Night of the Living Dead (1968)

96% of critics liked it
(48 reviews)
85% of users liked it
(115,649 ratings)

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 (Russ Streiner) and Barbara (Judith O'Dea) whine and pout their way through a graveside visit in a small Pennsylvania town,… More 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 (Russ Streiner) and Barbara (Judith O'Dea) whine and pout their way through a graveside visit 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 group of people 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 dollars, 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, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 30 min.
Directed By: George A. Romero
Written By: John Russo, George A. Romero
Genres: Horror, Classics, Cult Movies

In Theaters: Oct 1, 1968 Wide
On DVD: Apr 12, 2005
Studio: Continental Distributing Inc.

Critic Reviews

Variety Staff, Variety
Although pic's basic premise is repellent -- recently dead bodies are resurrected and begin killing human beings in order to eat their flesh -- it is in execution that the film distastefully excels.
Elliott Stein, Village Voice
George Romero's remarkably assured debut, made on a shoestring, about a group of people barricaded inside a farmhouse while an army of flesh-eating zombies roams the countryside, deflates all genre clichés.
Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader
Over its short, furious course, the picture violates so many strong taboos -- cannibalism, incest, necrophilia -- that it leaves audiences giddy and hysterical.
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
I felt real terror in that neighborhood theater last Saturday afternoon. I saw kids who had no resources they could draw upon to protect themselves from the dread and fear they felt.
Vincent Canby, New York Times
The dialogue and background music sound hollow, as if they had been recorded in an empty swimming pool, and the wobbly camera seems to have a fetishist's interest in hands.
Kim Newman, Empire Magazine
The original and the best.
Christopher Lloyd, Sarasota Herald-Tribune
"Night of the Living Dead" became a seminal film without being a particularly good one. It nudged horror movies away from creepy-but-family-friendly into adult films featuring gruesome violence and nihilistic overtones.
Charles Cassady, Common Sense Media
Oft-copied zombie classic is still intense and gory.
Josh Larsen, LarsenOnFilm
The racial subtext spoke volumes in 1968. Once the zombies start knocking, only a fool would cling to segregation.
Cole Smithey, ColeSmithey.com
Romero saw the enemy, and they are the zombie masses among us. There is nowhere safe to hide.
Steve Biodrowski, Cinefantastique
The Rifftrax DVD (adding humorous audio commentary to George Romero's classic) is not the disaster one might have feared.... Even if you are vaguely offended by their choice of target, you will have to laugh...
, TV Guide's Movie Guide
One of the most nightmarish films ever made, and one that's still hard to laugh off today.
Steve Biodrowski, Cinefantastique
George Romero set a new standard for horror with this low-budget opus.
Sean Axmaker, Seanax.com
This little seat-of-the-pants regional production chewed up and spit out taboos like raw meat in a feral feeding frenzy.
Lucius Gore, ESplatter
Arguably the greatest horror film ever made - and one of the greatest in any genre - 'Night' is also the ultimate B-movie.
Jeremiah Kipp, Slant Magazine
This shocker from 1968 is a time capsule of our fears from yesteryear.
Jeremiah Kipp, Slant Magazine
There's a brute force in Night of the Living Dead that catches one in the throat.
Bill Gibron, DVD Verdict
It is an amazing achievement considering the dozens of like minded efforts that crammed their way into drive-ins and dives during the same period.
Donald J. Levit, ReelTalk Movie Reviews
Seldom have so many pundit parses and public praises owed so much to so little as in the case of the career-launching 'Night of the Living Dead.'
, Film4
A quarter of a century old and it is still absolutely terrifying.

