2008 marks the anniversary of a horror film that has become a legend and is undoubtedly one of the most influential movies of the genre. Night of the Living Dead would become the movie that would launch the career of George A. Romero beyond just doing commercial work, but it would also serve as the template of what would become the modern zombie movie. NotLD has been released more times on video than what even Evil Dead has believe it or not, and I think we all know that Evil Dead seems to resurface every couple of years in some form.

By now, any true horror fan knows Night of the Living Dead, some to such a degree that they can almost recite the film line for line. Those who aren’t familiar with the movie however, those are the “fans” of horror movies that I would have to say really aren’t fans at all but instead just want to use the term. It’s like not having a familiarity with the other popular movies in the genre or being aware of the Universal Monsters or some of the famous names in the industry. Even Romero himself has stated that NotLD is really just an adaptation, though certainly unauthorized, of Richard Matheson’s I Am Legend, but it has also become quite a bit more than what the 1954 novel was.

The overall premise and story behind Night of the Living Dead is a simple one. Barbra (Judith O'Dea) and her brother Johnny (Russell Streiner) have come to the cemetery to place flowers on their mothers grave, and in the midst of teasing Barbra about her fears in the cemetery, Johnny is attacked a killed by a zombie (though NotLD never refers to them as such) while Barbra finds shelter in a nearby farm house. There she meets Ben (Duane Jones) who is also seeking shelter from the horrible creatures who are starting to amass outside the house. The pair is soon joined by other survivors. The Cooper family, Helen (Marilyn Eastman), Harry (Karl Hardman) and their young daughter Karen (Kyra Schon) and a younger couple, Tom (Keith Wayne) and Judy (Judith Ridley) and the group must find a way to successfully escape before the creatures can find a way inside.

Night of the Living Dead would be the movie that would move the concept of zombies into the modern era. In past cinema, zombies were seen as the Haitian variety, those who had “died” and been brought back to life, now under the control of a master. Romero’s zombies however were the true living dead, though he’s never quite clear on how or what has brought them back to life. The movie does speculate about a space probe returning to Earth, but there’s not much information given beyond that and we are left to make the decision for ourselves. NotLD would go on to spawn sequels of its own; Dawn of the Dead, Day of the Dead, Land of the Dead and most recently, Diary of the Dead, but it would also become an influence on other directors who gave us classic cinema. Sam Raimi unleashed The Evil Dead and its sequels, the Italians would present their offerings such as Lucio Fulci’s Zombi and City of the Living Dead, Peter Jackson meanwhile would give fans the legendary Dead Alive. Others have tried to bring us their take on the zombie genre as well, though many of the more recent movies have really been a pale imitation of the glory that was once found in zombie films, and there are those who have even sought to not only make less than impressive remakes of Romero’s work but even make a profit based simply on using his franchises for their own vested interests.

Over the years, many have tried to dissect and analyze Romero’s now classic film, but even he has stated that much of what people think is there, truly isn’t. In later films there would definitely be some social commentary much of which comes across as being dark satire, but NotLD is just an example of a group of friends trying to make a movie. Casting Jones in the lead however is probably one of the most brilliant moves in the film, though again, some would try and see this is a statement about the assassination of Martin Luther King which actually happened after the completion of the movie. Jones however would not only have the distinction of being a part of a cult classic but also being the first African American in a horror film who was the hero, something seen later in Dawn of the Dead. Jones himself though would see what could possibly happen and in particular, the scene where Ben slaps Barbra in an effort to calm her down. With racial tension still high, something like this, a black man slapping a white woman, wouldn’t be taken lightly by some.

Night of the Living Dead has some other important moments as well. While the concept of the fast zombie seems to be an element seen in most modern movies, Romero does have a few zombies that are faster than what is normally expected, though I suppose ultimately, no one really had created a mythos for the living dead yet, at least not until this movie was released. Karen finally dying and coming back as a zombie is another brilliant moment in the movie, and while the idea of grown men and women coming back to life would be something that would be seen as horrific by many, a child in the same position would become even more terrifying. This same idea would be seen in movies like Rosemary’s Baby, The Exorcist, The Omen, and even the It’s Alive films, though now having an “evil child” is becoming far too common and overused.

Romero also uses a very limited location shoot to near perfection. Night of the Living Dead shows that you don’t need a dozen or more different locations in order to create an effective horror film. A cemetery, a farm house and its exterior, a basement, and maybe even a brief visit to Washington D.C. is all that is really seen in NotLD, and it all works perfectly. Even shooting in black and white is the best approach for the movie. What makes the zombies frightful, at least in my opinion, is that they don’t have the usual fantasy movie monster approach but instead, they are us. It’s the same thing that Romero manages to address in every movie, and with each passing Dead movie, you see zombies from every walk of life in every profession showing that they could be the dentist you visit every year or the elderly couple living next door.

The 40th anniversary edition does include a number of special features, but that certainly should be expected. To release this movie as a bare bones release would be something that could very well be a punishable offense. There are two different commentary tracks included that I know most fans will definitely listen to since most have seen NotLD more times than the common viewer. The first commentary includes George A. Romero, Karl Hardman, Marilyn Eastman and John A. Russo while the other is with Russell W. Streiner, Vince Surinski, Judith O'Dea, Bill Hinzman, Kyra Schon and Keith Wayne. There is a new documentary, One For The Fire: The Legacy of Night of the Living Dead, which is worth viewing and includes interviews with cast members and crew today, not to mention there is plenty of information that really helps define the movie even more. Romero is also featured in a short interview from Rue Morgue, Speak of the Dead: A Conversation with George A. Romero and Jones is also featured in an audio interivew, Ben Speaks: The Last Interview with Duane Jones. There is also a still gallery and the original theatrical trailer, something that fans have seen a number of times already, and finally, the original screenplay which can be accessed via a DVD-ROM.

You probably own NotLD already, but there’s no excuse to not own the 40th anniversary edition. I am a bit surprised that the movie has yet to hit the high definition market, but I’m sure that’s forthcoming. Night of the Living Dead will undoubtedly be released again, probably as a 45th and then 50th anniversary edition, but this is one of the rare horror gems that has managed to withstand everything and decades later, still be considered influential, controversial in some ways, and still is very much the template that should be looked at not just for making a movie but how to make an effective zombie masterpiece.

-mike-