopping mall setting as an attack of America's consumerist obsession, Night uses its informative news reports as a damning indictment of the U.S.A.'s gun-ho attitude and ultra-violent tendencies towards infiltration, possibly a reaction to the country's ridiculous response to the emergence of communism. And although Romero's claims that Duane Jones was cast solely on his audition, rather than the fact that he was black, the now-legendary final scenes prove to be either a massive bit of luck, or a pre-meditated stroke of genius from the writer's as a metaphor for the racial tension that was so prevalent in 1960's America.

All that aside, this is simply great horror. Though (in my opinion) Romero's follow-up Dawn of the Dead is a better film, Night of the Living Dead is where it all began. It's grainy, hand-held, black-and-white cinematography not only adds a low-budget dirty quality to the film, but also proves what greatness can be done with an original idea, a lot of heart, and a heap of innovation, regardless of what your budget may be. Obviously, it's not scary anymore, and the gore levels are incredibly tame by today's standards, but the tension and claustrophobic atmosphere is still as effective as I would imagine it was back in 1968. And the final moments of pessimism that the film leaves you with does nothing but ensure the film is engraved into your memory. Romero may have lost in touch with his modern zombie films, but this is a staunch reminder of the horror auteur's genius.


Directed by: George A. Romero
Starring: Duane Jones, Judith O'Dea, Karl Hardman, Marilyn Eastman
Country: USA

Rating: *****

Tom Gillespie