Read all 21 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Daniel M

When John Landis was being interviewed on BBC Radio 5 Live for his new book Monsters at the Movies, he commented that zombies have become the main monsters of the early-21st century. From the re-tooling of Down of the Dead and political, 'infected' movies like 28 Days Later,… More
When John Landis was being interviewed on BBC Radio 5 Live for his new book Monsters at the Movies, he commented that zombies have become the main monsters of the early-21st century. From the re-tooling of Down of the Dead and political, 'infected' movies like 28 Days Later, to spoofs like Shaun of the Dead and Zombieland, zombies have become the go-to monster for popular horror. Zombies are cheap to create, easy to direct, and can be overladen with all manner of social commentary, or played for all kinds of laughs. With this in mind, you might think that Night of the Living Dead could not hold up to modern expectations of a zombie movie. George A. Romero's low-budget debut effort, shot entirely in black-and-white, is not as slick or grossly shocking as either its sequels or modern-day equivalents. What it is, however, is a really terrifying, deeply unnerving film, whose substance still rings true and whose scares still deliver even after 44 years. It's very difficult for us to imagine the kind of outcry Romero's film created the first time round. When it was first released, it played in matinee screenings alongside classic Hollywood horror movies such as James Whale's Frankenstein and Val Newton's The Curse of the Cat-People. Because the MPAA rating system was not in place until a month after it arrived, there were reports of young children going to see a fun old-fashioned horror film and coming out completely traumatised. After much public outcry, with Variety calling it an "unrelieved orgy of sadism", the film was pulled from mainstream theatres, only to find a second, more devoted audience on the midnight movie circuit. Looking at the film today, its terror derives from two completely different sources. One is the same kind of fear or shock that greeted audiences in 1968, namely the shock of seeing monsters that looked exactly like them, preying upon innocent people and eating human flesh. The other kind comes from the continuing political resonance, with its themes of racism, revolution and the Vietnam War still striking a chord in today's society. Up to Night of the Living Dead, popular horror had by and large externalised or marginalised its monsters or enemies. The War of the Worlds and Invasion of the Body-Snatchers used alien invasions as a double for communist infiltration, depicting the enemy as something that was totally un-human, something that had to be eradicated rather than understood. Whether they were tripods or pod people, the aliens were so clearly different to our heroic American protagonists that the films were never quite as scary as they could have been. Romero's film incorporates many classic B-movie elements into its storyline. There is the hapless heroine, the expository radio broadcast, the phone lines being completely down and alien radiation being blamed for what is unfolding. But none of these elements are ever allowed to become the centrepiece, pushing the zombies into the background for the sake of pulpy fun. Romero is too good to let that happen, and instead uses the B-movie riffs as a comfort zone to provide relief from an enemy that is like us in every detail. His "blue collar" monsters come at us head-on, relentlessly questioning our perceptions about our fellow man. One of the creepiest scenes in Night of the Living Dead, which reinforces this technique, comes in the very first scene. Johnny (Russell Streiner) attempts to wind up Barbara (Judith O'Dea) by playing on her childhood fear of ghosts: he jumps around, pulling hokey faces and hollering: "They're coming to get you, Barbara!". While they are larking around, we see a strange man shambling around in the background; because he looks exactly like them, we assume he's a passing stranger and take no notice. Then, out of nowhere, the stranger attacks Johnny and Barbara: he gets his head smashed in, she runs for cover, and the ordinary has become the terrifying. The film is on one level a brilliant