Night of the Living Dead Review

Written by: Moviemaven   

Well kids, this is the one that started it all. This is the little independent film that is the reason we all tip-toe through graveyards and fear the sound of slow shuffling footsteps in the night. A woman and her brother are traveling to the country on the longest day of the year to visit the grave of their father. When Johnny starts teasing Barbara that 'they are coming to get [her]', he has no idea how accurate he is.

This is when we get the first taste of the Romero zombie, and it tastes good. Barbara is forced to run away and she ends up in an old farmhouse all alone. But soon Ben arrives. He finds her in shock and almost catatonic so he begins to fortify the house. Ben tells us that he has come from a town not far away and that the attackers are all over. Somehow the recently deceased are returning to life and seeking human victims.

We never find out exactly why, but that doesn't matter. The point is that it is happening. Later it is discovered that Ben and Barbara are not alone in the house. Harry and his wife Helen are down in the basement along with their daughter who has been bitten by one of the creatures. We soon find out what that means. There is also Tommy and his girlfriend Judy. Now is when we discover that sometimes a human's worst enemy is his pride. Ben and Harry remain at odds throughout the film, and jeopardize everyone's safety with their bickering.

We watch as they battle the onslaught of zombies as well as each other. The thing I have always loved about the Romero zombie films is that Uncle George always has a point to make. Yes, the world is being overrun by these insatiable ghouls, but what does that mean for mankind? The scariest part of this film is finding out that in moments of duress, humans must ultimately fear our own egos. For if we cannot work together, then we are all doomed. And that is the most terrifying notion of all.