Romero embarked upon his career in the film industry while attending Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. The eerie musical piece during the tense scene in the film where Ben finds the rifle in the closet inside the farmhouse as the radio reports of mayhem play in the background, can be heard in longer and more complete form during the opening credits and the beginning of The Devil's Messenger (1961) starring Lon Chaney, Jr. Another piece, accompanying Barbra's flight from the cemetery zombie, was taken from the score for The Hideous Sun Demon (1959). The story follows seven people who are trapped in a rural farmhouse in western Pennsylvania, which is under assault by an enlarging group of cannibalistic, undead ghouls. Night of the Living Dead. It is this sight that allows her to realize their vulnerability. [97] Technology critic Gary W. Tooze wrote that "The colorization is damn impressive", but noticed the print used was not as sharp as other releases of the film. [34], The small budget dictated much of the production process. She spends the majority of the film either panicking to the detriment of those around her or catatonic. Karl Hardman attributed the edits to lead actor Duane Jones: The script had been written with the character Ben as a rather simple truck driver. Subscribe to our e-mail newsletter and be the first to know whenever we publish a new article! [62][63][64] In 2008, the film was ranked by Empire magazine No. There's a radio in the truck. By Katie Shultz Sep. 06, 2017 Although the film was his directorial debut, Romero utilized many of the guerrilla filmmaking techniques he had honed in his commercial and industrial work to complete the film on a budget of US$114,000. Almost from the moment she steps inside the house, Barbra’s presentation of her strength begins to alter. • Duane Jonesas Ben. Hardman's daughter in real life, the 11-year-old daughter Schon also portrayed the mangled corpse on the house's upstairs floor that Ben drags away. Heffernan, Kevin. This fight scene crystallizes our understanding of Barbra as able, which is vital in appreciating her later transformation. We would go over what basically had to be done, then just did it the way we each felt it should be done". It's hard to remember what sort of effect this movie might have had on you when you were six or seven. As a horror film shot in the 1960s, the film’s inclusion of a Black protagonist was groundbreaking. [65] The New York Times also placed the film on their Best 1000 Movies Ever list. As I recall, I shot over 1,250 pictures during the production". Barbara From Night of the Living Dead What to wear: A short red wig and a lacy white tank top under a denim jacket, with dark cargo pants and a rifle slung over your shoulder. Following its theatrical premiere in Pittsburgh on October 1, 1968, Night of the Living Dead eventually grossed US$12 million domestically and US$18 million internationally, earning more than 250 times its budget and making it one of the most profitable film productions ever made at the time. The initial budget was $6,000[21] with the ten members of the production company, investing $600 each for a share of the profits. The additions are neither clearly identified nor even listed. It is Barbra’s monstrosity staring at us unblinkingly. Between the two, there is ”recognition of their status as potent threats to a vulnerable male power.” In this case, the monster is unable to have such recognition as zombies are by their nature devoid of reasoning. [88], The film received a VHS release in 1993 through Tempe Video. [89] In 2002, Elite Entertainment released a special edition DVD featuring the original cut. Judith Ridley as Judy. [52], The opening title music with the car on the road had been used in a 1961 episode of the TV series Ben Casey entitled "I Remember a Lemon Tree" and is also featured in an episode of Naked City entitled "Bullets Cost Too Much". [121] The film tracks a six-year period leading up to the story told by his father. Frequently identified as the first modern zombie film and a touchstone in the development of the horror genre, retrospective scholarly analysis has focused on its reflection of the social and cultural upheavals in the United States during the 1960s, with particular attention being directed towards the casting of Jones, an African-American, in the leading role. [84] The original film is available to view or download for free on various websites, such as the Internet Archive and YouTube. We then took those selections and augmented them electronically". Johnny then kept chanting "They're coming to get you, Barbara. [124], On September 15, 2009, it was announced that Simon West was producing a 3D animated retelling of the original movie, originally titled Night of the Living Dead: Origins 3D and later re-titled Night of the Living Dead: Darkest Dawn. [58] Critic Rex Reed wrote, "If you want to see what turns a B movie into a classic ... don't miss Night of the Living Dead. He took the helm of the sequels as well as Season of the Witch (1972), The Crazies (1973), Martin (1978), Creepshow (1982) and The Dark Half (1993). [53] Night of the Living Dead grossed $30 million internationally, and the Wall Street Journal reported that it was the top-grossing film in Europe in 1969. Join them. Related: Night of the Living Dead: Why Cooper Was Right (And Ben Was Wrong) Trying to finally gain financially from