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Night of the Living Dead (1968

Night of the Living Dead (1968

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A Defining moment in cinema
Review: George A. Romero directed this masterpiece back in the late 60s and it defined a new type of filmmaking, a whole new genre and a new type of horror film. In many ways this film is a landmark piece of work that pushed the whole boundaries of filmmaking outwards and gave the system a run for its money. The violence is graphic and gory. Good guys die. A black man is in a lead role. A child murders her mother. A totally untypical Hollywood ending. It had all the hallmarks of a film that should have tanked in the box office, but it did not and the overall reaction was extremely positive. People had never seen anything like it before and quickly a whole barrage of copycat horror films started to appear on the scene.

Basically the story has been rehashed by a million horror films that followed in its wake. Virus takes over the planet, the dead rise, survivors barricade themselves into a house and fight off the monsters and fight between themselves. By todays standards everything in this movie is cheesy from the hamming acting to bad special effects and the stupid "Dont go there" type maneuvers that some of the cast make and it is very slow in parts. Aside from all its misgivings it also has lots of surprises in store and the ending still manages to shock.

The "Citizen Kane" of horror movies is right here and any fan of the horror genre should not be without a copy. A critical part of anyones collection.

[By the way - you may have noticed that a number of competitive dealers are trying to sell their own brand of this movie. Just get the one that has been not been re-edited and make sure that it is really grainy and the transfer looks crap. If you have a color edition, just tune your television to black and white. The worse it looks the better. Just forget the "extra-stuff" hogwash. What you want is the gritty original feel.]

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD
Review: BY FAR THE ABSOLUTE BEST ZOMBIE MOVIE EVER!!! BEING IN BLACK AND WHITE ONLY MAKES THIS CLASSIC SCARIER.THE MOOD OF THIS FILM IS INCREDIBLE. JUDITH ODEA DESERVES AN AWARD FOR HER ACTING!!SHE GAVE AN EXTREMELY CONVINCING PERFORMANCE.NOT VERY GORY BUT DEFINITELY SCARY!!!!THE SOUNDTRACK IS AWESOME AND IS A BIG PART OF WHY THIS FILM IS SO FRIGHTENING.A DEFINITE TRUE HORROR MOVIE THAT SHOULD BE SEEN AT LEAST ONCE OR TWICE OR MANY, MANY TIMES LIKE MYSELF.A+++++ ALL AROUND!!!! GET THIS MOVIE.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Piece of Crap.
Review: Another terrible movie from that terrible Director George A. Romero. This time, there are only about twenty zombies waiting outside.

The zombies in this look better than those in Dawn of the Dead (1978)but are still very boring and unrealistic. Like i've said before, zombies wouldn't be able to move without certain orgains opertating properly in their bodies. Another thing I have just discovered is the fact that if the heart and lungs were operating and moving the body, then the rest of the organs in the body would be recieving blood, so they would be operating too. Meaning the body would be alive. ALIVE!!!!

The story is terrible. A group of people seek shelter in some house and, for some reason, are afraid to leave. There are about 15-20 zombies waiting outside. Why don't they just brake in the house? Because the man sets a chair on fire and throws it outside. Wait a minute. Why are they afraid of fire? They're dead. They don't know what fire is and they don't get hurt by the flames. Why does it scare them so? Romero never answered that question. It sounds to me like Romero just needed an answer.

Another question not answered. Why are zombies walking around the earth? They put out the idea of radiation from Venus, but never confirmed it. In Dawn of the Dead (1978) they said that there was a possibility of a viral outbreak. So , they still haven't found the answer. I wonder when Romero will tell the answer. If Romero doesn't need to answer the question, why does James Gunn's and Zack Snyder's obviousley superior version of Dawn need an explanation. They set out the idea of a virus, just like the original Dawn. Who knows? It sounds to me like the people are just trying find away to make an argument between which version of Dawn was better. The answer to that is obvious. The new Dawn.

The acting is terrible. I know it was low-budget, but you could get better women performances from the lady serving you at the resteraunt. The women in the movie were just terrible. The men were good, but the women were terrible. I couldn't stand them.

This is a comedy that was poorly done. It wasn't very funny and...What? It's not a comedy? It looked like a comedy. It wasn't scary, or entertaining as a matter of fact. I thought they were trying to be funny. The way the zombies acted, the acting, the lines, the pathetic attempt to gas up the truck. I thought this was supposed to be a comedy.

This is a terrible movie and a terrible DVD. I think it's about time George Romero died. He's just not a good director.