examination of racism. It tackles the stereotypes associated with black people in American society, showing the tension and prejudice among the characters in a far more effective way than mainstream efforts like In The Heat of the Night. The interactions between Ben (Duane Jones) and Harry (Karl Hardman) belie a continuing distrust between blacks and whites, resulting in the latter's betrayal of the former in favour of base self-interest. Much of the racial politics of Night of the Living Dead are rooted in the Richard Matheson novel I Am Legend. Both the novel and its 1964 adaptation The Last Man on Earth were big influences on Romero, and while Matheson dismissed the film as "cornball" he bore Romero no ill will. Running through all three works is the theme of protagonists realising their inferior position, letting the old ways pass and submitting to the new order. But while John Neville becomes philosophical about his impending execution, Ben has no such choice. In an appropriately shocking and subversive ending, he survives the zombie onslaught, only to be mistaken for a zombie and is shot in cold blood by a white police officer. Romero described Night of the Living Dead as a film principally about revolution. The idea of the dead no longer being dead is a huge challenge to the preconceptions of the main characters, with Romero playing for scares what Landis played for laughs in An American Werewolf in London. Less frivolously, the zombies are characterised as an unstoppable wave, a counter-culture of death descending on, quite literally, the old way of life. The traditional family unit is destroyed, first by Barbara and Johnny being separated and then the young daughter becoming undead. The creepy scene of the child killing its mother reflects both the rise of the young generation and the erosion of family bonds in favour of pure greed. Like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre a few years later, Night of the Living Dead also touches on the impact of the Vietnam War. In this interpretation the zombies become the brain-dead soldiers returning home in their droves, being unable to reintegrate into polite society to the point where normal citizens feel the need to isolate themselves entirely and ignore the problem. Alternatively, they are the embodiment of war guilt, representing all the 'gooks' on the consciences of American troops, refusing to go away and tormenting the Americans to the point where they literally lose their minds. What makes Night of the Living Dead so effective as a horror movie is how invasive it is. By confining the action to a few rooms, Romero achieves a natural sense of claustrophobia which is exacerbated by the intimate and intrusive camerawork. The recurring images of hands clawing through the barricades are akin to the hallucinations in Repulsion, in which Catherine Deneuve imagines thousands of male hands reaching out along a corridor to grope her. In both films the threat is breaking in rather than exploding out; the threat is endemic and yet is being concentrated in a manner which becomes thrillingly unbearable. The performances in Night of the Living Dead are the key to cementing the level of tension achieved by both camerawork and allegory. Duane Jones and Judith O'Dea improvised much of their dialogue, adding another layer of chilling realism to an already unsettling picture. Karl Hardman's character may be the loudest and brashest in the building, but his performance is one of subtle shifts and gestures which perfectly convey his cowardice and frustration. But it's not just the heroes who are well-fleshed out. The zombies seem to take on personalities of their own, with make-up supervisor Marilyn Eastman making the best of the low-budget effects on offer. Night of the Living Dead remains a huge horror milestone and as cracking a debut feature as you could possibly hope for. While its dialogue is occasionally repetitive and its female characters are never properly fleshed out, its political and social significance remains writ large and it can still scare every bit as well as its gorier cousins. Romero's later zombie movies would push the boundaries of what could be shown on screen, but if pure and simple terror is what you're after, the original is still the best.
Christopher H

