Night of The Living Dead-Review
George Romero’s classic zombie film, a pinnacle of the genre, initially looks nothing like a zombie film. Black and white, late 60s…it’s not ringing any bells. In fact, all throughout shooting and writing, the creatures we now call “zombies” were called “ghouls.” And yet, this film kicked off a whole genre, a whole sub group of fiction. The impact it had on art was akin, in some ways, to Star Wars. But you don’t hear as much about this movie now and before I saw it, I figured there was good reason for that. Maybe it was bound by it’s time or conventions. Maybe it just-
No. None of that’s true. This is a great, classic, riveting movie. I actully think it might be the best zombie film I’ve ever seen, though I’m not sure how much that’s really saying. This is a great movie though. It has all the pure fundamentals you love to see in a film and you can see where a bunch of zombie tropes emerged in their least derived form. This movie was a breath of fresh air then and it still is now. It’s very punchy, beautifully paced and very pure.
Two siblings, Barbara and Johnny go to visit their father’s grave in rural Pennsylvania. Then Johnny is attacked by a strange man in a suit who seems to be having some sort of episode. Barbara flees. And we’re off…
To a Pennsylvania farmhouse where Barbara is holed up with a new dude she just met named Ben. Ben, a younger black dude, is an awesome character. Respectable as hell, capable, smart and sensible. He’s not making the worst possible decisions, he’s calculating, and figuring out the safest, smartest way. He learns from his opponents quickly. Pretty much all the discoveries in how to best counter zombies are discovered by Ben in the first 20 minutes of the movie. We’re talking boards, fire, distance, guns. He’s a great protaganist you can get behind. Unlike in other ones of these films, he doesn’t feel like a dumb ass, but he also feels like a real person, with strengths and weaknesses.
This dude has major aura, which allows him to almost survive the movie. He’s also just making the everyman, common sense decisions. He understands the tactical advantages and disadvantages of his position. He also doesn’t take bullshit and barely tolerates Barbara’s bullshit. “Johnny is out there” she claims, as Zombie Johnny comes lumbering towards the door. The thing is, she’s technically correct.
It’s hard to describe how awesome this movie looks, especially in color. It’s got that signature camp horror 60s lighting, but it lends some charm, realism and intimidation to the zombies.They aren’t crazy over the top gory, but it makes sense because they just showed up. And in a way, this more stripped down, simpler approach makes it all the more terrifying. Because it’s farmers, businessmen, teachers, milk men, all dressed for work, bum rushing you. They’re clearly dead, as shown by the pale makeup. But they also look strangely alive. This is probably because they’re technically “ghouls” and play by less hard and fast rules than zombies (which they would retroactively become) and so were easier to bring to film. This is a 60s movie and it looks the part. The zombies being simpler and less complex allowed it to feel more real and immersive and even if that was a constraint of that era, I still think it contributed heavily to how great these zombies feel.
Things only get more complicated as it is revealed a family and young couple is hiding in the basement of the home Ben and Barbara are occupying. The father of the family, Harry, is afraid to go outside. His daughter Karen was bitten by one of the creatures. The young couple, Tom and Judy, are more willing to go outside, but still defer to Harry on many things. Couple this with Ben’s complete autonomy and handling of the situation and Barbara’s hysteria and it’s a recipe for unneeded human drama (the best kind in a zombie film) that will cause the house to crumble. It’s great and the use of this convention is much more subtle and drawn out than in later films of the same type.
The story itself, which I won’t spoil (not that it matters much) is really well paced and written. It gives you the perfect amount of exposition and leaves the perfect amount of mystery. There’s tension and drama here between our human characters that feels believable and fitting for the situation. The dialogue and acting work, the pacing works, the little pockets of talking between action and scheming, work. You may not love your characters, but you’ll care about their wellbeing.
The action and tension here is engaging too. It’s slower burning than later films like this, but that works, as you battle the fear of the unknown and general unease, followed by the very real threat of zombies, then, of course, the general horror and dread that the news of this happening nationwide would bring. The way this move takes it’s viewer through trauma is varied and it makes for a wild ride of emotions.
I think, after watching this film, that it’s simply one of the finer films ever made. It’s film history on screen. There are so many things I see in this movie that I see in horror movies today. So many tropes, plot elements, even design elements, that make this feel like whatever the opposite of a time capsule is. This was a movie of the future in a present that was not yet ready for it. And it’s a damn good one, with great setting, strong pacing and writing and a lead you can get behind. This is definitely a movie you should check out, horror fan or not. It’s iconic and even to this day, it delivers a thrill.