his hit was the primary reason Romero decided to remake Night of the Living Dead in 1990, rewriting his own script and handing over the directorial reigns to his frequent collaborator Tom Savini. Film historian Barry Grant saw the new Barbra as a corrective on the part of Romero. Romero drew inspiration from Richard Matheson's I Am Legend (1954), a horror novel about a plague that ravages a futuristic Los Angeles. Tom aids Ben in securing the farmhouse while Harry angrily protests that it is unsafe before returning to the cellar, which he believes is safer. Told primarily through flashbacks to the events immediately following Night Of The Living Dead, Barbara's Zombie Chronicles tells of how Barbara escaped from the horde of flesh-eating ghouls at the farmhouse, and hooked up with a band of survivors that have fortified an elaborate compound. [5] Night of the Living Dead ushered in the splatter film subgenre. "[48], While some critics dismissed Romero's film because of the graphic scenes, writer R. H. W. Dillard claimed that the "open-eyed detailing" of taboo heightened the film's success. Hal Roach Studios released a colorized version in 1986 that featured ghouls with pale green skin. . . Image Ten eventually raised approximately $114,000 for the budget ($838,000 today). "[153] Romero confessed that the film was designed to reflect the tensions of the time: "It was 1968, man. At that age, kids take the events on the screen seriously, and they identify fiercely with the hero. The best that we could do was to place our cast in a remote spot and then bring the horror to be visited on them in that spot". After her first moment of violence in the graveyard, in which she breaks the societal edict that good girls don’t fight, she is stripped of her cardigan and her eyeglasses. As one film historian points out, horror prior to Romero's film had mostly involved rubber masks and costumes, cardboard sets, or mysterious figures lurking in the shadows. As such, while Barbra loses a great deal of the qualities that rendered her weak in the original film, the updated version does not completely escape gender stereotyping. She is killed when the zombies get inside the house. The act is at once personal and impersonal. Her first moment of unabashed looking occurs when she examines the zombie she first kills in the house before rolling him in the carpet. Response from Variety after the initial release reflects the outrage generated by Romero's film: "Until the Supreme Court establishes clear-cut guidelines for the pornography of violence, Night of the Living Dead will serve nicely as an outer-limit definition by example. We’ll be reviewing new horror film and TV as well as posting both sustained and briefer pieces that make the case for what’s interesting about current and classic horror. Duane L. Jones (April 11, 1937 – July 22, 1988) was an American actor and theatre director, best known for his leading role as Ben in the 1968 horror film Night of the Living Dead. A ragtag group of Pennsylvanians barricade themselves in an old farmhouse to remain safe from a horde of flesh-eating ghouls that are ravaging the East Coast of the United States. The film appealed to a large and diverse audience due to its sensational nature. Quotes . Becker, Matt. She flees and takes shelter in a farmhouse, but finds the woman who lived there dead and half-eaten. In Richard's book, in the original I Am Legend, that's what I thought that book was about. [56][57][58] The MPAA film rating system was not in place until November 1968, so even young children were able to purchase tickets. Directed by George A. Romero. Shop with confidence. [77], Some reviewers cited the film as groundbreaking. In 2008, recording group 400 Lonely Things released the album Tonight of the Living Dead, "an instrumental album composed entirely of ambient music and sound effects sampled from Romero's 1968 horror classic". The man suddenly grabs Barbara and Johnny rushes to save her. Having gained experience through directing television commercials and industrial films for their Pittsburgh-based production company The Latent Image, Romero and his friends Russo and Russell Streiner decided to fulfil their ambitions to make a feature film. [25] In a 1997 interview with the BBC's Forbidden Weekend, Romero explained that the script developed into a three-part short story. Several people barricade themselves inside a rural house in an attempt to survive the night. [34] Asked in 2013 if he took inspiration from the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. that same year, Romero responded in the negative, noting that he only heard about the shooting when he was on his way to find distribution for the finished film. [54], Night of the Living Dead premiered on October 1, 1968, at the Fulton Theater in Pittsburgh. Premiere Details", "Danielle Harris to Topline 'Night of the Living Dead: Origins, "Exclusive: First Look at Night of the Living Dead: Origins", "BD Horror News – Awesome First Look at 'Night of the Living Dead: Origins, "Exclusive: First Look at Tony Todd as Ben – Night of the Living Dead: Origins | Horror Movie, DVD, & Book Reviews, News, Interviews at Dread Central", "Director Talks Mimesis: Night of the Living Dead", "Apocalypse is Trending: 'Night of the Living Dead: Resurrection", "Night of the Living Dead getting another remake", "Shambling Forward – Night of the Living Dead: Rebirth nearing May 2015 