They’re coming for you, Barbara!
This is such an amazing film! George A. Romero is truly an amazing screenplay writer and director.
I actually saw the sequel first, Return of the Living Dead, on AMC’s old Friday Fright Nights, but d wasn’t able to watch the original film until much later. The sequel is no where as creepy as this one, and the only watchable sequel in my opinion.
One of the things that makes this film so revolutionary and a cult classic is that it is one of the first films about zombies to depict them as actual living dead and not mind control, like in White Zombie or Revolt of the Zombies. It also has the zombies being created by radiation instead of being controlled by the “third eye”.
I also love how the zombies are true zombies and not any of these super soldiers they make them to be now. The zombies are living dead, so they move slow as their flesh is rotting. They are also destroyed by fire or a shot to the head.
It’s a great zombie film!
The film begins with Barbara and her brother, Johnny, going to a cemetery to put flowers on their father’s grave. While they are there, Johnny starts teasing his sister; trying to freak her out. He sees a man approaching and pretends that it is a “ghoul” after her.
The man turns out to be a zombie attacks Barbara. Johnny tries to help her, but hits his head on a gravestone. Barbara runs away from the zombie chasing her, and holes up in a farmhouse.
Now Barbara is extremely freaked out, but even though she is traumatized she doesn’t just sit around but searches for a knife to protect herself. She ends up being joined by another, Ben, who stops at the house when his car runs out of gas.
Ben is the best character in the film as he dies everything he can to keep them safe. By this time Barbara is pretty much incoherent as she has gone into complete shock.
They are later joined by others trying to escape these zombie attacks. The film switches from being just a horror film, to being a survival film. We see what everyone’s true characters are as they show how they act in intense situations.
The movie is fantastic and has a completely unexpected ending.
It is a wonderfully done film, with complex characters, definitely worth watching! And because of a mistake it is public domain and can be viewed on almost any streaming site along with YouTube.
That’s it for this fearsome Friday! More posts to come! 5 days ’till Halloween!
Here’s a poster/cover photo I made for my facebook as part of my Halloween countdown
To start Horrorfest from the beginning, go to I Don’t Belong in the World
For the previous post, go to From the Sea Burning With Fire
For more on zombies, go to When Potatoes Go Bad
For more on monster movies, go to I Want Friend Like Me
For more films that spanned sequels, go to Someone Very Special
janeaustenrunsmylife 