A ragtag group of Pennsylvanians barricade themselves in an old farmhouse to remain safe from a horde of flesh-eating ghouls that are ravaging the Northeast of the United States.A ragtag group of Pennsylvanians barricade themselves in an old farmhouse to remain safe from a horde of flesh-eating ghouls that are ravaging the Northeast of the United States.A ragtag group of Pennsylvanians barricade themselves in an old farmhouse to remain safe from a horde of flesh-eating ghouls that are ravaging the Northeast of the United States.
- Director
- Writers
- Stars
- Awards
- 7 wins total
- Zombie
- (as Bill Heinzman)
- Field Reporter
- (as Bill 'Chilly Billy' Cardille)
- Zombie
- (as R.J. Ricci)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Summary
Featured reviews
Not much more needs to be said about the plot: it merely involves seven people who have barricaded themselves inside a rural Pennsylvania home after having been attacked by flesh-eating ghouls who have returned to life from the dead as the result of an exploded Venus probe bringing back a dangerous and unknown form of radiation. What Romero and his co-scenarist John Russo (who took partial inspiration for this film from Richard Matheson's classic 1954 end-of-the-world vampire novel "I Am Legend") show, however, is the strain built up by the way the characters, especially the ones portrayed by Duane Jones and the film's co-producer Karl Hardman, react to the horror that engulfs them...whether to stay on the ground floor, or to hide in the cellar, and how best to escape even as more and more of the undead surround the place. As it turns out, of course, there is no real way out, and there is no actual good end to the whole horrible situation.
Romero, who would continue his travail through the world of the undead through several sequels over the ensuing four decades, shot this film in black-and-white largely on location just outside of Pittsburgh over several weekends in the second half of 1967. NIGHT has, in many ways, the feel of a 1950s "invasion" film (think INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS), but its setting of an isolated house under siege clearly has its roots in Alfred Hitchcock's 1963 classic THE BIRDS; and the scenes of the ghouls munching on human flesh, though brief in nature, were then, and in many ways still are, shockingly contemporary. The cast of primarily amateur actors does well at being totally naturalistic, and the low budget look of the film gives it a documentary feel that hadn't been seen in horror films before, but which would be revisited in THE Texas CHAINSAW MASSACRE and THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT.
Even after four decades of parody, imitation, and sequels, NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD is still not for those with weak constitutions, and for those who have seen far more graphic shockers, it will likely seem painfully old-fashioned. But for true horror connoisseurs, it is up there with the very best, and is an essential film of its kind and its era.
The undead are not huge works of special effects, nor are they anything other than lumbering beasts. But the threat they pose is well demonstrated - the film makes them feel unstoppable and relentless and makes their lingering presence more menacing and less comical than it could have been. The use of an unknown cast also makes it more realistic as none of them have any baggage. Duane Jones is the standout actor as Ben - who is not without flaws himself.
The downbeat, realistic atmosphere to the film gives it a greater sense of tension and continues right through to the very depressing conclusion. An excellent flagship for low budget horrors.
The movie is outstanding for it's genre and film type. I feel the black & white really enhanced this flick - it gave it an eerier effect than a colour film ever could. The B&W gave the zombies an almost ghostly and most definitely a ghastly appearance. I think if this movie would have been in colour then it would not have the strong appeal and overall creepiness to it that the B&W gave.
This is a wonderful late at night film that I would highly recommend to fans of the horror genre. If you have not seen this film yet then you should find a copy to rent, buy or borrow because you will not be disappointed.
8.5/10
Did you know
- TriviaThis is one of the most profitable independent movies ever made. Made for $114,000 (equivalent to $977,841 in 2024), it grossed approximately $30 million (equivalent to $257,326,430 in 2024) - over 263 times its budget.
- GoofsAs Ben informs Barbra that the house is secure and all windows have been sealed up, a plain, uncovered, unsecured window is visible right behind him.
- Quotes
Johnny: [in a creepy voice] They're coming to get you, Barbra!
Barbra: Stop it! You're ignorant!
Johnny: They're coming for you, Barbra!
Barbra: Stop it! You're acting like a child!
Johnny: They're coming for you!
[points to the cemetery zombie]
Johnny: Look, there comes one of them now!
Barbra: He'll hear you!
Johnny: Here he comes now! I'm getting out of here!
- Crazy creditsThere is no on-screen copyright notice, nor any of the usual legal disclaimers typically found in movie credits; this is the main reason the film has been in the public domain since its release.
- Alternate versionsDespite being billed as a collectors' edition and containing many extras, the UK Contender DVD appears to be missing several sequences including most of the cannibalism scenes following the attack on the car, as well as heavily reducing the trowel murder from 14 blows to three. None of these cuts were imposed by the BBFC as all video/DVD releases in the UK have always been uncut.
- ConnectionsEdited into The Epic of Detective Mandy: Book Two - Spoof of the Living Dead (1991)
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official sites
- Language
- Also known as
- La noche de los muertos
- Filming locations
- Evans City Cemetery, Evans City, Pennsylvania, USA(opening scenes - cemetery)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $114,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $236,452
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $5,452
- Oct 15, 2017
- Gross worldwide
- $238,101
- Runtime
- 1h 36m(96 min)
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1