George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead (1968) isn’t just a low-budget horror flick—it’s the film that practically gave birth to the modern zombie genre. With its gritty black-and-white visuals and social commentary, it remains one of the most influential horror films ever made. Let’s dive into every angle of this classic.
Detailed Summary
The Cemetery Opening
The movie begins with Barbra and her brother Johnny visiting their father’s grave in rural Pennsylvania. Their sibling bickering is interrupted by a strange, staggering man who suddenly attacks Johnny. This moment, “They’re coming to get you, Barbra!” instantly becomes iconic. Johnny is killed, and Barbra narrowly escapes, seeking refuge in a farmhouse.
Ben and the Farmhouse
At the farmhouse, Barbra meets Ben, who quickly establishes himself as the pragmatic survivor. He barricades the house and explains the danger: strange, flesh-eating ghouls are spreading across the countryside. Their origin is linked in news reports to radiation from a space probe returning from Venus, but the cause is never confirmed.
Tensions Rise
They soon discover other survivors hiding in the cellar: Harry and Helen Cooper, their injured daughter Karen, and a young couple, Tom and Judy. Ben and Harry clash repeatedly—Ben wants to fortify the main house, while Harry insists the cellar is the safest place. Their infighting becomes as dangerous as the undead outside.
Chaos at the Gas Pump
In a desperate attempt to refuel a truck for escape, Tom and Judy are killed when the truck explodes in flames. The ghouls feast on their charred remains, in one of the film’s most shocking and controversial scenes for 1968 audiences.
The Breakdown of Order
As the zombies breach the barricades, Helen is killed by her own daughter Karen, who has turned into one of the undead. In a chilling sequence, Karen uses a trowel to stab her mother to death before feeding on her. Harry is shot by Ben after a heated standoff, and Barbra is finally dragged away by the horde.
Movie Ending
The climax leaves Ben as the sole survivor, barricaded in the cellar—the very place he once refused to hide. He manages to hold out through the night, with zombies swarming upstairs. As dawn arrives, armed posses sweep the countryside, killing zombies one by one.
However, in a devastating twist, Ben emerges cautiously from the cellar only to be mistaken for a ghoul. Without hesitation, the posse shoots him in the head. His body is dragged out and tossed onto a fire with the other corpses. The credits roll over stark still photographs of his body being burned.
This bleak ending shocked audiences in 1968—not only because the protagonist dies pointlessly, but also because a Black man is killed by an armed white posse at the height of the Civil Rights era. Romero later stated the casting of Duane Jones wasn’t meant to be political, but the cultural context made the ending hauntingly symbolic.
Are There Post-Credits Scenes?
No, there are no post-credits scenes in Night of the Living Dead. The ending is final, grim, and unflinching. The film concludes with the disturbing still-photo montage of Ben’s corpse being disposed of.
Type of Movie
- Horror
- Survival Thriller
- Proto-Zombie Apocalypse
- Social Commentary Film
Cast
- Duane Jones as Ben
- Judith O’Dea as Barbra
- Karl Hardman as Harry Cooper
- Marilyn Eastman as Helen Cooper
- Keith Wayne as Tom
- Judith Ridley as Judy
- Kyra Schon as Karen Cooper
Film Music and Composer
The soundtrack is largely made up of stock library music from previous horror and science-fiction films, giving it an eerie, unsettling tone. There was no original score commissioned, which added to the film’s raw, documentary-like feel.
Filming Locations
- Filmed near Evans City, Pennsylvania, primarily in and around an abandoned farmhouse slated for demolition.
- Many extras were local volunteers who played the zombies.
- The remote rural location helped sell the feeling of isolation and helplessness.
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Awards and Nominations
Although not a major awards contender upon release, the film has since been recognized as a landmark in cinema:
- Inducted into the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress (1999).
- Frequently cited in “greatest horror film” lists.
Behind the Scenes Insights
- The blood seen in the film was actually chocolate syrup.
- Entrails eaten by the ghouls were real animal organs provided by a local butcher.
- The farmhouse was demolished shortly after filming, making it impossible for fans to visit the original set later.
- Duane Jones rewrote much of his dialogue, preferring a more intelligent and measured tone for Ben.
Inspirations and References
- Inspired by Richard Matheson’s novel I Am Legend, which features a lone survivor fighting against vampire-like creatures.
- Romero cited old horror comics and Cold War paranoia as influences.
Alternate Endings and Deleted Scenes
There are no widely released alternate endings, though Romero originally considered a more hopeful conclusion before committing to the nihilistic ending we see today. Some promotional cuts include slightly different edits of zombie attack sequences.
Book Adaptations and Differences
The film has been novelized, but it is not based on a prior book. However, the influence of I Am Legend is evident—Romero essentially transformed Matheson’s vampires into what we now recognize as zombies.
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Memorable Scenes and Quotes
Key Scenes
- Johnny taunting Barbra in the cemetery: “They’re coming to get you, Barbra!”
- The first ghoul attack that sets everything in motion.
- Ben boarding up the farmhouse with ruthless determination.
- The shocking scene of Karen murdering her mother.
- Ben’s tragic death and the still-photo epilogue.
Iconic Quotes
- Johnny: “They’re coming to get you, Barbra!”
- Ben: “This house is boarded up pretty solid now. We ought to be all right here for a while.”
- Ben (to Harry): “If you stay up here, you take orders from me! And that’s it!”
Easter Eggs and Hidden Details
- The Venus probe explanation was deliberately vague, a nod to Cold War-era fears of radiation.
- The use of news broadcasts was partly to save money but also gave the film a chilling realism.
- Romero originally called the creatures “ghouls,” not “zombies”—the modern idea of zombies actually began here.
Trivia
- Made on a budget of around $114,000 and grossed over $30 million worldwide.
- Romero and his team were sued due to a copyright oversight: the film accidentally entered the public domain upon release.
- Duane Jones became the first Black actor to head a horror film as the hero.
Why Watch?
If you want to see where zombie cinema truly began, Night of the Living Dead is essential viewing. It’s raw, tense, unflinching, and its ending still packs a punch decades later. Beyond horror, it’s a piece of social commentary and film history.
Director’s Other Movies
- Dawn of the Dead (1978)
- Day of the Dead (1985)
- Creepshow (1982)
- Martin (1977)
- Land of the Dead (2005)
- Diary of the Dead (2007)
- Survival of the Dead (2009)