REVIEW: ‘Night of the Living Dead’ still an eerie masterpiece

The first time I experienced George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead was a few years ago when I was channel surfing in the days leading up to Halloween. I came across this black-and-white movie about a group of stranded people stuck in a farmhouse in the countryside outside Pittsburgh. Outside the locked windows and closed doors were zombies that had risen from the dead.

I actually didn’t know that I was watching the seminal Night of the Living Dead. I just thought it was some forgotten horror gem.

Needless to say, I was completely enthralled. The movie has great legs and doesn’t seem to age.

All of the acting performances are quite good, especially Duane Jones’ crucial performance as Ben. Kyra Schon still creeps audience members out as zombie child, Karen Cooper. Marilyn Eastman is still ravishing as her ill-fated mother. Maybe only Judith Ridley’s acting feels a bit pushed.

Romero’s direction is clever, and his screenplay with John A. Russo is smart and simple. The characters actually do things that seem logical (a rarity in horror movies).

Does Night of the Living Dead still scare audiences as much as it did in the late 1960s? Probably not. But there is still an undeniable creepiness to the film; it’s like a prolonged episode of The Twilight Zone. I still remember seeing Bill Heinzman’s cemetery zombie lurking in the background for the first few minutes and thinking to myself what a great introductory scene.

The influence of this movie is monumental. Think about it: Night of the Living Dead is one of the first movies to feature the idea of a modern zombie (slow-walking, hands extended). It introduces the “monster” in the first few minutes and then continued on with the other characters story arcs (think of Jaws). It uses sound and creative camera angles to add another dimension to the proceedings.

Night of the Living Dead has earned its status as a classic. Its simple premise still makes audience members fear the things that go bump in the night.

By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com

Night of the Living Dead (1968), directed by George A. Romero and written by Romero and John A. Russo, stars Duane Jones, Judith O’Dea, Marilyn Eastman, Judith Ridley, Keith Wayne and Kyra Schon. Running time: 96 minutes. Rating:  Click here to purchase Night of the Living Dead on DVD. Note: Because Night of the Living Dead is in the public domain, you can watch it for free by clicking here.