Night of the Living Dead

Night of the Living Dead is a 1968 idependant horror film directed by George A. Romero, and the first in the Living Dead series. It stars Daune Jones, Judith O'Dea, and Karl Hardman. The film was released on October 1, and was completed on a budget of USD$114,000. Night of the Living Dead shocked audiences during it's time for it's horrifying content and casting decisions. Because of that, the film was criticized during it's time, but it has since went on to recive critical acclaim.

In 1999, Night of the Living Dead was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation for the National Film Registry as a film deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.[]

Plot


A car drives down a passageway in a small Pennsylvania town. Siblings Johnny and Barbra are own their way to visit their father's grave, on behalf their mother's request. Johnny is not too thrilled about having to travel all the way just to visit a grave, nor is he pleased to have to drive all the way back. Johnny begins to complain, but Barbra simply ignores him. However, Johnny calms down a little once the radio comes back on. Johnny rushes Barbra once they reach the grave, though she continues to ignore him. Already bored, Johnny recalls a time whe they were younger when Barbra was afraid of graveyards, as he begins to make spooky remarks, as he chants, "They're coming to get you, Barbra!" Barbra tells him to cut it out, but he continues, claiming a man nearby is "one of them". Barbra walks up to go apologize to him, when she is suddenly attacked. The man has several scars on his face, and is very pale. Johnny runs up to save Barbra, but he is quickly thrown onto a tombstone. Barbra runs for her life, and gets into her car, where the strange mantries breaking in, and shatters the windows with a rock. Barbra takes off, with the man not far behind.





Barbra soon stops at a farmhouse, and notices several other strange people. She quickly runs inside to get help, as she picks up a phone, realizing that the line is torn. The shocked Barbra watches the people outside, as the walk strangely and slowly. She continues to explore around the house, with a knife in her hand, and as she walks up stairs, she sees a torn up corpse of a woman. Horrifyed, she flees back out, until an old pick up truck pulls in, as a young African-American man runs out, grabs Barbra, and runs into the house. The man is named Ben, and he quickly starts putting shutters up on the windows and doors, as Barbra, still in shock, watches on.