I don't think that I really grasped the total scope of the political statement that George A. Romero was making with this film the first time I watched it. As a matter of fact, I don't think I really even liked this film the first time I saw it as a child. I had not experienced this until after I had watched the original Halloween and allowed that to change my life. For a long time afterward, if the movie didn't scare the shite out of me, I wasn't interested. It wasn't until I watched Night of the Living Dead as a young teen that I began to realize the genius at play.
This is what started it all. George A. Romero's "Night of the Living Dead" gave rise to the modern zombie. Or at least what we think of when we hear the word zombie. Romero actually called them "Ghouls" in the original script. There was so much more going on with this film other than just flesh eating dead people. Romero was challenging social stereotypes and breaking down racial walls within the film industry. Once you can see beyond the zombies, you see the kind of message Romero wanted to send.
The film starts with a brother and sister, Barbra (udith O'Dea) and Johnny (Russell Streiner), on their way to place a wreathe on their mothers grave. As they are paying their respects, Johnny begins mocking his sister for her fears of the graveyard. The classic line, "They're coming to get you Barbra" is just the beginning to the horrors that await.
After Johnny is attacked by a member of the recently deceased, Barbra escapes to a seemingly abandoned farmhouse. Once there she is quickly introduced to Ben (Duane Jones). Duane is a tall, African-American man who seems to have survived by force until finding the farmhouse. In a very socially surprising scene, Ben smacks Barbra in the face as she is being frantic and unnerved. This is the first time on film that a black man is seen showing force against a white woman. Ben and Barbra's ruckus reveals that there are other people alive and barricaded in the basement of the farmhouse.
From the basement we find a family who was involved in an auto accident that left their young daughter in bad shape. We also find Tom (Keith Wayne) and his girlfriend Judy (Judith Ridley) who were family to those who once owned the farmhouse. A struggle for power erupts between Ben and the father of the family, Harry (Karl Hardman). Ben wants to barricade the home and devise a plan for escape while Harry thinks they should all retreat to the basement to wait out the growing infestation.
The film quickly became one of my favorites because a social commentary on opinions and issues of the time. Harry makes statements about Ben's race and inability to make proper decisions. There is also a strong sexual tension that builds between Barbra and Ben. The movie is less about the zombies and more about the struggles within the farmhouse. The photo montage during the end credits call back to the time of lynchings and a wide spread ignorance that still plagues us to this day. We are forced to question, are the zombies the monsters, or are we?
Romero followed Night of the Living Dead with five follow up films. Each of which contained it's own social commentary to reflect important issues of the time. Romero was a genius at hiding that from the masses within his tales of the undead. And a very special thanks to Romero's partner in crime, Mr. Tom Savini. Savini has served as the make-up effects artists on most of Romero's films as well as many other horror films and franchises. His effects school has given birth to many of today's finest artists, including The Walking Dead's Greg Nicotero.
