Night of the Living Dead (1968)
Directed by George A. Romero
Starring Duane Jones, Judith O’Dea, Marilyn Eastman, Karl Hardman, Judith Ridley, Keith Wayne, Russ Streiner, Bill Hinzman, Kyra Schon

When talking about an important title in any film genre, the word “classic” is probably used more times that it really deserves. I’m probably just as guilty as the next guy on that. But this is definitely not one of those times. When you’re talking about a film that gave birth to a whole new sub-genre of horror films, or one that makes an impact on viewers now just as it did over five decades before, then it really does deserve the moniker of a “classic”.

We all (should) know the story of how this low budget film was made by a small company in Pittsburgh known mainly for doing local commercial work, that decided one day to make a feature film. If you don’t know the story, you have some homework to do.

Siblings Barbara and Johnny are visiting the cemetery to pay respect for a lost relative, or at least Barbara is, when they are attacked by a man staggering through the cemetery. It doesn’t take us long to realize that not only is he one of the living dead, but that there are more of them. Many more. Barbara makes her way to a local farmhouse where the rest of the story takes place, with other characters showing up at the house, either from outside, or the basement.

For a movie that was made on a shoestring budget, with a bunch of people that made little commercials or industrial films, this picture is so damn effective. It is creepy and downright scary. The zombies are look more like humans, instead of the over-the-top cartoonish zombies that we’ve become accustom to, therefore more frightening. We are immediately drawn into the character of Barbara who, like us, have no clue as to what is going on, at least the first time we watched it.

One of the beauties of this film is Romero isn’t concerned on how exactly this zombie epidemic started. We are given a few hints here and there but we’re never really told one way or another. While the ominous threat of the ghouls outside trying to get in, the real story (and danger) is inside the house… with the humans that are trying to survive. The way these characters interact, fighting and arguing amongst themselves, shows more insight into the human condition than most dramas. It is a great example of how we should/would/could act when put in desperate situations. And the sad part is… have we really learned anything in over half a century since then? Sadly, I think not.

I can remember watching it that first time and the ending really pissing me off. I had been rooting for the main character of Ben throughout the whole movie, mainly because he seemed like the smart one. He seemed to always be thinking of a plan, or a way out of this nasty situation. We see him be the only survivor at the end, only to be shot dead because they thought he was a zombie, was a like a sucker punch. It was the first time I remember a film that didn’t have a happy ending. And it got to me. I realized that the ending affected me so much because the filmmakers had drawn me in, got me to care for the character of Ben, watching him deal with all the obstacles, but living and living dead, almost cheering for him. And when we think “we’ve” survived the night and have made it through this nightmare, we get a bullet in the head, telling us that it doesn’t matter what you did to struggle and survive. You’re still going to be “another one for the fire.” Pretty powerful back then, and maybe even more so today.

This is a title that I still try to bust out at least once a year, usually in October, and it never fails to entertain.

 And one last thing.  Always remember…..Cooper was right.