Horrofest: Another 50 For the Fire

On October 1st of this year, Night of the Living Dead turned 50.

I've written about it here in roundabout ways many times over the years, but never exclusively. Earlier this year, the seminal film came to the Criterion Collection after being a public domain property for most of its existence. Criterion's edition is a beauty to behold, as clean and pristine as the film has probably ever looked. Right now on AMC, Eli Roth is hosting a "History of Horror" mini-series and the first episode is focusing on zombies. So far, the biggest portion has been dedicated to George Romero's film. Numerous horror film heavies are on it saying how much the film world and they as artists owe to Night. It's sad to note that Romero missed the film's milestone as he passed away over a year ago.

A low budget production filmed outside Pittsburgh, the film was released in 1968 and quickly became an audience favorite. I doubt anyone at the time would realize how long the film would endure both as a midnight cult favorite and a drive-in staple. But more than that, I doubt anyone would realize that the film's themes would resonate a half century later. Sadly. My first viewing of the film was back in 2002. Hard to believe that I wasn't yet in my zombie phase at that point, but this film would be the effective kick off.

It's the simplest plot: a group of strangers find themselves fending off hoards of the undead in a desolate farmhouse. The film would be a combination of two of my eventual favorite subgenres: zombies and strangers-banning-together-to-stop-whatever. It's one of my favorite movies, for the brutal gore, the memorable characters, the what-would-you-do? of it all, and the biting social commentary. And then there's one of the film's most subversive and surprising elements: Duane Jones' Ben. I don't know if he's the first black hero in a horror film, but what a shock it must have been in 1968 when Guess Who's Coming To Dinner also opened to see a black man and a white woman in the lead and the film never verbally calls attention to it. But man is it bursting through the subtext. That social commentary would be in all of Romero's Dead films, of which 5 followed. (Three of these have been remade.) While not all totally successful, each is worth a watch if you haven't seen them. Dawn of the Dead, in particular, ranks right alongside Night.

Happy 50th, Night!

(George Romero, 1968)
GRADE: A