Hello everyone, I hope everyone is having a solid week so far. Whose ready for our next series of retrospectives? I been tossing around a few different ideas for a while now. But decided that it was time to start diving into the Romero films.
Thus Romero Reviews was born. But as nice as it was, I kept thinking that if I'm going to cover the originals - I might as well go all in. So, Night of the Living Reviews has been born. During the course of this series, I will be covering all of the Romero zombie films as well as the remakes and reboots. I'm sure there are still some that I won't be covering, but I'll try my best.
And so here we are to kick things off and do it right. Join me as I dive into Romero's original classic, Night of the Living Dead.
Night of the Living Dead was released in 1968. It was a film that was ahead of the curve. Over the years, it has continued to thrive as it's finds newer audiences. It's definitely one that is solidly a part of film history.
One of the interesting things is how it treats it's characters. Every one is equal and on the same standing as one another. Yeah, Harry is a total douche that cuts down Ben every chance he's get. But honestly that's something that is a part of every day. Romero knew exactly what he was doing. He wanted to turn the mirror back onto the audience. To help highlight the world we live in. And that's something that makes this film feel relatable so much.
Night was something that wasn't happening in the far future. This was something that was happening in the present and now. Of course, no one would have much in terms of weapons or whatnot. Who would think Oh yeah, it's the end of the world and now we have to defend ourselves against ourselves? That is another thing that just shows how powerful this film is.
If you haven't seen the film yet, Night of the Living Dead centers around a group of people defending themselves at a farm house against a horde of flesh eaters. At this point, they were referred to as ghouls or corpses. The word zombie wouldn't be established till much later. It's a very simple story. It's honestly so simple of a story that it has been remade or reimagined countless times. However, none of those attempts can ever capture what made the original so iconic and memorable. I mean the 1990 Savini helmed remake is honestly the best attempt as recreating the original.
The one thing that tended to strain on me is the character of Barbara. I get that it's a character that has been through a lot and is pretty traumatized. However for most of the film, she is locked into frightened terrified mode. It honestly felt a bit one note and shallow. We are not even given the time to know more about the character. I understand that there will be some that will consider that a hot take.
One of the biggest points of Night of the Living Dead is it's casting in Ben. This is Duane Jones one hundred percent. He delivers such a fantastic performance. Honestly if the character of Ben didn't work, this film wouldn't work. He is the heart of the film.
For me, this is my favorite of the Romero Dead saga. This was the first film I was introduced to. The opening of the film was included on a old VHS tape called Creepy Classics hosted by Vincent Price. That was a fantastic introduction for me to horror. It included other trailers and clips from other films. But the opening of Night of the Living Dead was the part I remembered so much. It's such an iconic beginning with Barbara and Johnny visiting their parent's grave. Lumbering in the background is that tall scraggly ghoul.
After that opening and Barbara making it to safety, I hadn't seen the rest of the film for the longest time. When I had seen it, it was only parts as I always turned it on when it was a way into the film. It wasn't till around 2007 or 2008 when Diary of the Dead released alongside a remaster of Night that I had seen the rest of the film. It definitely lived up to the expectation that I had.
This was Romero's first and for me, one of his best. This is a classic that has stood the test of time. It shows some gore to it, but nothing too over the top. By today's standards, it's a pretty tame film. But it's the message and characters that helped the film reach the success it has seen.
Come check back as I'll be looking at the Argento Cut of Dawn of the Dead.
Rating: 4.25 out of 5.
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