by Brian McKay
"The Birth of the Modern Brain-Munching Zombie."
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The modern movie concept of the flesh-eating undead, a slew of sequels and copycats, and a franchise of very popular video games (with its own slew of copycats) - it all began here, folks. Okay, maybe he hasn't been so hot since the 70's, but George Romero was a fucking genius.Although it has often been imitated, it has never been surpassed, save by it's sequel Dawn of the Dead. This film managed to successfully mesh the concepts of flesh-eating zombies, isolation, and global panic realized on a claustrophobic and intimate scale. While other movies tried to capture that same lightning in a bottle (most recently Signs, replacing the zombies with really lame aliens), none have succeeded. Like most good low-buget films, Night of the Living Dead takes a handful of talented unknown actors, a minimal number of sets (in this case, a cemetery, a field, and a farmhouse), and a taut, intriguing script, and manages to produce pure B-movie magic.
The story begins with a brother and sister, arriving at a remote cemetery to visit their mother's grave. The sister, Barbara, (Judith O'dea) sees a strange man coming toward them, and is shocked to see him attack and kill her brother. Terrified, she flees to a nearby farmhouse that appears to be abandoned, and hides inside. Soon thereafter, other people begin to show up, chief among them Ben (Duane Jones) who is the only one with a cool enough head to take charge.
They barricade themselves inside the farmhouse, terrified by the increasing number of zombies outside and the news coming form the television inside, which informs them that the plague of walking dead is not just a local ocurrence, but a worldwide epidemic. As the danger outside encroaches, tensions inside mount, leading to power struggles and betrayal.
While the unknown cast is generally competent, with only Judith O'dea's overdone hysterics occasionally dragging things down, props go to Duane Johnson, and props to Romero for having the guts to cast a black actor as the film's protagonist in 1968. The white blonde woman, O'dea, got top billing, but she's just a screaming piece of scenery. Johnson carries the film, and is very much the hero of the piece.
The remake by Romero's friend Tom Savini in 1990, while upping the ante in the gore and action department, doesn't have the impact of the original. Still, Patricia Tallman as a more assertive Barbara is a welcome change of pace, and the excellent Tony Todd as Ben does Duane Jones' original portrayal justice.
And now, for my new review feature - The Drive-in triple feature picks. This is where I recommend two similar movies, if you're in the mood to overdose on them in an all-night video festival.
Drive-in Triple Feature picks for Night of the Living Dead
Dawn of the Dead, Romero's sequel.
Zombie, by Lucio Fulci, a Romero ripoff that's entertaining in its own right.Next time you find yourself in the mood to play (or watch) "Resident Evil", Pick up this movie instead, and go back to your roots.
 del.icio.us 
link directly to this review at http://efilmcritic.com/review.php?movie=2351&reviewer=258
originally posted: 08/31/02 17:17:38
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