Night of the Living Dead (1968) - Video On Demand

Night of the Living Dead - Movie Review

Night of the Living Dead is, justifiably, one of the most famous independent cult horror films ever produced. Reviewers initially criticized the films graphic contents, but three decades later the Library of Congress placed Night of the Living Dead on the United States National Film Registry with other films deemed "historically, culturally or aesthetically important" and in 2001, the American Film Institute added the film to a list of one hundred important horror and thriller films.

The story centers around the dead coming back to life after a NASA satellite returning from Venus explodes in the atmosphere. These zombies feed on flesh of the living and the only defense against them is to destroy their brains. Anyone who dies at their hands will return as a flesh-eating zombie, including anyone who has been bitten by a zombie. Several people barricade themselves inside a rural house in an attempt to survive the night. Outside are hordes of relentless, shambling, hungry zombies while inside panic and personal tensions only add to the terror as they try to survive.

Night of the Living Dead constitutes the first of five Living Dead films directed by George Romero. Following the 1968 film, Romero released Dawn of the Dead (1978), Day of the Dead (1985) and Land of the Dead (2005). Diary of the Dead is expected to be released in 2007. Each film traces the evolution of the zombie epidemic in the United States and humanity's desperate attempts to cope with it. As in Night of the Living Dead, Romero peppered the other films in the series with critiques specific to the periods they were released.

Critic Rex Reed wrote, "If you want to see what turns a B movie into a classic ... don't miss Night of the Living Dead. It is unthinkable for anyone seriously interested in horror movies not to see it."

Night of the Living Dead - Cast & Crew

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