Despite raising funds for the film on Indiegogo in 2014, the film has yet to go into production as of May 2020. [96] In 2004, Legend Films produced a new colorized version, which was released on DVD by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. [140] The opera was awarded the American Prize for Theater Composition in 2014. (1968). Frequently identified as the first modern zombie film and a touchstone in the development of the horror genre, retrospective scholarly analysis has focused on its reflection of the social and cultural changes in the United States during the 1960s, with particular attention being directed towards the casting of Jones, an African-American, in the leading role. It's hard to remember what sort of effect this movie might have had on you when you were six or seven. The franchise predominantly centers on different groups of people attempting to survive during the outbreak and evolution of a zombie apocalypse. [151], Other prevalent themes included "the flaws inherent in the media, local and federal government agencies, and the entire mechanism of civil defense". [52][82], Because Night of the Living Dead was not copyrighted, it has received numerous home video releases on VHS, DVD, and Blu-ray. "[29] Romero further explained: I thought I Am Legend was about revolution. The same year Day of the Dead premiered, Night of the Living Dead co-writer John Russo released a film titled The Return of the Living Dead that offers an alternate continuity to the original film than Dawn of the Dead. [53] Night of the Living Dead grossed $30 million internationally, and the Wall Street Journal reported that it was the top-grossing film in Europe in 1969. [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. [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 news reports are grim however with creatures returning to life everywhere. [36] The cemetery chapel was under warrant for demolition; however, Gary R. Steiner led a successful effort to raise $50,000 to restore the building, and the chapel is currently undergoing renovations. [81] Image Ten displayed such a notice on the title frames of the film beneath the original title, Night of the Flesh Eaters, but the distributor erroneously removed the statement when it changed the title. Scientists theorize that the reanimations are occurring due to radiation from a space probe that exploded in Earth's atmosphere on the way back from Venus. Night of the Living Dead is a series of six zombie horror films created by George A. Romero beginning with the 1968 film Night of the Living Dead directed by Romero and co-written with John A. Russo. Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? 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. Maddrey adds, it "seem[s] as much like a documentary on the loss of social stability as an exploitation film". She points to aspects of the Vietnam War paralleled in the film: grainy black-and-white newsreels, search and destroy operations, helicopters, and graphic carnage. She told an interviewer, "I don't know if there was an actual working script! However, the gas from the pump spills and causes the truck to catch fire and explode, killing Tom and Judy. 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. Not as vampires or werewolves. Karl Hardman attributed the edits to lead actor Duane Jones: The script had been written with the character Ben as a rather simple truck driver. Was this review helpful to you? "They were used to going to movies, sure, and they'd seen some horror movies before, sure, but this was something else." The trio grew bored making commercials and wanted to film a horror movie during this period. [60] The film had earned between $12 and $15 million at the U.S. box office after a decade. Cranberry Township, Pa. 16066 We would go over what basically had to be done, then just did it the way we each felt it should be done". Barbra, in a catatonic state from shock, is surprised when Harry Cooper and Tom emerge from the cellar. Karl Hardman as Harry Cooper. As this house was scheduled for demolition, damage during filming was permitted. As their situation deteriorates, their chances of surviving the night lessen minute by minute. You know a place back down the road called Beekman's? Siblings Barbara and Johnny drive to a rural Pennsylvania cemetery to place a cross with flowers on their father's grave. The story focuses on the weaknesses of each of the characters in the house - their cowardice, their greedy, their stupidity etc. [47] Romero describes the mood he wished to establish: "The film opens with a situation that has already disintegrated to a point of little hope, and it moves progressively toward absolute despair and ultimate tragedy. [4][5][6], Night of the Living Dead spawned a franchise that includes five official sequels released between 1978 and 2009, also directed by Romero. What a "Night"! But try to remember. [44][45] Romero's decision to direct Night of the Living Dead essentially launched his career as a horror director. [103] Russo took liberties with the original script. [3] In 1999, the film was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry. Barbara flees the scene, pursued by the man. Beset by the walking dead all around them Ben does his best to secure the doors and windows. We filmed it once. … Five friends travel to a cabin in the woods, where they unknowingly release flesh-possessing demons. [125][126] The movie is written and directed by Zebediah de Soto. The site's critical consensus reads, "George A. Romero's debut set the template for the zombie film, and features tight editing, realistic gore, and a sly political undercurrent. As filming was not linear, the piebald faces appear sporadically. [123] Broadstreet's film was followed in 2012 by the prequel Night of the Living Dead 3D: Re-Animation. 