:
Judith O'Dea,
Russ Streiner,
Duane Jones,
more...
:
George A. Romero
see all cast/crew...
: Not Rated
: Mill Creek Entertainment
: Cult, Horror, Zombies, Killer Critters, Cannibals
: 96 min.
: English
see additional details...
System Requirements
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When unexpected radiation raises the dead, a microcosm of Average America has to battle flesh-eating zombies in George A. Romero's landmark cheapie horror film. Siblings Johnny (Russell Streiner) and Barbara (Judith O'Dea) whine and pout their way through a visit to their father's grave in a small Pennsylvania town, but it all takes a turn for the worse when a zombie kills Johnny. Barbara flees to an isolated farmhouse where a family, a teen couple, and a lone man named Ben (Duane Jones) are already holed up. Bickering and panic ensue as the group tries to figure out how best to escape, while hoards of undead converge on the house; news reports reveal that fire wards them off, while a local sheriff-led posse discovers that if you "kill the brain, you kill the ghoul." After a night of immolation and parricide, one survivor is left in the house ... . Romero's grainy black-and-white cinematography and casting of locals emphasize the terror lurking in ordinary life; as in Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds (1963), Romero's victims are not attacked because they did anything wrong, and the randomness makes the attacks all the more horrifying. Nothing holds the key to salvation, either, whether it's family, love, or Law. Topping off the existential dread is Romero's then-extreme use of gore, as zombies nibble on limbs and viscera. Initially distributed by a Manhattan theater chain owner, Night, made for about $100,000, was dismissed as exploitation, but after a 1969 re-release, it began to attract favorable attention for scarily tapping into Vietnam-era uncertainty and nihilistic anxiety. By 1979, it had grossed over $12 million, inspired a cycle of apocalyptic splatter films like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974), and set the standard for finding horror in the mundane. However cheesy the film may look, few horror movies reach a conclusion as desolately unsettling. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide
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The Evil Dead
Gory, funny, cheap, and lots of zombies. Join us...
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| Warning About This Version
by Bishonen9001
October 28, 2003 - 11:20 AM PST
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29 out of 29 members found this review helpful
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This "30th Anniversary Edition" includes NEW footage shot just a few years ago---it brings in new characters, new scenes and it's all VERY VERY BAD! None of the new scenes match the original footage well, the acting is poor and there is a HORRIBLE synthesizer score added in place of the wonderful original soundtrack that Romero and co. had created. Shame on Anchor Bay for releasing this travesty, instead of restoring the footage, they've ruined the movie with the addition of new, unneccesary and incompetently made material. "Night of the Living Dead" did not need any "improving", it's a shame that they've desecrated a perfectly fine horror classic.
Stick with Elite's "Milennium" DVD (in the red case), it's beautifully restored, with great extras. |
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GreenCine Member Rating
(Average 7.58)
1131 Votes
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