After evolving through multiple drafts, Russo and Romero's final script primarily drew influence from Richard Matheson's 1954 novel I Am Legend. [4][16][71][72] In 2001, the film was ranked No. The trio grew bored making commercials and wanted to film a horror movie during this period. Barbra, in a catatonic state from shock, is surprised when Harry Cooper and Tom emerge from the cellar. Reviewer: wangflotilla - favorite favorite favorite favorite - February 21, 2013 Subject: Subtitles for "Night of the Living Dead" This movie looks damn near flawless, and is one of the jewels of my home media collection, but as I like to watch movies late at night while my daughter is asleep, the lack of subtitles was a definite drawback. Siblings Barbra and Johnny drive to a cemetery in rural Pennsylvania to visit their father's grave. In a certain sense he's wrong but on the other hand, you've got to respect him for taking that position. Harry has been taking shelter there with his wife Helen and their young daughter Karen after a group of the same monsters overturned their car and bit Karen, leaving her seriously ill. Tom arrived with his girlfriend Judy after hearing an emergency broadcast about a series of brutal killings. Romero's zombie film is driven by nihilism of the American variety. . As they are leaving, a strange, ashen-faced man wearing a tattered suit kills Johnny and attacks Barbra. While the ghouls feast on the remains of Tom and Judy, the remaining survivors attempt to find a way out. Russo came up with the concept that they would be the recently dead only, because they could not afford to bring long-dead people out of their graves. [84] The original film is available to view or download for free on various websites, such as the Internet Archive and YouTube. Image Ten eventually raised approximately $114,000 for the budget ($838,000 today). Ben devises a plan to obtain medical supplies for Karen and transport the group to a rescue center by refuelling his truck. While the word "zombie" itself is never used—the word used in the film is ghoul—Romero's film introduced the theme of zombies as reanimated, flesh-eating cannibals. In 1968, the world experienced a brand-new kind of terror with the debut of George A. Romero’s landmark movie Night of the Living Dead. Russo, however, was allowed to retain his title.[120]. The first remake, debuting in 1990, was directed by special effects artist Tom Savini. Night of the Living Dead is the first of six ... of the Dead films directed by George Romero. "They were used to going to movies, sure, and they'd seen some horror movies before, sure, but this was something else." Barbra recovers from her catatonic state and tries to help Ben keep the ghouls out, but is dragged away by a reanimated Johnny and the other ghouls. Their car radio goes off the air due to technical difficulties. It was mentioned in the news report in Night of the Living Dead as Ben, Barbara, Harry, and Helen were watching it (as Tom and Judy were in a diffrent room). [51] Production stills were shot and printed by Karl Hardman, who stated in an interview that a "number of cast members formed a production line in the darkroom for developing, washing and drying of the prints as I made the exposures. You'll live forever! It was translated into more than 25 languages and released across Europe, Canada and Australia. Dissensions sets in almost immediately with Harry Cooper wanting to be in charge. I said if you're going to do something about revolution, you should start at the beginning. 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. [53], A soundtrack album featuring music and dialogue cues from the film was compiled and released on LP by Varèse Sarabande in 1982. Barbra and Johnny visit their father's grave in a remote cemetery when they are suddenly set upon by zombies. I don't harbor any animosity toward him."[32]. Written by Awoken by their gunfire and sirens, Ben emerges from the cellar, but is shot and killed when they mistake him for a ghoul. [43], Night of the Living Dead was the first feature-length film directed by George A. Romero. Dissensions sets in almost immediately with Harry Cooper wanting to be in charge. Everybody had a 'message'. "Greek Gifts: Vision and Revision in Two Versions of, This page was last edited on 6 April 2021, at 02:05. He's wrong. We couldn't imagine a happy ending. There was almost complete silence. Columbia and American International Pictures declined after requests to soften it and re-shoot the final scene were rejected by producers. [33] One example offered by O'Dea concerns a scene where Barbra tells Ben about Johnny's death: The sequence where Ben is breaking up the table to block the entrance and I'm on the couch and start telling him the story of what happened [to Johnny] it's all ad-libbed. [115] Night of the Living Dead: Reanimated was nominated in the category of Best Independent Production (film, documentary or short) for the 8th Annual Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards, but lost to American Scary, a documentary on television horror movie hosts. Pauline Kael called the film "one of the most gruesomely terrifying movies ever made – and when you leave the theatre you may wish you could forget the whole horrible experience. Opening - 7577 Franklin Rd. "[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. Johnny teases his sister, afraid of cemeteries: \"They're coming to get you, Barbara!\" Suddenly, a pale skinned man grabs Barbraa, and Johnny rushes to save her. The lone survivor of an onslaught of flesh-possessing spirits holes up in a cabin with a group of strangers while the demons continue their attack. [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. However, the ghouls break through the barricades. Filming locations include Cranberry Township and Evans City, PA. [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. 