An above average schlocky horror movie that was lucky to be the first zombie movie, even though nobody in the film says the z-word. The film starts out pretty good with the famous graveyard scene, and the ending is a pretty clever anti-Hollywood ending. However, this film simply has… More
An above average schlocky horror movie that was lucky to be the first zombie movie, even though nobody in the film says the z-word. The film starts out pretty good with the famous graveyard scene, and the ending is a pretty clever anti-Hollywood ending. However, this film simply has not aged well. Most of the plot feels like the last 20 minutes of "The Birds" if it was extended to feature length. This would not be too much of a problem if the characters had been a little more interesting, and some instances of questionable acting do not help matters. Duane Jones ends up stealing the show because he is the most level-headed out of the characters and the most relatable. The gore, which made this film so infamous when it first hit audiences 1968, is pretty tame by todays standards. Despite some of these flaws, George Romero's "Night of the Living Dead" stills manages to have just enough claustrophobic atmosphere and some decently gritty black and white cinematography to keep things going. This film is interesting just to see how the zombie sub-genre was spawned, but beyond it's historical significants it is just a merely passable horror movie.
Lucas M

A, not just scary and realist zombie gore film, but an underground political classic. Night of the Living Dead is a unique horror movie.
Lorenzo v

"They're coming to get you, Barbara, there's one of them now!" The radiation from a fallen satellite might have caused the recently deceased to rise from the grave and seek the living to use as food. This is the situation that a group of people… More
"They're coming to get you, Barbara, there's one of them now!" The radiation from a fallen satellite might have caused the recently deceased to rise from the grave and seek the living to use as food. This is the situation that a group of people penned up in an old farmhouse must deal with. <center>REVIEW</center> Night of the Living Dead wasn't the first film to ever use the idea of an apocalypse; The Last Man on Earth did almost the same thing four years earlier - but it was Romero's film that popularised it, and this film is pretty much responsible for every zombie film ever made post-1968. Through excellent black and white cinematography, a claustrophobic atmosphere and some shocking scenes of zombie slaughter; Night of the Living Dead is an out and out horror classic. This film upset many people upon it's release in 1968, and despite being over four decades old - the film has lost none of it's nastiness. The plot is very simple, and it follows the idea of the dead returning to life and feasting upon the living. We follow a farmhouse full of people trying to evade the carnage. There is never any solid explanation given about why the dead are returning to life - only an idea about radiation from space. This actually helps the film, though, because there is never an attempt to save humanity or discover why it is happening; we just follow the people in trouble, and that immensely adds to the horror. Romero constantly makes sure that the audience is aware that we're following a group of people without much hope. The scene is always isolated, and the sparing use of radio and television gives the protagonists their only window into the wider world. Romero's use of the camera enforces the isolation in the farmhouse. He uses a lot of close-up's and angled shots, which adequately show the closed space. One of the things that this low budget zombie flick will always be remembered for is the fact that it was the first horror film to feature an African-American. This casting is just one example of Romero's lust for rule breaking, and there are many moments of zombie carnage in the film that seem to be there just to upset the more conservative groups. These scenes also serve the film in it's bid to be frightening, and when combined with the hopeless, downbeat aura of the film; it's all very horrific. Many of the 'zombie rules' were created in this film, and the build up to the ending that sees two of the main characters killed is absolute pure brilliance. On the whole; horror cinema wouldn't be the same without this film. The fact that it's aged so well is no coincidence.
Alexander D

Cult horror at its greatest.
Coxxie M

not a real big deal for me. i think the fundamental reason this movie was worshipped so much when it was released was because it was competing with films that mainly used 2-D mega-rays and 8-ft "giant" rubber tarantulas and ketchupy blood. so people thought, "fuck yea,… More
not a real big deal for me. i think the fundamental reason this movie was worshipped so much when it was released was because it was competing with films that mainly used 2-D mega-rays and 8-ft "giant" rubber tarantulas and ketchupy blood. so people thought, "fuck yea, ill see a horror movie without ugly ass wooden shark fins sticking out of a fake 10-ft wide ocean!" and, voila! a masterpiece was introduced to America. Its the same situation as when everyone was kissing Metallica's balls for being the most hardcore band in the 80's. you know, because its so hard to earn that title when you're running against men wearing parachute-colored spandex and goddamn bandanas on their mic-stands. go fuck yourself, Night of the Living Dead.
moon r

Landmark in so many ways, still capable of inducing horror and to do so after countless years, after countless viewings, one of the greatest horror films ever. The cheapie production values only add to the sense of unescapable doom.
Graham J

Classic zombiefest.
Chris W

This little low-budget classic the standard for future horror films. The undertones about racism (intentional or not), add a nice little social commentary to the terrifying and gruesome scenes filled with shocks and suspense, making this film pretty much required viewing (I think so… More
This little low-budget classic the standard for future horror films. The undertones about racism (intentional or not), add a nice little social commentary to the terrifying and gruesome scenes filled with shocks and suspense, making this film pretty much required viewing (I think so at least) for any person claiming to be a film buff.
Melvin W