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). As the horde breaks into the house, Ben takes refuge in the cellar, where he shoots Harry and Helen's reanimating corpses. He took the helm of the sequels as well as Season of the Witch (1972), The Crazies (1973), Martin (1978), Creepshow (1982) and The Dark Half (1993). [145] Romero revealed the power behind exploitation and setting horror in ordinary, unexceptional locations and offered a template for making an "effective and lucrative" film on a "minuscule budget". . According to WRS, "We chose a selection of music for each of the various scenes and then George made the final selections. Jancovich, Mark, Antonio Lazaro Reboll, Julian Stringer, and Andy Willis, eds. Following the 1968 film, Romero released Dawn of the Dead (1978), Day of the Dead (1985), Land of the Dead (2005), Diary of the Dead (2007), and Survival of the Dead (2010), with Diary and Survival acting as a reboot to the franchise. "[144] [66] In January 2010, Total Film included the film on its list of The 100 Greatest Movies of All Time. Columbia and American International Pictures declined after requests to soften it and re-shoot the final scene were rejected by producers. [127][128][129][130][131][132], Director Doug Schulze's 2011 film Mimesis: Night of the Living Dead relates the story of a group of horror film fans who become involved in a "real-life" version of the 1968 film.[133][134]. [90] This was followed by a 4K restoration Blu-ray released by The Criterion Collection on February 13, 2018, sourced from a print owned by the Museum of Modern Art and acquired by Janus Films. "[147] Film historian Sumiko Higashi concurs, arguing that Night of the Living Dead was a film about the horrors of the Vietnam era. Night of the Living Dead is a 1968 American independent horror film written, directed, photographed and edited by George A. Romero, co-written by John Russo, and starring Duane Jones and Judith O'Dea. Their car radio goes off the air due to technical difficulties. Russo's film spawned four sequels. [91] This release also features a workprint edit of the film under the title of Night of Anubis, in addition to various bonus materials. "Rewriting the Dead: The Tension between Nostalgia and Perversion in George A. Romero's, Moreman, Christopher M. "A Modern Meditation on Death: Identifying Buddhist Teachings in George A. Romero's, Pharr, Mary. Unlike Savini's 1990 film, Broadstreet's project was not affiliated with Romero. The infected in I Am Legend become vampire-like creatures and prey on the uninfected. They were set in locations far removed from rural and suburban America. [40] Consumed flesh consisted of roasted ham and entrails donated by one of the actors, who also owned a chain of butcher shops. The site is now a turf farm. ... And the stories are about how people respond or fail to respond to this. [22] Another ten investors were found when it was found that another $6,000 was required but this was also soon found to be inadequate. Tragically disturbing, beautifully grainy, and relentlessly bleak; Romero's film is an unforgettable beginning to the modern Zombie subgenre. Barbra manages to get away and takes refuge in what seems to be an abandoned farm house. [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. Night of the Living Deadis a 1968 horror movie directed by George A. Romero and was the first in Romero's "Dead Series" which includes Dawn of the Dead (1978), Day of The Dead (1985), Land of the Dead(2005), Diary of the Dead(2007), and Survival of the Dead(2010). [34], The small budget dictated much of the production process. team members, a traffic reporter, and his television executive girlfriend seek refuge in a secluded shopping mall. What are the differences between the original cut and the 30th-anniversary cut. Everyone want[ed] a Hollywood ending, but we stuck to our guns". Siblings Barbra and Johnny drive to a cemetery in rural Pennsylvania to visit their father's grave. This was something new... and terrifying. Oh! "Inner-City Exhibition and the Genre Film: Distributing. [99] The film was theatrically released on October 14, 2010. There's this global change and there's one guy holding out saying, wait a minute, I'm still a human. When the unburied dead return to life and seek human victims, seven refugees seek shelter in a house in the Pennsylvanian countryside, but the group is at odds as to how they should deal with the situation. [23][27][28] Discussing the creation of Night of the Living Dead, Romero remarked, "I had written a short story, which I basically had ripped off from a Richard Matheson novel called I Am Legend. Barbra and Johnny visit their father's grave in a remote cemetery when they are suddenly set upon by zombies. [77], Some reviewers cited the film as groundbreaking. [61][c], Fifty years after its release, the film enjoys a reputation as a classic and still receives positive reviews, being regarded by many as one of the best films of 1968. He was played by Russell Streiner in the original movie and Bill Moseley in the remake. Night of the Living Dead Shot outside Pittsburgh on a shoestring budget, by a band of filmmakers determined to make their mark, Night of the Living Dead, directed by horror master George A. Romero, is a great story of independent cinema: a midnight hit turned box-office smash that became one of the most influential films of all time. [41][42] The small budget led Romero to shoot on 35 mm black-and-white film. United States Senate, Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Technology and the Law, Night of the Living Dead (disambiguation), Motion Picture Association of America rating system, AFI's 100 Years ... 