I love horror films; I have ever since I was a child. I can't even remember the first time I ever watched one of these movies, as my parents have always watched them, I guess this is kind of the reason that I got into horror movies. There have been hundreds and hundreds of horror movies throughout the years, most of them being generic, spineless, and forgettable, but there are a few horror movies that few people can deny the sheer brilliance and work that went into them. This leads me to George A. Romero's Night Of The Living Dead, now how many people have never seen the original black and white version? Quite a few actually, but nobody can seriously call themselves a fan of horror without having viewed it at least once, as it is one of the most defining horror movies ever created, and one of my all time personal favorites, and one of the movies that I can't believe I haven't reviewed yet.

Title: Night Of The Living Dead (Millennium Edition)
Year: 1968
Director: George A. Romero
Starring: Duane Jones (I), Judith O'Dea, Karl Hardman, Marilyn Eastman, Keith Wayne, Judith Ridley

What scares you the most? When asks this question I usually answer with Pennywise the clown from Stephen King's IT, but zombies aren't too far off. Every good horror movie has a "monster" of sorts, and Night Of The Living Dead uses what could quite possible be the most effective monster; zombies. Zombies are us in essence, and this works nicely in chilling the audience as you can't help but put yourself in the character's shoes as their deceased loved ones are trying to chow down on them, and the piercing screams add in another dosage of terror into the deaths. Zombies also strike us on a personal level, as it's not hard for us to imagine what things would be like if this had really happened, and the dead returning to life seems more practical in our minds than most horror movie monsters.

One of the major reasons that I enjoy Night Of The Living Dead is associated with the fact that it is one of the very few horror movies that has managed to scare me every time I see it. There's just something about the zombie's moans and the black and white presentation that really gets to me every time. Despite the fact that the movie was made way back in '68, it's still very effective, maybe even as much so as it was back then, but I wouldn't know because I was born in the 80s. One thing I have noticed about this movie though is that it seems like (in general) most casual horror fans dislike this movie for some odd reason.

One of the major reasons that Night Of The Living Dead was so effective was probably due to the fact that there had never been anything like it before at it's release, I mean there had been other zombie movies, but they seemed to all take place in exotic environments, but Night Of The Living Dead brought the zombies from the rain forests and into a place that we could all associate with a little easier; a nice rural area that turns out to be just outside of Pittsburgh. The country setting works very nicely in this movie, and it makes it all that easier to imagine that you are right in the movie, and thus increasing the experience for most viewers.

Story
Two siblings, Barbara (Judith O'Dea) and her brother Johnny (Russel Streiner) have driven far into the country to decorate their deceased father's grave. Johnny is a real smart aleck though, and he begins taunting and teasing Barbara when they arrive at the cemetery. Johnny keeps reminding Barbara of a time when she was really scared in the graveyard when they were children, and once he discovers that she's still afraid he really starts with the tormenting. Johnny doesn't even stop when they spot a man slowly walking towards them, and so Barbara sees it fit to apologize to the man for her brother's behavior, but as she approaches him he suddenly grabs on to her, but she doesn't yet realize that it is a zombie. Johnny runs over and joins the scrap, but tragically he ends up dead after hitting his head on one of the tombstones. So what's Barbara to do, she starts blindly running as fast as she can with a couple of falls along the way (falling seemed to be a very popular thing in cinema at the time). Eventually she spots a house and continues running in it's direction hoping to find help.

Here is where the movie really starts though, in the house Barbara doesn't exactly find the help that she needs, but rather she encounters a man named Ben, and the two later a group of people who were hiding in the basement the whole time; Tom, Judy, Helen Cooper, Harry Cooper, and their young daughter who is very sick because of a bite from one of the zombies. These people must try and work together for the health of them all, and it will take all of them if they are going to put up any resistance to the legion of the undead, and so they begin to barricade themselves inside in hopes of being rescued. Throughout the movie Ben and Harry Cooper and constantly having a struggle for power and want to make the decisions themselves, but nobody knows what they should do, they could always lock themselves in the basement, stay upstairs and fight, or even try to make a run for it. What's not clear in this movie is who is worse, the zombies or those still alive?

A simple word of warning, this is a fairly graphic movie despite the fact that it was made way back in 1968, but it is considered much tamer today than it was back when it was released, I still wish I could have seen the expressions of people watching this movie for the first time back at it's release, it must have been really shocking. Night Of The Living Dead doesn't have a lot of gore per say, but the graphic details in this movie are what really struck me, as in some parts it seems to be even more graphic than the 1990 remake, keep in mind I said more graphic, and not gorier. Throughout Night Of The Living Dead you'll see zombies walking around carrying around an arm and chewing on it and things like this, and that is why I say this movie is graphic.

As far as acting and performances go, I would have to say that Night Of The Living Dead is pretty average, but better than your usual film from the 1960s. On a comical note, I found it pretty funny that all of the male zombies had their hair neatly combed without a single hair out of place, it seems like in the process of coming back to life their hair would get at least a little messed up. My favorite performance in this movie is definitely that given by Judith O'Dea, as Barbara looks like it would be a very difficult part to play as the character has been extremely traumatized after her brother's death, but she plays the part perfectly and makes the character believable. Another performance that I liked was by Karl Hardman who plays Harry Cooper. This actor manages to make you dislike his character in some inexplicable way.

This movie not only spawned quite a few copycats, but also a remake directed by the famous gore and FX guy Tom Savini. While I do prefer the original to the remake, the remake is still definitely worth checking out if you enjoyed the first movie, but if you didn't like the original than you probably won't like the remake either.

Night Of The Living Dead (Millennium Edition) is the best version of this classic movie that I have been able to find. The problem with the original VHS version is that it is fairly difficult to look at because it wasn't very defined and suffered because it was such an old movie, but the Millennium Edition on DVD has incredibly crisp shades of black and white, thus making the movie easier to watch for anyone. Because it is such an old film, Night Of The Living Dead was often slightly difficult to hear when trying to make out every single word, but this is another category in which the Millennium Edition shines, as the quality has improved dramatically and the music comes across much more nicely now.

DVD Features
The Millennium Edition is loaded with extras, and this is one of the reasons why I believe that it is the best version of Night Of The Living Dead. Night Of The Living Dead (Millennium Edition) comes packed with your standard commentary tracks, one from George A. Romero and other people who worked on the movie, and the other is with members of the cast. Also included are television spots and the theatrical trailer, but my favorite feature is the spoof short film, Night Of The Living Bread. There are a couple of interviews included also, but nothing else that I can think of off the top of my head.

Final Recommendation
This is one of those movies that you remember forever and ever, and it's more or less a tribute to how a good horror movie should be. The Millennium Edition is by far my favorite package for this movie, and even if you don't want to fork out $25 for this version I can still recommend picking up the cheaper package, the movie is a classic and should not be missed, so if you don't already own it go and pick it up right now.

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening
Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age