Sheriff McClelland: Put that thing all away on the fire! We don't want it getting up again! "If it doesn't scare you, you're already dead!" Night of the Living Dead is George A. Romero's first zombie movie. It's also widely considered to be his… More
Sheriff McClelland: Put that thing all away on the fire! We don't want it getting up again! "If it doesn't scare you, you're already dead!" Night of the Living Dead is George A. Romero's first zombie movie. It's also widely considered to be his best and the best of the zombie/horror genre. It's a low budget, black and white film. This really adds to the creepiness level. The whole movie has a great eerie atmosphere engulfing the settings and the characters. Ben(Duane Jones) is one of my favorite horror movie heroes ever. His character is great. The story takes place in a house where some survivors hold up and try to keep the zombies out. They board up the windows and doors in an attempt to keep the zombies out. The coolest thing about this movie is the radio and television broadcasts that let's the characters find out what is going on. Also, the television interview with the Sheriff is awesome too. Everything leads up to what I consider a cool and pretty ironic ending; if not a bleak and depressing one. I can't say it's my favorite zombie movie, as I've seen others that I had a better time watching. But I can't and won't argue that it's not the best zombie film ever. When talking and ranking horror films; Night of the Living Dead, along with Dawn of the Living Dead are the only zombie movies you can really throw in as some of the best of the horror genre.
Jason C

This movie has truly earned it's legendary status. It's far from my favorite movie, but you can't deny, the genius and execution involved. This might have been one of the most influential movies of all time. How many movies have imitated or been influenced, by this,… More
This movie has truly earned it's legendary status. It's far from my favorite movie, but you can't deny, the genius and execution involved. This might have been one of the most influential movies of all time. How many movies have imitated or been influenced, by this, the original zombie movie? It's been 40 years, so it does show drastic age at times. It also delivers a primitive, yet claustrophobic and horrific atmosphere. I have a great deal of respect for this film.
Spencer S

There have been so many sequels and imitations in the zombie genre that not seeing and appreciating this first great stride in horror filmmaking is a crime in and of itself. As in any horror film, there was great stupidity by the victims, but what can be expected of such a simplistic… More
There have been so many sequels and imitations in the zombie genre that not seeing and appreciating this first great stride in horror filmmaking is a crime in and of itself. As in any horror film, there was great stupidity by the victims, but what can be expected of such a simplistic monster? Everything that you suspect happens: the ghouls walk slowly, covered in blood and lesions, a group of strangers hide out in a supposedly safe place, battle for power, and ultimately are picked off one by one. Culturally, it was good to finally see an African American portrayed as the protagonist without any of the stereotypical exploitation of the 60's and 70's. Much more than horror, the implications of social development weren't on Romero's mind at all, but the obvious nod to consumerism is fully fleshed out in the sequel Dawn of the Dead. Wonderfully shot and with an expert use of cinematography, there was no simplicity to the film, and even if there wasn't a societal message in the intention, the ending made the entire film meaningful for anyone to see.
Greg S

When the dead inexplicably rise to eat the living, a small band of people are trapped in an abandoned farmhouse with ghouls prowling outside. An absolute horror classic and the best evidence that an intelligent storyline full of drama, suspense and surprises easily trumps big budget… More
When the dead inexplicably rise to eat the living, a small band of people are trapped in an abandoned farmhouse with ghouls prowling outside. An absolute horror classic and the best evidence that an intelligent storyline full of drama, suspense and surprises easily trumps big budget effects.
danny d

an excellent little horror film on a nothing budget. although zombie movies had already been around for decades, this is the one that launched the new wave of zombie films that are still prevalent today. one of the most important horror films of all time, the small scale of the film… More
an excellent little horror film on a nothing budget. although zombie movies had already been around for decades, this is the one that launched the new wave of zombie films that are still prevalent today. one of the most important horror films of all time, the small scale of the film is what gives it its effectiveness. a must watch.
AJ V

The best horror film of the year, and the best zombie film so far in history. Romero's film is very stylish and intense. I love the ending too. If you like zombie movies this is a must see.
Cassandra M

