Written by Axemaster November 13 2011
Rating 10 out of 10
Director - George A. Romero
Cast
Duane Jones - Ben
Judith O'dea - Barbra
Karl Hardman - Harry
Marilyn Eastman - Helen
Keith Wayne - Tom
Judith Ridley - Judy
Hello again Fright Fans ! Axemasters coming at you from the Dungeon on this windy dark evening with another review of an all time Classic of modern Horror ................ George A. Romeros ..... Night of the Living dead !!!
"Look Barb ! Pocket Protectors are on Sale !"
Here's the story line in a nut shell ...........
Barbra and her brother Johnny take a Sunday drive to a rural cemetery in Pennsylvania to visit the grave site of their father . When they get there Barbra gets a bit spooked , and Johnny , being the dutiful brother begins to tease Barbra . He starts to tell her , and this is a Classic Quote from this Classic flick ... " They're Coming To Get You Barbra ! " He repeats it a couple times , and well , You Guessed it Fright Fans !! They Come to get her !! As Johnny is busy teasing his sister , we see an oddly shambling man coming through the cemetery towards the two . He attacks Johnny and in the process slams old Johnny's skull into a tombstone ! (Ouch ! ) Upon seeing her brother presumably killed by
"Dam Razor Rash is Killing Me !"
this strange moaning grayish ghoul , Barbra freaks out and runs for her life ! She runs to an old farm house . She goes in and finds that the owner has been partially devoured !! She runs back out and as she does so , notices that there are more shambling freaks headed towards her and the house ! Just then a pickup pulls up and a tall dude jumps out and drags her back into the farm house ! (This sure isn't Barbs day !) His name is Ben , and he's hell bent on keeping these strange Ghouls from getting in after them ! Barbra tells him that they have to save Johnny , and begins to freak out , slapping Ben ! Ben slaps her back and she collapses in a nervous breakdown kind of way ! Ben begins to board up the windows and doors with anything he can use ! Ben finds a rifle in the closet , and some shells !(Very Useful when the Dead Begin To Walk The Earth ! Let me tell You !)
"Look ! Gilligans Island ! "
Once Ben has all the work done and the house is halfway secure , we discover that Ben and Barbra are not alone inside the farm house ! Harry and Helen , a married couple , and their daughter Karen , along with Tom and Judy , a teenage couple , have been hiding in the cellar ! Harry ( a real A-Hole !!!) is sure that the best place to be is the cellar ! He seems quite agitated that Ben doesn't want to go down there and hide with them ! Tom is more reasonable and thinks that Ben has a point when he says that there's No Way Out of the cellar ! To top it all off , Karen is sick . See , she's been Bitten by one of the Ghouls !! ( Gulp !)
and Harry doesn't want to move her . The discord among this gang of hapless heros grows when Ben turns the TV on and they say there are fortified aide stations , where people can find safety . Naturally Ben , being a Doer ... wants to
"Hey Sis ! Remember all those times
You Called Me NERD !!"
attempt to get to these aide stations . Harry , being an A-Hole , doesn't . Through all this Barbra has reverted to a bowl of quivering Jello , and really offers no opinion on the matter . Tom , Judy and Helen , back Bens idea to get the hell out of there , before the growing herd of Zombies break in for a little midnight snack ! So they hatch a plot to get to a gas pump out back by the barn with the pickup , which Ben coasted in on fumes , fill it up , and head to the nearest aide station for a hot meal and a shower !!
Will our gang of heros make it out of the farm house and into town ?
Will Harry get his for being a class A , A-Hole !!??
Will the Zombies get that hot meal on wheels they've been craving !!????????????
"Do You Feel Lucky Punk !?"
You know I'll never tell ! You will have to watch this one yourself and find out Fright fans ! I think that when you do , you'll be surprised at how good this flick has stood the test of time . Romero pushed the envelope with this film in 1968 in a couple of ways . First of course is the gore . Yes , there is feasting of flesh in this flick folks , and I can only imagine how freaked out and grossed out movie goers must have been to see that back just one year after the "Summer of Love" !! We've all become rather desensitized since don't forget , so these gruesome scenes must have blown some Hippie minds back in the day !
The other way Romero took a risk was casting an African American actor to play the lead role back then . Duane Jones did a great job as no nonsense Ben . Audiences
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in those days were not used to seeing African Americans in roles where they called the shots . It was a strong performance , and still holds up well , all these years later .
Night of the Living Dead is the first review that this reviewer has given a 10 out of 10 to . I watched it again just recently , and was very impressed with it . It seems as good as any of the current Zombie films or TV shows that are out , and hey , Why Not !? This is after all , the one that started the Modern Zombie craze as we know , and love it !
So , pop some corn fright fans , and sit back with this Black and White Beauty , and turn off all the lights ! I really don't think you'll be disappointed !
The light is growing dim down here in the Dungeon ..........
I've got to get home before dark or else ........ hey ????
What are those people doing out in the Cemetery ?????
Written by Axemaster November 13 2011
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