Night Of The Living Dead (DVD)

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TITLE: Night of the Living Dead (1968 Version)

RATING: ****½

CAST: Duane Jones, Judith O'Dea, Karl Harman, Marilyn Eastman, Keith Wayne, Judith Ridley, Kyra Schon, Charles Craig, S. William Hinzman, George Kosana, Frank Doak, Bill "Chilly Billy"Cardille, A.C. McDonald, Samuel R. Solito, Mark Ricci, Lee Hartman, Russell Streiner, John A. Russo, Vincent D. Survinski, George A. Romero.

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...went out to dinner one night and I was left with my sister, and she really didn't care what I watched. It was 10 pm, and a film came on television called NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD. Despite the grainy black and white photography, the terrifying score drew me in, the opening, which featured a horrific white-haired guy terrorizing this blonde was bloodcurdling, and the story of people barricading themselves inside a farmhouse with a bunch of zombies ... more

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TITLE: Night of the Living Dead (1968 Version)

RATING: ****½

CAST: Duane Jones, Judith O'Dea, Karl Harman, Marilyn Eastman, Keith Wayne, Judith Ridley, Kyra Schon, Charles Craig, S. William Hinzman, George Kosana, Frank Doak, Bill "Chilly Billy"Cardille, A.C. McDonald, Samuel R. Solito, Mark Ricci, Lee Hartman, Russell Streiner, John A. Russo, Vincent D. Survinski, George A. Romero.

DIRECTOR: George A. Romero

STUDIO: Image Ten / Laurel Group / Market Square Productions

RUNNING TIME: 96 min.

RATED: Not Rated (US) and 18 (UK); contains scenes of violence and gore, and some shadowy scenes which have a nude female zombie.

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INTRODUCTION
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I can remember it vividly. I was only 10 years old, and I still had never seen a real horror film, and my parents were very adamant about me not watching any horror films. However, when my parents went out to dinner one night and I was left with my sister, and she really didn't care what I watched. It was 10 pm, and a film came on television called NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD. Despite the grainy black and white photography, the terrifying score drew me in, the opening, which featured a horrific white-haired guy terrorizing this blonde was bloodcurdling, and the story of people barricading themselves inside a farmhouse with a bunch of zombies surrounding them wanting to eat them was too much for me to bear. Watching the film with all the lights out and late at night was a mistake because I had nightmares for weeks afterward; however, it is a film-watching experience I will never forget. I'm sure many of you have similar experiences watching this genuinely frightening cult classic.

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A STORY OF AN EPIDEMIC OF MASS MURDER
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Yes, this is it, the original zombie film. Unlike the monster movies from the 1930s, which featured Dracula and Frankenstein, as well as the space invader films from the 1950s, NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD remains the basis for the modern day horror film. However, this is also an example of an independent film at its finest, made by filmmakers with an extremely low budget (only $100,000 to be exact), using friends and colleagues as the crew, and filmed in the town of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The creator of this film was none other than George A. Romero, who never wanted to be a Hollywood director, but make the films according to his own vision. NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD was his first feature length film, and while it was only shown in drive-ins in the late 1960s, it wasn't until the early 70s in which the film became much in demand.

The story begins only a lonely country road in Pennsylvania where Johnny and his sister Barbara are driving out to put a wreath on their father's grave. We soon learn that Johnny loves to tease her sister and scare her; when they notice a man walking in a bizarre way in the graveyard, Johnny starts saying that he is going to get Barbra, which not only embarrasses her, but also scares her. Soon enough, when Barbara walks by this man he grabs her and struggles with her. Johnny comes to her aid, but unfortunately gets knocked out by a gravestone when the unknown man pushes him. Needless to say, the man starts chasing Barbara. Terrified and alone, she takes refuge in an old farmhouse which appears to be empty; however, the man still lingers outside and she is shocked to notice that others with the same walk and blank expression are beginning to circle the house.

From there on out, the film becomes a chilling roller coaster ride; after Barbara discovers a dead body on the second floor, she runs outside and a man named Ben drives up in a truck and suggests they start boarding up the house. We soon discover that there is also a family and young couple hiding out in a basement; while Ben is determined to stay upstairs and fend off the ghouls every way they can, the father of the family is convinced they should all stay downstairs in the cellar. While the film may sound like a simple horror film, it actually is also a fascinating psychological study of the worst human natures; instead of joining together, each of the inhabitants in the farmhouse realize that their worst enemies are not the flesh-eating zombies, but actually each other!