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". As their situation deteriorates, their chances of surviving the night lessen minute by minute. The franchise predominantly centers on different groups of people attempting to survive during the outbreak and evolution of a zombie apocalypse. He suggests that the character was made stronger to rectify the depiction of female characters in the original film. [139] The Microscopic Opera Company produced its world premiere, which was performed at the Kelly-Strayhorn Theater in Pittsburgh, in October 2013. Karl Hardman as Harry Cooper. They wanted to capitalize on the film industry's "thirst for the bizarre", according to Romero. [55][142][143] Romero himself didn't initially consider the antagonists in the film to be zombies, later saying "I never thought of my guys as zombies, when I made the first film ... To me, zombies were still those boys in the Caribbean doing the wetwork for [Bela] Lugosi. [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. [77], Some reviewers cited the film as groundbreaking. One woman escapes the frightening zombies to take refuge with others in a farmhouse, as every cadaver for miles around hungers for their flesh. Night of the Living Dead was released on October 31st, 1968. At that age, kids take the events on the screen seriously, and they identify fiercely with the hero. When two bumbling employees at a medical supply warehouse accidentally release a deadly gas into the air, the vapors cause the dead to rise again as zombies. [85][86][87] As of March 2019[update], it is the Internet Archive's most-downloaded film, with over 3.1 million downloads. Was this review helpful to you? [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. The refugees listen to radio and television reports of a wave of mass murder being committed across the east coast of the United States by an army of cannibalistic, reanimating corpses, and posses of armed men patrolling the countryside to kill the ghouls. Heffernan, Kevin. The film and its successors spawned countless imitators, in cinema, television and video gaming, which borrowed elements invented by Romero. Title: Something that was forever, something that was really at the heart of it. "[70], Night of the Living Dead was awarded two distinguished honors decades after its debut. [40] Consumed flesh consisted of roasted ham and entrails donated by one of the actors, who also owned a chain of butcher shops. Wood asserts that the zombies represent capitalists, and "cannibalism represents the ultimate in possessiveness, hence the logical end of human relations under capitalism". [122], Since its release, some critics and film historians have interpreted Night of the Living Dead as a subversive film that critiques 1960s American society, international Cold War politics and domestic racism. "[153] Romero confessed that the film was designed to reflect the tensions of the time: "It was 1968, man. [56][57][58] The MPAA film rating system was not in place until November 1968, so even young children were able to purchase tickets. "[29] Romero further explained: I thought I Am Legend was about revolution. Night of the Living Dead 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. . According to Hardman, "We knew that we could not raise enough money to shoot a film on a par with the classic horror films with which we had all grown up. As their situation deteriorates, their chances of surviving the night lessen minute by minute. Night of the Living Dead George Romero's classic 1968 zombie-fest (shot in black and white) offers some disturbing images, even decades later. She flees and takes shelter in a farmhouse, but finds the woman who lived there dead and half-eaten. Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? [89] In 1998, Russo's revised version of the film, Night of the Living Dead: 30th Anniversary Edition, was released on VHS and DVD by Anchor Bay Entertainment. From Wings to Parasite, here's a look back at all of the Best Picture Oscar winners in the history of the ceremony. It was the first feature film directed by George Romero. When the hero is killed, that's not an unhappy ending but a tragic one: Nobody got out alive. "[49] Romero featured social taboos as key themes, particularly cannibalism. Night of the Living Dead is taut and uncompromising." [94][95] Another colorized version appeared in 1997 from Anchor Bay Entertainment with grey-skinned zombies. [141] The film has also effectively redefined the use of the term "zombie". Showtime Orders Public Domain Anthology Series ‘Cinema Toast’ From Jeff Baena, Duplass Brothers, ‘Cinema Toast’ Anthology Series From Jeff Baena & Duplass Brothers To Stream On Showtime, How George C. Romero’s Heavy Metal Comics Keep Dad’s Zombie Legacy Alive, Best Horror Movies on Prime Video in October 2020, 80 of the Best Horror Movies to Stream Today, 12 Scariest Horror Movies in Black Cinema. Following the 1968 film, Romero released Dawn of the Dead, Day of the Dead, Land of the Dead, Diary of the Dead and Survival of the Dead. [140] The opera was awarded the American Prize for Theater Composition in 2014. [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. Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Following an ever-growing epidemic of zombies that have risen from the dead, two Philadelphia S.W.A.T. Johnny is a supporting character in Night of the Living Dead and the brother of Barbara in the film. 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