100 Heroes & Villains, Night of the Living Dead 3D: Re-Animation, those boys in the Caribbean doing the wetwork for [Bela] Lugosi, List of films in the public domain in the United States, "The Top Ten Best Low-Budget Horror Movies of All Time", "Night of the Living Dead: Mere Anarchy Is Loosed", "The Zombification Family Tree: Legacy of the Living Dead", "Preserving the Silver Screen (December 1999) - Library of Congress Information Bulletin", "Duane L. Jones, 51, Actor and Director of Stage Works, Dies", "Night of the Living Dead 30th Anniversary Edition", "George Kosana, 'Night of the Living Dead' Actor (and Investor), Dies at 81", "Interview with Karl Hardman and Marilyn Eastman", "George A Romero: Why I don't like The Walking Dead", "Zombie fans celebrate iconic 'Night of the Living Dead, "An Introduction to the American Horror Film", "Most Popular Feature Films Released in 1968", "100 Maverick Movies in the Last 100 Years", "Complete National Film Registry Listing | Film Registry | National Film Preservation Board | Programs at the Library of Congress | Library of Congress", "AFI's 100 Years ... 100 Heroes and Villains: The 400 Nominated Characters", Omission of notice on certain copies and phonorecords, "Night of the Living Dead Blu-ray: 50th Anniversary Edition", "Home Video 'Night of Anubis': What to Expect from Criterion's 'Night of the Living Dead' Workprint", "Netflix Reveals All the TV Shows and Movies It's Removed Because of Foreign Government Takedown Demands", "Johnny Ramone Tribute Includes Night of the Living Dead in 3D", "NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD – 30th Anniversary DVD Special Edition", "Night of the Living Dead Re-animated FREE New Jersey Screening", "Tempe Film: Night of the Living Dead: Reanimated on Thursday 1/28", "Wild Eye and MVD Resurrect "Night Of The Living Dead: Reanimated, "Interview with Night of the Living Dead: Reanimated's Mike Schneider", "Night of the Living Dead: Reanimated East Coast Premier! Entertainment Weekly reported "no bad blood" between Russo and Romero. That was it ... all improv. [44] The Manhattan-based Walter Reade Organization agreed to show the film uncensored, but changed the title from Night of the Flesh Eaters to Night of the Living Dead because a film had already been produced under a similar title to the former. This is the classic low-budget horror film that is the model for recent hits such as the Evil Dead and The Blair Witch Project. Check out our editors' picks for the movies and shows we're excited about this month, like Mortal Kombat, "Them," and Stowaway. [65] The New York Times also placed the film on their Best 1000 Movies Ever list. [20] According to lead actress Judith O'Dea, much of the dialogue was improvised. Ben runs back to the house on his own, and has to break down the door when Harry does not let him back in. Hardman's daughter in real life, the 11-year-old daughter Schon also portrayed the mangled corpse on the house's upstairs floor that Ben drags away. [20] Filming took place between June and December 1967 under the working title Night of Anubis and later Night of the Flesh Eaters. View production, box office, & company info. Barbra and Ben are surprised when they realize there are 5 people hiding out in the basement: Harry, Helen and Karen Cooper; and a young couple, Tom and Judy. She is soon joined by Ben who stopped at the house in need of gas. [20] Scenes were filmed near Evans City, Pennsylvania, 30 miles (48 km) north of Pittsburgh in rural Butler County;[35] the opening sequence was shot at the Evans City Cemetery on Franklin Road, south of the borough. Duane Jones was a very well educated man [and he] simply refused to do the role as it was written. 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. [84] The original film is available to view or download for free on various websites, such as the Internet Archive and YouTube. [25] In a 1997 interview with the BBC's Forbidden Weekend, Romero explained that the script developed into a three-part short story. 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. George Cameron Romero, the son of director George A. Romero, has developed Rise of the Living Dead, a prelude to his father's classic pitched with the working title Origins. Ben beats Harry for his cowardice. How sleet it is." One woman escapes the frightening zombies to take refuge with others in a farmhouse, as every cadaver for miles around hungers for their flesh. We then took those selections and augmented them electronically". 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. As one film historian points out, horror prior to Romero's film had mostly involved rubber masks and costumes, cardboard sets, or mysterious figures lurking in the shadows. [69], The review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gives Night of the Living Dead a 97% approval rating based on 67 reviews, with an average rating of 8.94/10. Night of the Living Dead, American horror film, released in 1968, that established the pattern for modern zombie movies by disassociating the monsters from Vodou and by using contemporary settings. 397 of The 500 Greatest Movies of All Time. The basement door (external view) shown in the film was cut into a wall by the production team and led nowhere. They pitched their idea for a then-untitled horror film. Most … She is soon joined by Ben who stopped at the house in need of gas. [75] The film also ranked No. "[93], The first revisions of Night of the Living Dead involved colorization by home video distributors. Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times chided theater owners and parents who allowed children access to the film with such potent content for a horror film they were entirely unprepared for: "I don't think the younger kids really knew what hit them," he said. Costumes consisted of second-hand clothing from cast members and Goodwill. [85][86][87] As of March 2019[update], it is the Internet Archive's most-downloaded film, with over 3.1 million downloads. [117] The fully restored version was shown at MoMA in November 2016 as part of To Save and Project: The 14th MoMA International Festival of Film Preservation. 'S decision to direct Night of the film had earned between $ 12 and $ 15 million the... And wanted to `` give the movie had stopped being delightfully scary about halfway,! 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