Rish's Reviews
A handful of people board themselves into a Pennsylvania farmhouse as night falls. They bicker among themselves, arguing about the best way to proceed. Outside, more and more visitors arrive and surround the house. You see, the recently dead have begun coming back to life, and are shambling about, looking for the living...their new source of food!
I first saw Night of the Living Dead on late night television as a pre-teen. Though I found some of it phony and the middle section dull, I was amazed at the concept, the idea of ghouls, and the fact that it was so graphic for an old, black & white movie. I roped my friends into watching it with me when it next aired (or maybe they taped it and we watched their copy), and we became fans. Oh, we would groan at the acting ("You're ignorant!") and mock the "They're coming to get you, Barbara!" scene, but we quickly sought out its sequel and we'd talk endlessly about what we'd do if the dead returned to life. Heck, we were so naive we preferred the COLORIZED version! But there was no questioning the power of the film.
Of course, I'm more tolerant today, and I call Night of the Living Dead a classic. The acting seems fine, especially since these were just people, not actors. The film is crudely made and obviously cheap, but it's effective nonetheless. The zombies look remarkably like people who haven't had a lot of sleep, but it still works. The black and white, stark, cheap feeling is almost documentary-like, and that helps set the mood. The setting is so run-of-the-mill and ordinary, that it's impossible not to relate (at least hicks like me and my friends) and imagine yourself in the characters' shoes. The script, for the most part, is great because that's how people really talk--it doesn't sound written. The gore is shocking because we care about these characters. It was a bold move to have a black man as the sympathetic hero among all the flawed whites (Romero would repeat this a decade later in Dawn of the Dead), but they never call attention to it.
And the ending...? Well, it's sure a downer, ain't it? George Romero did some wonderful things in this little film, the effects of which are still felt in Horror. I love this movie.
Line To Remember: Reporter: Are they slow-moving, sheriff?
Cop: Well, they're dead. They're all messed up.
Best Scare: The truly disturbing spade scene. You know which one I mean.
I'd Recommend It To: Horror fans and independent filmmakers.
Note: Since we originally reviewed it, there has been a special 30th Anniversary Edition released, in which the film is altered and added to. I had heard some things--all bad--about it (apparently a lot of digital Stormtroopers appear, and the ending has been altered so that BEN shoots first), and finally ended up seeing it last night at a fiend's house. And it is BAD. There is an added opening and ending that are so terrible (badly written, badly acted, badly interwoven, and very badly conceived) that they detracted from the film as a whole. Worst of all, the worthless additions were glaring in announcing their 1990's origins, especially a hackneyed priest character who looked just like the bassist for a Nine Inch Nails cover band. This version is to be avoided at any cost.
Posted: July 17th, 2002

The tyranist's thoughts
This one is good simply because of what it spawned. The acting is pretty bad and the light is poorly done in more than one spot, but all in all it is a more than a little spooky. There are loads of plot inconsistencies that are due to the fact that Romero wanted to keep us in suspense, but the movie still works for the most part. The shocker ending almost made me cry.
What really probably makes this movie is Duane Jones performance as Ben. He is largely calm and in control but as the movie progresses, he gets edgier and edgier until everything crumbles around him. Having to finally resort to what Mr. Cooper wanted to do in the first place and then what happens in the end, really is the core of the story. Desperation that sinks deeper and deeper. I found him compelling where much of the rest of the movie wasn't. Judith O'Dea as Barbra particularly annoyed me.
Looking at what this spawned alone gives me a certain amount of respect for the movie, but really it deserves friendly eyes when viewed if just because there are a few great elements that must be seen.