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MEETING THE MASTER HIMSELF
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In the past few years, the zombie phenomenon has taken new directions; it mainly started with Danny Boyle's explosive 28 DAYS LATER, which later led to two RESIDENT EVIL films, a remake of DAWN OF THE DEAD, as well as the hilarious satire SHAUN OF THE DEAD. However, let's face facts: none of these films would exist if it weren't for George A. Romero, who co-wrote and directed NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD; in addition, there is something that has always distinguished Romero's films from all these remakes and offshoots, and that would the social commentaries he makes. While his sequel DAWN OF THE DEAD was brilliant and even better, NIGHT makes comments on racism and the downfall of civilization, while at the same time lacing his films with scenes of stomach-churning gore and violence.

It is true that NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD was way too strong to stomach for many people when originally released in 1968, though when looked at today its very tame when compared to films like FRIDAY THE 13TH and others of its ilk. However, like many other critics have said before, "it's essential power to chill remains undiminished despite scores of imitations." Romero co-wrote the script with John A. Russo and directs the film with a serious attitude, but also doesn't hesitate to put in many bits of black humor; you can hear them in many of the television and radio broadcasts. I especially loved how he worked with the countless individuals who played the zombies and instructed them to move and walk in each of their own, unique way. Some of the dialogue may cause some unintentional laughs, but otherwise Romero's and Russo's script has become a model for other future screenplays to follow; the banters and outbursts from Ben and Mr. Cooper still remain riveting.

Romero was only 27 years old when he made this film; this makes him one of the youngest directors (aside from Steven Spielberg, who made JAWS at 27 also) to make a film that has become a classic and create a whole legacy that resonates today. Not only does he direct and write most of his films, but he also edits them and does the cinematography. I was never more pleased and anxious when the Master returned this summer with LAND OF THE DEAD, the fourth film in his zombie series. With all the other movies about zombies being released, Romero has proved once again that he will always be the Master; the film will be released in the UK on August 2nd, so get ready everyone!!!

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PERFORMANCES THAT RUN HOT AND COLD
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Romero has said himself repeatedly that he doesn't care about acting and performance, but rather an idea in which he can develop into a vision. So, this more or less explains why many of the performances in the film leave a lot to be a desired, for those that really care; this is especially true of Judith O'Dea's portrayal of Barbara, who wasn't really an actress at all, but really a friend of the producers. She basically just remains motionless and screams a lot in the film; quite frankly, after awhile she becomes so annoying that you almost wish the zombies would have her for dinner already.

The strongest performance I think belongs to the late Duane Jones as Ben; this would mark the first time in history that an African-American played a hero in a horror film and also the first time that an African American was cast where the role didn't require it. I felt more sympathy for his character than the others, and he is really the only character that uses common sense throughout the whole film. Karl Hardman, who was one of the producers of NIGHT, played Mr. Cooper with doses of racist mentality and stupidity, and is overall quite good.

Unfortunately, none of the other performances are anything to shout about; the young couple doesn't have that much screen time, and the female hardly says a word at all. However, Marilyn Eastman has some strong moments as Mrs. Cooper, and the daughter Karen has a show-stopping climax, which is well remembered as well. Like I said before, this film is not about performance; that is why in most of Romero's films he casts unknowns, not real stars or professional actors.

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INSPIRATION AND INVENTION
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Recently, I read for a British Women Writers class, "Wide Sargasso Sea," which was written in 1966 by Jean Rhys and intended as a "prequel," to Jane Austen's "Jane Eyre; it was the story of the "first Mrs. Rochester," who was kept in the attic of Rochester Hall. The novel is set primarily in Dominica, where we meet the female protagonist as a Creole wife to Mrs. Rochester; the novel contains themes of religion and describes a zombie as a living person that appears dead through the use of voodoo. Of course, this made me think of the Romero films, though I doubt that Romero had even heard of the book; in fact, he doesn't even refer to the living dead in NIGHT as being zombies but merely flesh eating ghouls.

The primary inspiration for NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (and Romero has openly admitted to this) is a 1962 film called CARNIVAL OF SOULS. This was another film that was filmed on an extremely low budget by grass-roots filmmakers; like NIGHT, it has a grainy b&w look, a blonde star and ghouls with white faces that terrorize our heroine. In fact, Romero even pays homage to this fellow cult classic with his new LAND OF THE DEAD, which features a scene where zombies slowly emerge from the water. However, the story of SOULS is actually closer to THE SIXTH SENSE than NIGHT; plus, SOULS did not achieve the cult status of NIGHT until the late 1980s, where it was viewed repeatedly on late-night television.

However, Romero's vision remains wholly original, especially when he employs social satire to drive his ideas across as more than blood-and-guts horror. This man has set the standard for all zombie films to follow, employing the ideas of shooting the brain; in fact, this element had inspired the many video games, which deal with the undead, such as "Resident Evil," and "House of the Dead." Of course, Romero doesn't use zombies as merely target practice, particularly in this film; the idea in which he conjured up to make the dead rise was radiation coming from a satellite that exploded around Venus. Sounds ridiculous, but in actuality it comes to Earth in the form of a virus which can be transmitted by a simple bite of the flesh; so, the cause is science fiction but the spread is medically believable (if you buy into it, that is).