Thank god they fired him from Resident Evil. I can't stand thinking of the name. George A. Romero's Resident Evil. It's the George A. Romero's part that I don't like. Paul Anderson did a better job than Romero would have ever done.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Dead still lives on as best of horror
Review: This is the film that started it all. Horror movies have mocked it since--with few coming close to its "raw" terror. George Romero's Night of the Living Dead is probably the best B-movie ever made and is still the most stylish, sinister horror flick produced. It isn't the story per se that makes Night a classic. Night chronicles the war waged by seven average joes holed up in a remote farmhouse with little power and less hope as an army of flesh-eating zombies approach. Ironically, it is the lack of high-tech special effects that make Night unforgettable. Romero's shoestring production values(such as black and white film and seemingly amateur actors) makes the entire proceeding feel real, not like a movie. And the carnage, while gruesome, is remarkably restrained in its overall use, making Night even more realistic. It is also noteworthy that Night made a bit of film history in its casting of an African American as its leading man. With the exception of Sidney Poitier, most 60's black actors were never portrayed as powerful, let alone given the helm of a movie. Duane Jones's character is resoruceful and powerful and is a forceful presence that easily dwarfs his acting counterparts. All told, Night still lives on as the best of the horror genre.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: About Elite's Millennium Edition DVD
Review: Elite's new "Millennium Edition" DVD of the 1968 horror classic NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD includes all of the material from Elite's 1997 DVD edition, plus a few more extras from Elite's '94 laserdisc edition. Both Elite DVDs contain the original unedited version of the film.

The video transfer of the Millennium Edition (ME) looks to be identical to that of the '97 DVD version. To those who haven't seen either edition, the THX-certified video transfer is simply immaculate. Made from original negatives, the transfer has a kind of sharpness, clarity, and contrast that are, according to director George Romero himself, superior even to the print used for the film's original theatrical release. The mono audio is clean and strong, and it sounds identical in both editions except it's in Dolby Digital 1.0 on the '97 edition, but 2.0 on the ME. There is also a mildly effective Dolby Digital 5.1 track on the ME.

The two audio commentary tracks (recorded circa '94) from the LD edition have been duplicated on the '97 and ME DVDs. All the principals except Duane Jones are featured, with the actors on one track and the director/producers on the other. Although the commentaries resemble a jovial get-together for the most part, they do provide considerable details about the making of the film -- the casting of Duane Jones was strictly color-blind, the Barbara character was originally to survive, the filmmakers managed to obtain a helicopter for free for some of the scenes, etc. The commentators also provide many insights to their crafts. For instance, co-producer/actor Karl Hardman says he decided he should play Mr. Cooper in a more demonstrative manner after seeing Jones' calmer portrayal of Ben.

Compensating for the lack of Duane Jones in the commentaries, the ME DVD includes a 16-minute audio excerpt of a 1988 interview of him. In it, he expresses his gratitude for associating with the film, but stresses his need for privacy and anonymity. He recalls an amusing anecdote in which two people who sat next to him argued whether he was really Duane Jones. When they concluded that he WASN'T, he wasn't the least bit inclined to correct them. This interview was to be Jones' last, and he would pass away later that year.

The ME DVD also includes a 10-minute video segment of an interview of Judy Ridley (who played Judy), who provides more anecdotes from the film as well as her experiences before, during and after the making of NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD. The interviewer is co-producer Marilyn Eastman.

The other extras on the ME DVD include eight TV commercials made by Romero and company (the '97 DVD has only four), a 5-minute clip of Romero's followup film THERE'S ALWAYS VANILLA that features then-couple Judy Ridley and Russ Streiner, a few production photos from VANILLA, the hilarious 8-minute 1990 parody film "Night of the Living Bread" (in which Barbara is a brunette, Ben is shorter and chubbier, and hundreds of slices of what could truly be called "wonder bread" are used) that is also on the '97 DVD, text material on the history of the filmmakers, and the original shooting script (which spans over 300 frames). The shooting script is preceded by a brief rough draft which indicates the film was originally intended to be a comedy. Rounding out the extras is a "Scrapbook" section containing 100 or so still frames of memorabilia collected by the filmmakers, including correspondences, photos, newspaper clippings, etc.

Both the '97 and ME DVDs are all-region and without subtitles and closed captioning.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Good horror movie
Review: This is with difference the best zombie horror movie ever made, from the moment we see the first zombie, until the siege to the house. The black and white makes the movie more mysterious, because you never know what's going to happen after. Maybe for problems in the budget the story seems incomplete when one of the character, explains what did he saw when zombies attack a truck. I wish we could see that scene (if it exists). Years after they made the remake, good enough, but not as George A Romero's original. If you want a good zombie movie buy this one.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Radiation from a fallen satellite!?!? Watch the sequals!!!
Review: First off, great film, one of the ONLY good things that was ever filmed in the 60's...

...horror wise that is.