wrap date", "Another Night of the Living Dead Remake in 2012", "George A. Romero thought Night of the Living Dead would be a 'one-off, "The Dead Zones: 'George A. Romero' at the American Museum of the Moving Image", The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, Dead On: The Life and Cinema of George A. Romero, Saturn Award for Best DVD or Blu-ray Special Edition Release, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, X-Men: Days of Future Past: The Rogue Cut, Return of the Living Dead: Rave to the Grave, Land of the Dead: Road to Fiddler's Green, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Night_of_the_Living_Dead&oldid=1010226102, United States National Film Registry films, Pages with non-numeric formatnum arguments, Short description is different from Wikidata, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Album articles lacking alt text for covers, Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2019, All articles containing potentially dated statements, Articles containing potentially dated statements from March 2019, Articles with unsourced statements from September 2020, Wikipedia articles with SUDOC identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WorldCat-VIAF identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, "Discovery of TV/Preparing to Escape/Tom & Judy", "Truck on Fire/Ben Attacks Harry/Leg of Leg*", "Helen's Death*/Dawn/Posse in the Fields/Ben Awakes". George A. Romero interview, quoted at "George A. Romero Bio", Special Features, sfn error: no target: CITEREFDillardWaller1988 (, "Librarian of Congress Names 25 More Films to National Film Registry", November 16, 1999, at. [127][128][129][130][131][132], Director Doug Schulze's 2011 film Mimesis: Night of the Living Dead relates the story of a group of horror film fans who become involved in a "real-life" version of the 1968 film.[133][134]. [100] According to Legend Films founder Barry Sandrew, Night of the Living Dead is the first entirely live action 2-D film to be converted to 3-D.[101], In 1999, co-writer John A. Russo released a modified version called Night of the Living Dead: 30th Anniversary Edition. The infected in I Am Legend become vampire-like creatures and prey on the uninfected. He suggests that the character was made stronger to rectify the depiction of female characters in the original film. He's wrong. Duane Jones was a very well educated man [and he] simply refused to do the role as it was written. She told an interviewer, "I don't know if there was an actual working script! [98] In 2009, Legend Films coproduced a colorized 3D version of the film with PassmoreLab, a company that converts 2-D film into 3-D format. During the visit, Johnny often teased Barbara about their childhood, in which Barbara was often subject to cruel scare-jokes. [20] Filming took place between June and December 1967 under the working title Night of Anubis and later Night of the Flesh Eaters. [40] Consumed flesh consisted of roasted ham and entrails donated by one of the actors, who also owned a chain of butcher shops. They pitched their idea for a then-untitled horror film. The voice cast includes Tony Todd as Ben, Danielle Harris as Barbra, Joseph Pilato as Harry Cooper, Alona Tal as Helen Cooper, Bill Moseley as Johnny, Tom Sizemore as Chief McClellan and newcomers Erin Braswell as Judy and Michael Diskint as Tom. He also came up with the idea that they would be "flesh-eaters". [147] The deaths of Ben, Barbra and the supporting cast offered audiences an uncomfortable, nihilistic glimpse unusual for the genre. Mondo’s New NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD Prints Are Coming To Get You, Barbara Or, y'know, just gonna hang out on your wall or whatever. Credit: Written by ... hundred years of death indicated in stones syllabic with their year and the status of the families they represent. At the suggestion of Bill Hinzman (the actor who played the zombie which first attacks Barbra in the graveyard and kills her brother Johnny at the beginning of the original film), composers Todd Goodman and Stephen Catanzarite composed an opera Night of the Living Dead based on the film. Although zombie cannibals were inspired by Matheson's I Am Legend, film historian Robin Wood sees the flesh-eating scenes of Night of the Living Dead as a late-1960s critique of American capitalism. [12], Although the film is regarded as one of the launching pads for the modern zombie movie, the screenplay itself never uses the word. Eastman supervised the special effects, wardrobe and makeup. Initially, makeup was limited to white skin with blackened eyes; but as filming progressed, mortician's wax was used to simulate wounds and decaying flesh. [61][c], Fifty years after its release, the film enjoys a reputation as a classic and still receives positive reviews, being regarded by many as one of the best films of 1968. According to WRS, "We chose a selection of music for each of the various scenes and then George made the final selections. The complete lack of humanity being portrayed leads Barbra to the realization that “They’re us. taking horror seriously so you don't have to, Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986) Review, Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984): Connecting Depravity with Childhood Trauma, Suburban Nightmare: Talking The Stepfather (1987), In the Earth: Ben Wheatley’s New Folk Horror, Viewer Participation