What better way to start off the 31 Days of Horror than by beginning with a classic. Night of the Living Dead makes this list for so many reasons and if you have to ask yourself why then I think the question really should be why do you call yourself a fan of the genre if you do not like this film?
Yes, this review will contain spoilers but I am assuming that if you are a lover of the genre then you have seen this movie. If you are over the age of twelve and for some unknown reason have never seen this flick you need to rectify this situation immediately and run to the video store to rent it. For that matter, even if you have seen this movie you need to watch it again. Go. Go now.
I don’t remember when I first saw this movie. I know I was young. And there are personal reasons for loving this movie because as a child my family would often drive past the cemetery on the way to my Grandmother’s house.
Written by George A. Romero and John A. Russo and directed by George A. Romero, this independent movie set the bar high on creature features and the living dead. From the beginning when Barbra’s brother Johnny taunts her with his creepy intonation “They’re coming to get you Barbra” you know you are in for the ride of your life.
Shortly after his taunts, Barbra and Johnny are attacked by a strange man and Barbra flees in terror as her brother is struck down. She finds a nearby house to run to for help and soon realizes she is all alone as she comes across the body of the owner of said home. The fun doesn’t stop there and soon the house is surrounded by more of the strange figures and night is falling rapidly. When a man named Ben arrives at the house, Barbra slips into shock and becomes nearly catatonic herself as Ben hastily tries to reinforce the doors and windows to save them from the crowd that is slowly growing outside.
I will admit it. I have a soft spot for black and white movies. I absolutely abhor the notion of colorizing classics and when someone tells me they won’t watch a movie simply because it was filmed in b&w…well let’s just say I don’t hold a high level of respect for their taste in films. (You can imagine my disgust in the remake of Psycho in 1998 simply to provide a version in color…but I digress)
Horror movies and thrillers filmed in b&w add a new level to the creepy scale. Maybe it’s because the movies in b&w give the impression of twilight, when the disappearing daylight washes the color from the earth and you are left with neutral shades and thicker shadows. Add to this the setting of a cemetery and figures that seemingly appear out of nowhere and you have Night of the Living Dead.
Perhaps one of my favorite scenes in the film is near the end when Karen runs to the basement to find her daughter consuming the flesh of her husband who is lying on the cellar floor dead. As she reels in horror from her undead daughter she falls to the ground in disbelief. It is the sound of the trowel the daughter uses to repeatedly stab her mother that haunted me for years.
Romero takes us on a ride from one absurd venture to the next as the small band of humans try to survive the night. Our hero, Ben, overcomes many obstacles and somehow makes it through the night unscathed. The irony comes when Ben hears voices in the morning and emerges from the cellar to determine if they are from friend or foe. His would-be-rescuers mistake him for a zombie and shoot him dead before he can cry out for help.
Though it took decades for this movie to become a financial success, it finally achieved cult status and remains a landmark in the horror film industry spawning several sequels and remakes.
I hope you agree with me that this is one movie worthy of my 31 Days of Horror. Tune in tomorrow as I share with you another must-see-for-Halloween horror flick.
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