Title: Night of the Living Dead

Year Released/Rating: 1968

Starring: Duane Jones, Judith O'Dea, Karl Hardman

Directed By: George A. Romero

Written By: John A. Russo, George A. Romero

Genre: Horror

Star Rating: 5/5 stars

Where I Got It: Library loan

Trivia:

• Bosco chocolate syrup was used to simulate the blood in the film.
• When the zombies are eating the bodies in the burnt-out truck they were actually eating roast ham covered in chocolate sauce. The filmmakers joked that it was so nausea inducing that it was almost a waste of time putting the makeup on the zombies, as they ended up looking pale and sick anyway.
• In the scene where Ben is nailing wooden boards to the door, small numbers can be seen on them. These were written on the backs of the boards so they could be removed and replaced in between shots, preserving continuity. Some numbers are visible because some of the boards were nailed on backwards.
• The film's first scene, the initial cemetery attack on Barbara and Johnny, was the last filmed, in November 1967. The actors had to hold their breath to avoid visible condensation in the frosty autumn air.
• Actor/co-producer Karl Hardman (Harry Cooper, the father in the basement), also served as makeup artist, electronic sound effects engineer, and took the still photos used for the closing credits.
• The house used for this film was loaned to the filmmakers by the owner, who planned to demolish it anyway, thereby ensuring that they could do whatever they wanted to the house.
• Readers Digest tried to warn people away from watching the film in 1968 by claiming if it's ever watched, it will inspire cannibalism.

Summary: A group of people hide from bloodthirsty zombies in a farmhouse.

Review: 

I'm starting my Zombies and Candles week with the classic: Night of the Living Dead.  Of course, I hard to start at the beginning and the best.  This movie is a classic.  We jump right into the action.  I love the scene in the cemetery with Johnny taunting Barbara before being attacked.  The characters all act like I think they would during a zombie apocalypse.  I read that Romero was pressured to reshoot the ending and make it a happy one.  I'm glad that he didn't; the ending is appropriate for the storyline.  I'm going to skip Dawn of the Dead and Day of the Dead.  I've seen both many times and they are just too cheesy.  Plus, I don't own them and they aren't on Netflix instant.  Instead I'm going to move to the Dawn of the Dead remake.

Best Bits: 

• Johnny: They're coming to get you, Barbara, there's one of them now!
• Newscaster: It has been established that persons who have recently died have been returning to life and committing acts of murder. A widespread investigation of funeral homes, morgues, and hospitals has concluded that the unburied dead have been returning to life and seeking human victims. It's hard for us here to be reporting this to you, but it does seem to be a fact.
• [last lines]  Sheriff McClelland: Good shot! OK, he's dead; let's go get 'im. That's another one for the fire.
• [to Harry Cooper after having been locked outside]  Ben: I ought to drag you out there and FEED you to those things!
• Sheriff McClelland: All right, Vince, hit him in the head, right between the eyes.