As for the explanation of the satellite. That is just the guys on the radio, repeating what the scientists are saying. If you will follow the series, you'll quickly realize that people are quick to jump to any explanation, so long as it adds a sence of comfort to there now VERY confused life.
That's what I love about the series, is not only the awsome concept, the deep thought George put into "his" brand of zombies, the gore, characters (always loveable, even if you hate them), and last but not least, the social commentary!! That is Goerge's strong point, that's what separates this guy from your run of the mill hollywood director. Too bad he rarely gets the respect he deserves. Heck The Dawn remake was AWSOME, but almost completely lost the social commentary. Well that and running zombies...

...ya right!

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Introduced us to zombie films
Review: NOTLD is a odd horror movie made in the 60s with a low budget(The movie is shot in b&w and had unknown actors and basically one production design(a house). The movie is good to watch only once or twice in either b&w or color(The colorized version is the best way to watch this) and the this is the movie that introduced us to zombie movies by a unknown director(back then)named George Romero. Don't expect state-of-the-art special effects because the only effects they used were chocolate sauce and meat from the butcher Romero knew but expect a weird and sometimes creepy horror movie that remains a classic still. Theres been lots of DVD releases of this one stick with the Millennium Edition and skip the 30th Anniversary Edition.

Other Recommende zombie movies:
Dawn of the Dead(1978 version)
Zombie
Zombie Lake
Dead Heat

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: The dead arise to devour the living...
Review: The horror classic which inspired such other subsequent classics such as 'Dawn of The Dead' and 'Day of The Dead'. A truly dark presentation both aesthetically, literarily, and literally.

Radiation has cause the dead to rise and hunt the living for sustainance. A few people turn a house into a fortress to shield themselves for the carnivorous advances of the walking dead. Veritable ghouls who seek to consume living flesh.

Personalities and wills conflict within the fortress, which eventually leads to the necessary murder {execution} of one of the inhabitants, followed by his family, who all subsequently arise, but are dispatched by the resident leader of this desperate and frightened troop. One tribulation after another, they battle valiantly against the zombies to protect the living, only to be shot square in the forehead by what would have been their rescuers, who mistook him for a ghoul. A dark ending to a dark film.

This film is devoid of the typical 'happy ending' pollyanna scenario propagated by poop-culture, which is actually why, I believe it made such a cinematic impression that inspired a genre from filming technique to the plot.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: My NotLD review(s)
Review: 30TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION:
The ORIGINAL 1968 Night of The Living Dead is a true horror masterpiece. There are many versions of this film but this one (the 30th anniversary edition) remains the WORST.

They add a new beginning with two guys driving the casket of the first zombie (the first one we see in the cemetery played by Bill Heinzman) from the prison where he was just executed to the cemetery where he's to be interred. A cheesy bald priest and the parents of the little girl that the dead guy apparently killed are there waiting for the body. The girl's father wants to see his body to make sure...and then spits on it and leaves with the girl's mother. The dead guy stirs, gets up, and bites the priest...then he wanders away leading us to the REAL beginning of the movie. They took out the whole "driving up to the cemetery" stuff from the original, and begin the older footage with Barbara and Johnny stopping and getting out.

During the film, they've added a car crash family of zombies, as well as some zombies from the Diner where Ben came from (all played by family members and friends of the "flim makers"). Some feeding stuff...nothing big.

Finally, at the end, after Ben is shot, they superimpose a "One Year Later" and show some reporter going to visit the cheesy priest in the hospital. He didn't die from his wound, because of "prayer" and crap like that. Oh, and he has a dog named "Mewshew" (not sure if that's the spelling...but that's definitely the pronunciation) that he has so that, in case he DOES turn into a zombie, he can chow down on it rather than some person who's near by.

Anyway, it's HORRIBLE. The acting of the new people is just pathetic...especially the priest (who just happened to do the new score for the movie...which was equally horrible). Also, they said how they "seamlessly" intercut the old footage with the new, and how Bill Heinzman looked exactly how he looked back then due to the great make up FX...but that was utter *beep* Very sad. Very pathetic. Avoid it.

The original Night of The Living Dead is a true horror classic that should not be missed. Buy the "Millenium Edition" or, if you want to see a colorized version, pick up the OffColorFilms version. Avoid the rest.

MILLENIUM EDITION:
Arguably, the best version of the film to buy on DVD, this disc won't let you down. It boasts remastered picture and Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound, and Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo.

As for special features:
Audio commentary tracks featuring 'George A. Romero' and the entire cast
Film parody - "Night Of The Living Bread"
Still photo gallery featuring rare color photos
The history of romero's company, the latent image
Scenes from the "lost" Romero film "There's Always Vanilla"
Video interview with Judy Ridley
Final interview by "Living Dead's" Star Duane Jones
Foreign and domestic posters and collectibles
Original props
The entire original shooting script
Cast member's personal scrapbooks
Romero's television spots and short films
Liner notes by George A. Romero and Stephen King

Pick up the Millenium Edition today.


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