and Decision Making in Would You Rather (2012). The film and its successors spawned countless imitators, in cinema, television and video gaming, which borrowed elements invented by Romero. I said if you're going to do something about revolution, you should start at the beginning. [30], Official film adaptations of Matheson's novel appeared in 1964 as The Last Man on Earth, in 1971 as The Omega Man, and the 2007 release I Am Legend. In [a] mere 90 minutes this horror film (pun intended) casts serious aspersions on the integrity and social responsibility of its Pittsburgh-based makers, distributor Walter Reade, the film industry as a whole and [exhibitors] who book [the picture], as well as raising doubts about the future of the regional cinema movement and about the moral health of film goers who cheerfully opt for this unrelieved orgy of sadism ..."[59], One commentator asserts that the film garnered little attention from critics, "except to provoke argument about censoring its grisly scenes". There is no display of sexuality in this scene, indeed it is shot in close-up de-emphasizing their bodies, and it plays as a moment of exchange between equals. The Horror Fiction and Dark Illustration of Jesse W. Campbell! Showing all 19 items Jump to: Photos (8) Quotes (11) Photos . "[29] Romero further explained: I thought I Am Legend was about revolution. Yet, in a telling scene occurring after she has shed her feminine appearance, Barbra stands on the porch and gazes at the zombies in concert with Ben as they debate the best plan for survival. Jancovich, Mark, Antonio Lazaro Reboll, Julian Stringer, and Andy Willis, eds. [37][38], The outdoor, indoor (downstairs) and basement scenes were filmed at a location northeast of Evans City, near a park. [66] In January 2010, Total Film included the film on its list of The 100 Greatest Movies of All Time. Night of the Living Dead (1968) Judith O'Dea: Barbra. Directed by George A. Romero", "To Save and Project: The 14th MoMA International Festival of Film Preservation", "George Romero's Son Announces 'Rise of the Living Dead, "Night of the Living Dead 3D: Re-Animation – New Stills and L.A. Columbia and American International Pictures declined after requests to soften it and re-shoot the final scene were rejected by producers. "[9], (All the samples of the track were composed by Geordie Hormel), (*electronic sound effects by Karl Hardman). When the hero is killed, that's not an unhappy ending but a tragic one: Nobody got out alive. Romero was ultimately granted a restraining order that forced Russo to cease his advertising campaign. With Duane Jones, Judith O'Dea, Karl Hardman, Marilyn Eastman. Despite raising funds for the film on Indiegogo in 2014, the film has yet to go into production as of May 2020. Yet, the ability to gaze and the ability to see are quickly defined for the audience as being two different beasts. [citation needed], Romero revolutionized the horror film genre with Night of the Living Dead; according to Almar Haflidason of the BBC, the film represented "a new dawn in horror film-making". His name virtually synonymous with the cinematic zombie, George A. Romero’s Dead series rewrote the rules of the undead monster. "A Point of Little Hope: Hippie Horror Films and the Politics of Ambivalence". Part one became Night of the Living Dead. [73] The zombies in the picture were also a candidate for AFI's AFI's 100 Years ... 100 Heroes & Villains, in the villains category, but failed to make the official list. [20] He and Streiner contacted Karl Hardman and Marilyn Eastman, president and vice president respectively of a Pittsburgh-based industrial film firm called Hardman Associates, Inc. And Karen, in the film, offers a particularly vivid opportunity to commit the forbidden deed vicariously. Unlike Savini's 1990 film, Broadstreet's project was not affiliated with Romero. Released shortly prior to the adoption of the Motion Picture Association of America rating system, the film attracted widespread controversy and negative reviews upon its initial release for its explicit violence and gore, but it soon garnered a cult following and acclaim among critics, and has appeared on lists of the greatest films ever made by such outlets as Empire, The New York Times and Total Film. Ben runs back to the house on his own, and has to break down the door when Harry does not let him back in. Although our updated heroine calls out to her brother for assistance, she does so while physically assaulting the zombie. In a certain sense he's wrong but on the other hand, you've got to respect him for taking that position. It subtly suggests to the viewer that Barbra’s tendency for action may be more useful long term than Ben’s inaction. The story begins as siblings Barbra (Judith O'Dea) and Johnny (Russell Streiner) drive to rural Pennsylvania to visit their father's grave. [75] The film also ranked No. [116], Starting in 2015, and working from the original camera negatives and audio track elements, a 4K digital restoration of Night of the Living Dead was undertaken by the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and The Film Foundation. [146] Slasher films of the 1970s and 80s such as John Carpenter's Halloween (1978), Sean S. Cunningham's Friday the 13th (1980), and Wes Craven's A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) "owe much to the original Night of the Living Dead", according to author Barry Keith Grant.