The Shining, The Exorcist and The Omen are all films that owe some of their stylistic approach to this film. This is the film that re-wrote the rules of the horror genre as it went along, whilst acting as both social critique and fond homage to 'The Birds' as well. Romero… More
The Shining, The Exorcist and The Omen are all films that owe some of their stylistic approach to this film. This is the film that re-wrote the rules of the horror genre as it went along, whilst acting as both social critique and fond homage to 'The Birds' as well. Romero set in place a steady breakdown of all our assumptions of the horror film, which he then utilised to full effect through the rest of this film and the two superb sequels that followed. This is perhaps one of the greatest low budget cult movies ever made, certainly one of the most influential, and in its brutally harrowing documentary style conclusion a harsh statement on American racial attitudes. A statement which is as relevant today as it was over thirty years ago.
Aaron N

Johnny: They're coming to get you Barbara. Look! There's one of them now. The original film about Zombies, though they are never called zombies, at least in the majority of Romero and others zombie movies. Regardless, this is the one that started it all, and it still gets… More
Johnny: They're coming to get you Barbara. Look! There's one of them now. The original film about Zombies, though they are never called zombies, at least in the majority of Romero and others zombie movies. Regardless, this is the one that started it all, and it still gets what tries to do right. Well made, fairly graphic for its time, and unintentional or not, full of some Romero-style social commentary. Field Reporter: Are they slow-moving, chief? Sheriff McClelland: Yeah, they're dead. They're all messed up. The story is simple. The dead start to walk, and attack whoever get in their paths. Some random people manage to find shelter in a farm house. They try to survive the night. What's great about this film, is that it's more about the tension inside the house between the people trying to figure out what the hell to do, than the walking undead outside. That's not to say that the zombies aren't deadly, because they are. They have no purpose but to cause death and carnage, and nothing will stop them, and that makes it even more eerie. What do you do to a threat that can only be handled in one way? Ben: Don't you know what's goin' on out there? This is no Sunday School picnic! Romero's film is very low budget, to the point of using non copy written music from older B-movies, but it is still well done. Seeing the image of a lone person stalked by tons of walking dead make for a sticky situation. Dealing with characters that are all confused, frighten, and irritated helps things further. As a huge fan of well done zombie films, in particular these early Romero films, its always pleasing to continue revisiting this film. It sets the standard for how others should follow. A bleak situation that paves the way for more interesting plot threads involving the characters stuck in said situation. I not one to knock a film for its age. If I am entertained for find something to keep me intrigued, I don't care when it came out or the state of its production values. As far as I am concerned, the film is well done, good horror fun. Dr. Grimes: In the cold room at the University, we had a cadaver, a cadaver from which all limbs had been amputated. Some time early this morning, it opened its eyes and began to move its trunk. It was dead, but it opened its eyes and tried to move!
Michael E

though some of the acting is really bad and it does seem to be outdated by today's standards i have to give it this for the time it started the zombie genre and its said that George Romero was offered by a company that they would make the movie have a huge release for the film… More
though some of the acting is really bad and it does seem to be outdated by today's standards i have to give it this for the time it started the zombie genre and its said that George Romero was offered by a company that they would make the movie have a huge release for the film rather than it being independent but only if he cut out all the murder scenes and make it a love story and he turned it down that takes guts offered to make it a huge international film and turn it down just because you dont want your film altered that takes total devotion to your work
Bently L

The one that started it all! The directorial career of George A. Romero and the kick-off of the zombie genre. It's "Night of the Living Dead"! Filled with great story, suspensful camera angles, sequences, and music, believable characters, and not to mention the… More
The one that started it all! The directorial career of George A. Romero and the kick-off of the zombie genre. It's "Night of the Living Dead"! Filled with great story, suspensful camera angles, sequences, and music, believable characters, and not to mention the beautiful amounts of blood and gore. We watched recently for the first time and was shocked and entertained and so will you, dear reader. With Halloween coming up, this is a must-see. WARNING: THE LAST 13 MINUTES ARE THE SCARIEST!!! "I don't want anyone's life on my hands."
MisterYoda ?

3 stars