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LIKE THE ENERGIZER BUNNY, THE ZOMBIES KEEP GOING AND GOING
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I'm sure many of you are anticipating seeing LAND OF THE DEAD; I saw it myself only a few days ago and thought it was incredibly good, and even well acted. Things have certainly changed since 1968 in terms of the zombie film, but the Romero touch still makes his films superior than all the inferior clones which have spawned since the original NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD freaked out film-goers almost 40 years ago. I hope you all take the time to discover the one and only original NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, which defines the term "cult film" in every way---and remains as chilling, intense and insightful as ever.

The original, uncut, 1968 version has been released on DVD dozens of times by different companies and in different formants. I do not recommend to all you zombie completists on obtaining the 30th Anniversary Edition by Anchor Bay; they remove 15 minutes of footage and put in another 15 minutes of newly shot footage, which just ruins the experience for first-time viewers and is simply offensive for repeated viewings by NIGHT fans. That 30th anniversary edition was simply an excuse to invent special features, because all the original film elements were lost in a flood, which occurred in the basement which is used in the film.

There are two DVD versions in which I recommend for UK residents, which include one by Oracle Home Entertainment, which costs only 6 pounds (ASIN# B0000649HX) from www.amazon.co.uk; the other is a Special Collector's Edition by Elite Entertainment which have commentaries by Romero and other crew members, including some original trailors. The latter DVD is available for 6 pounds as well, and the ASIN at Amazon is B000007SI2. The 1990 remake of NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD is not bad; it's in color, with a tougher heroine, and is obviously more violent; that version is available for 5 pounds, and that ASIN is B00004YA8O. Thank you for reading, and I look forward to all your comments as usual. Cheers for now!! Chris xxx

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ZOMBIE QUOTES THAT DON'T INCLUDE MOANS
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1) "Look, I know you are afraid. I'm afraid too. But we have to start working to board up the house together; now I'm going to board up the windows and the doors, we will be alright until someone comes to rescue us." --- Duane Jones

2) "At this hour, these are the facts as we now know: there is an epidemic of mass murder being committed by a virtual army of unidentified assassins. It seems to be a general explosion of mass homicide." --- Radio Announcer

3) "We received this latest bulletin from our news room: it seems that the killers are eating the flesh of the people they murder!" --- Radio Announcer

4) "It sounded like the place was being ripped apart; how the hell did we know what was going on?" --- Karl Hardman "Now wait a minute, you just said you couldn't hear anything from down there and now you say the place sounded like it was being ripped apart. It would be nice if you got your story straight, man!" --- Duane Jones

5) "We lock into a safe place, and you tell us that we have to risk our lives just because someone might need help!" --- Karl Hardman

6) "You box yourself up in that damn cellar and your had it; at least up here you have a fighting chance!" --- Duane Jones

7) "If you are stupid to die in that rattrap, that is your business; however, I am NOT stupid enough to follow you! Now, get the hell down in the cellar: you can be the boss down there, I'm boss up here!" --- Duane Jones

8) "Radio? There is radio up there and you lock us in down here! What did it say?" --- Marilyn Eastman "Nothing! Nothing! They don't know what's going on except that there is mass murder everywhere and people are supposed to look for a safe place to hide!" --- Karl Hardman

9) "Take the boards off that door! Harry, that radio up there is at least some kind of communication. How are we supposed to know what to do when we are locked up in this dungeon? We may not enjoy living together, but dying together isn't going to solve anything. Those people are not are enemies!" --- Marilyn Eastman

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TRIVIA AND CRITIC'S CORNER
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1) Karl Hardman, who played Mr. Cooper, is actually married to Marilyn Eastman (Mrs. Cooper) and Kyra Schon is their actual daughter who plays Karen Cooper.

2) Much of the blood that was used was actually chocolate syrup, though as delicacy for the zombies, the bodies they eat in the truck is actually roast ham with chocolate syrup on top.

3) Screenwriters George A. Romero and John A. Russo have unbilled cameos as the Washington D.C. reporters on television.

CRITIC'S QUOTE #1: "I felt real terror in that neighborhood theater last Saturday afternoon [back in 1968]. I saw kids who had no resources to draw upon to protect themselves from the dread and fear they felt." --- Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

CRITIC'S QUOTE #2: "The ominous external threat of a building army of zombies, without mind or reason, contrasts cruelly with the internal bickering of the survivors trying to cling to humanity! For the audience watching in 1968, this movie represented a new dawn in horror filmmaking!" --- Almar Halflidson, BBC Films

CRITIC'S QUOTE #3: "This film's greatest asset lies in its black-and-white medium; as a result, it has a creepy documentary feel to it that makes the film feel older than death." --- Patrick Naugle, DVD Verdict.com

 

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