Today marks the 44th anniversary of the premiere
of the Zombie classic, Night of the Living Dead.
The film was directed by George A. Romero and stared Duane Jones,
Judith Dea,
and Karl Hardman.
This film was created on a mere $114,000 budget and to date
has earned $12 million domestically and $18 million internationally. Initially the film received negative reviews
from the critics; New York Times
critics labeled the film as a “junk movie” as well as “spare, uncluttered but really silly.” .
Likewise, Variety
called the film an “unrelieved orgy or sadism”. Roger Ebert
spoke out against the theater owners and parents who permitted children to see
the film due to its lack of a MPAA Film Rating
which it was not given until November 1968. According to Ebert the film
affected the audience instantly:
“The kids in the audience
were stunned. There was almost complete silence. The movie had stopped being
delightfully scary about halfway through, and had become unexpectedly
terrifying. There was a little girl across the aisle from me, maybe nine years
old, who was sitting very still in her seat and crying... It's hard to remember
what sort of effect this movie might have had on you when you were six or
seven. But try to remember. At that age, kids take the events on the screen
seriously, and they identify fiercely with the hero. When the hero is killed,
that's not an unhappy ending but a tragic one: Nobody got out alive. It's just over, that's
all.”
Despite the vast negative
responses the film received it has been selected by the Library of Congress
for the conservation in the National Film Registry
as a film judged, “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant.” Also more than 40 years after its premiere,
the film holds a status as a classic and has been named on numerous lists as
being one of the best films of all time.
Although the film has been the forerunner of the Zombie
genre and spawned a new age of Horror films it was also ahead of the times by
being the first Horror film to star an African American in a leading role. Duane Jones
went on to be the executive director of the Black Theater Alliance, a
federation of theater companies, from 1976 to 1981.
To draft a homage review celebrating the release of The
Night of the Living Dead would be lacking if I did not touch on the brilliance
and notable talent of its director, George A. Romero. Although the Living Dead was not the first
Zombie movie (White Zombie
being released in 1932), Romero is known most commonly as the “Godfather of all
Zombies.” On October 27, 2009, Romero
was given the Mastermind Award at Spike TV’s Scream 2009 award ceremony.
Quentin Tarantino presented the award and stated in his speech that “A” in
George A. Romero stood for “A fucking genius.”
The film was the heart of five subsequent Living Dead Series
films (1978 – 2010) that were also directed by Romero and has sparked two
remakes (1990, 2006). Each of the six films traces the evolution of the living
dead epidemic in the United States and humanity’s desperate attempts to cope
with it.
Now 44 years after the release of this film it is hard to
deny the effects it has had on the Horror film industry as well as the public
who enjoys (or dislikes) the Horror genre. Romero’s Living Dead can be seen as
the influence for many modern films even if they are not Zombie based. Romero’s
Living Dead was groundbreaking on such a remarkable level that it not only
opened the door for the future of film making it also crossed the Color barrier
that had been so evident in films prior to its release. For the first time we were shown a strong
African American character that attempts to lead a small group of survivors
against a herd of the moaning, flesh devouring Undead. The images displayed within the film brought
a new terror to the front door of every American home and the terror it left on
the minds of its viewers still lingers today.
As I am personally a fanatic of the Horror genre and more
than enjoy the Zombie legacy, I am proud to research this film and attempt to
keep its name on the tip of movie goer’s tongues. I can remember watching this film at a very
young age and feeling the excitement of story and dreading the hour at which I would
be tucked into bed and left alone in my room unable to sleep due to my newly
found fear of the Undead. Understandably
there are many people who do not remember their first Living Dead experience as
fondly as me. Yet I equate the excitement and anticipation caused by this film
to the feeling others may experience while awaiting their chance to ride a
large intimidating roller coaster or sky diving. It’s that inherent full bodied
reaction to the “thrill” of what you know is about to happen.
For any Horror Junkie or Zombie fan this film is the
granddaddy of their devotion. If anyone reading this review has not had the
Living Dead experience and enjoys the darker, fleshier side of Horror, I cannot
urge you enough to devote an hour or so to this film. If the black and white
feel of the film is not normally your forte I can assure you that to truly appreciate
the talents of Romero’s directing you will need to witness the terror this film
is able to deliver despite the color of blood and rotting flesh being removed
from the visual aspects. Romero reminds the viewer that the human imagination
is capable of causing more fear than anything a film maker can show us.
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