NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD: THE ONE THAT STARTED IT ALL

AS I STATED WHEN STARTING THIS BLOG I WILL CONTINUE TO GO BACK AND ADD SOME OLD REVIEWS NOW AND THEN. THIS WEEK WE'LL TAKE A LOOK AT THE SOME OF LIVING DEAD FILMS OF GEORGE ROMERO. HOPEFULLY I'LL FIND TIME TO COMPLETE THE ENTIRE SERIES. FOR NOW LETS JUST LOOK BACK AT THE ORIGINAL THREE.

I can remember the first time I ever saw NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD. My two cousins and I were visiting back where I grew up, Akron, OH, and we saw that it was playing at a nearby drive-in. The bad news was that it was the last movie but we didn’t care. We watched GIMMEE SHELTER starring the Rolling Stones and then PINK FLOYD AT POMPEII, both good music/concert movies. But we were here for the legendary film we had never seen.

The movie finally started and even though it was in black and white, perhaps a first for us at a drive in since we weren’t part of the initial teens that flocked there, it still had an impact on me. I remember being totally creeped out by the things that happened in the film. And inside a part of me kept thinking what would you do if you woke tomorrow to discover that the world was indeed overrun by zombies determined to eat your flesh?

That’s the whole set up to George Romero’s original classic. Simple and to the point. We don’t get involved explanations as to how this happened; we just know that it did. A hint about the possibility of a virus from space is mentioned but that’s it.

The film opens with Barbara (Judith O’Dea) and her brother Johnny (Russell Streiner) visiting the graveyard where their mother is buried. Remembering how the cemetery used to frighten her when she was young, Johnny teases her saying “They’re coming to get you, Barbara”. Upset with him she leaves him behind and walks up to a man she sees in the cemetery. Unfortunately she and her brother have no idea what’s going on and the man turns out to be the first zombie we see. When Johnny comes to her aid, he falls and smashes his head, leaving her defenseless.

Barbara runs to the car, jumps in and discovers that she has no keys. With the zombie trying to get in, she releases the emergency brake and the car rolls down the hill only to crash. Ahead of the slow moving zombie (Romero’s zombies were always slow moving, not like the ones we see today), Barbara runs to a local farmhouse only to find the family who lives there half eaten. As she starts to leave a truck pulls up and Ben (Duane Jones) runs in.

Duane finds Barbara in a state of shock. The pair begins to look through the house and eventually discover a family and a young couple hiding in the cellar. Ben isn’t happy with this as they would have left Barbara upstairs to die before coming to her aid. And so begins a clash of egos as Ben and the father Harry (Karl Hardman) continue to disagree with almost every plan they come up with to protect themselves.

As the zombies lay siege to the secluded house, the folks trapped inside watch the local news and learn what’s going on. They watch as zombies are shot, gathered up and burned to prevent more coming back to life. People can’t believe that this is happening and the more they try to keep their loved ones home with them, the more zombies are produced.

It’s a long night and not everyone will survive. They must come together as a team or their chances of survival are non-existent. If they can just hold out till morning, perhaps the local sheriff’s men can come to their rescue. IF they can just hold out.

The thing that makes this movie scary is the realism that it uses from start to finish. These people seem like your every day ordinary folks, all brought together under the worst circumstance possible. The fact that these were not nationally known actors helps. Recognizable names would have detracted from the story and from the feeling these could be real people.

The movie doesn’t rely on extreme gore though for its day I am certain people thought it was outrageous. But this is one of those movies where less is more and with less, viewers begin to insert their own memories, recalling things like squirting blood and entrails being pulled from bodies. The truth is it doesn’t happen. Perhaps some nibbling on a hand or two, but nothing near what came later in Romero’s films.

Perhaps the most amazing thing about this movie is how well it holds up after some 42 years. Can it really be that old? Sure parts seem a bit dated, the cars, and the clothes. But the whole thing seems as if it came out just yesterday to me. Watching it now it still offers a good scare or two. Who would have thought all those years ago that this small, independent film would become one of the all time highest grossing independent films of all time? Or that it would inspire a host of sequels from its director as well as remakes by other film makers. It is truly a classic and one that deserves not just to be watched but a part of your collection as well.

And for fans of the film, keep an eye out for horror fan conventions all over. A number of the actors that were in this film (and even Romero himself on occasion) can be found ready to meet fans and sign autographs. Judith Ridley and Russell Streiner are both scheduled to be at Cinema Wasteland in Cleveland April 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd. Streiner has been appearing there for years but this is Ridley’s first convention appearance.