THINGS YOU NEVER KNEW ABOUT "NOTLD"

Things You Never Knew About Night of the Living Dead (1968)

by Mr. Lobo

The "Blood" in Night of the Living Dead is actually Bosco chocolate syrup - which, ironically, is made from 20% human blood.
When the zombies are eating the bodies in the burnt-out truck, they were actually eating roast ham covered in chocolate sauce. However, all the vomit and chronic diarrhea in the film is real.
The gas pump was not bolted to the ground. When the actress that played Barbara runs into it at the start of the film, she tipped it over on the cameraman - killing him. Fortunately, he did not stay dead and filming could resume.
One of the working titles for this film was Night of Anubis. Censors would not allow the film to be released in the US with that title, thinking Anubis might be a word describing a private body part.
During the filming of the cemetery sequence (shot on two separate days) an unexpected accident caused a fast change of script. The car driven by Barbara and Johnny into the cemetery was actually owned by the mother of Russell Streiner. Unfortunately, some time between the two filming sequences, a real zombie attacked the car and the result was a huge dent along the side - which would be easily visible on camera. George A. Romero rewrote the film to include zombies in his film to preserve continuity.
In the scene where Ben is nailing wooden boards to the door, small numbers can be seen on them. These were written on the backs of the boards so they could be removed and replaced between shots. Also visible are the actors' dialogue, camera settings, and Momma Romero's shopping list.
Tom Savini was originally hired by George A. Romero to do the makeup effects for this film. But Savini declined, because he had a better horror movie offer - The U.S. Army wanted him to serve as a combat photographer in Vietnam.
The social commentary on racism (as some have seen in this film) was never intended. According to the filmmakers, after Duane Jones was shot by the posse of good old boys for holing himself up in a farmhouse with a white woman they just went with the racism thing to preseve continuity.
This is the first horror film to have an African-American (Duane Jones) playing a lead role without saying the line, "Feets don't fail me now!"
Bill "Chilly Billy" Cardille, who played the television reporter, hosted a local horror movie program on Pittsburg's Channel 11 and occasionally reported the news. Fortunately, he did not check his sources before reporting the zombie invasion.
Almost every Hollywood studio passed on Night Of The Living Dead because of its unbelievable premise that a black man could be the hero.
One of the original investors was a butcher who provided real intestines and guts for the cannibalism scenes. These were sold the day after shooting wrapped for 29 cents a pound.
Actor/co-producer Karl Hardman (who played Harry Cooper, the father in the basement) also served as makeup artist, electronic sound effects engineer, took the still photos used for the closing credits, cooked the hams, pulled out bent nails, cut the grass, did light dusting, made snow cones, lent Romero a gardening spade, and provided the wheelbarrow for George A. Romero's balls.
The extras who played the zombies were promised $1, a t-shirt that said "I was a zombie on Night of the Living Dead" and all they could eat.
The score of the film was created by using old records for which the copyright had expired. This is why Happy Birthday was cut from the burning truck sequence.
When the writers decided to base the film on zombies, they brainstormed about what would be the most shocking thing for the zombies to do to people... and decided that Tantric massage was too much so they settled on cannibalism.
During production, one the film's working titles was Ordinary People.
The character of "Ben" was originally supposed to be a crude but resourceful truck driver. After Duane Jones auditioned for the part, director and co-writer George A. Romero figured it would be better to use an actor rather than a truck driver.
George A. Romero has readily admitted that Busby Berkeley's Million Dollar Mermaid (1952) was a big influence on his making of this film.
The main house did not have a true basement but a dirt "potter's" cellar, and thus had no long staircase leading down into it. Those scenes were filmed in the basement of the Alamo.
The word "zombie" is never used - ever. Not even in real life. In fact, you never even read this.
The music used in the film was from a Capitol Records "Hi-Q" stock music library, and cost the filmmakers $1500. It was originally used in Teenagers from Outer Space (1959), Killer Shrews (1959), Hideous Sun Demon, Space Angel, Phantom From Space, Shane, The Courtship Of Eddie's Father,and several Heckle and Jeckle cartoons.
One of the Walter Reade Organization's publicity stunts was a $50,000 insurance policy against anyone dying from a heart attack after watching the film every Halloween Night on TV for 30 years.
The film's world premiere was at the Fulton Theatre in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on 1 October 1968 (At 8 P.M., admission by invitation only). The film was met with a standing ovation followed by severe vomiting.
The only real mishap to happen during filming involved the brother of producer and actor Russell Streiner (who played "Johnny"), Gary Streiner. After the scene where Duane Jones sets the chair on fire, Gary attempts to sit in it and caught his clothes on fire.
George A. Romero was the one operating the camera when S. William Hinzman (the cemetery zombie) attacks Barbara in her car by smashing the window with a rock. When Hinzman shattered the window, the rock barely missed Romero and knocked over the wheelbarrow used on the set to carry Romero's balls.
Some of the groans made by S. William Hinzman when he's wrestling with Russell Streiner in the cemetery are authentic. During the struggle, Streiner accidentally kneed Hinzman in the groin. The other groans heard were made by the crew who watched Hinzman get kneed in the groin.
The house used for this film was loaned to the filmmakers by the owner, who planned to demolish it anyway, thereby ensuring that they could do whatever they wanted to the house. Every year, the crew reunites at the Wal-Mart that now stands at that location.
There were twenty-seven trucks used in the film - one for every shot where the truck is seen in the movie - providing hilarious continuity errors thoughout the film.
While writing the script, George A. Romero and John A. Russo were trying to think of a manner in which to destroy the zombies. Marilyn Eastman joked that they should bore them with useless movie trivia.
The filmmakers were attacked by fundamentalist religious groups for being "satanically inspired" because the actors were feeding on pork products - and not actual human flesh.
This film has been the standard for almost every zombie film made since its release (Saturday Night Fever, Xanadu, Weekend At Bernie's).
One of the working titles for this film was Night of the Flesh Eaters, but that title had already been secured by a now-famous pornography producer.
Though the radiation of a satellite returning from Venus is the suspected cause which returns the dead to life, the actual cause is poor diet and lack of exercise.
The script suffered through several revisions during filming. Originally, the character of Barbara was supposed to survive, but she was just sooo damn annoying.
Originally, one idea for the script called for Harry Cooper to die from the gunshot wound he received from Ben before his daughter became a zombie - which would have resulted in Helen coming down the stairs to find him eating their daughter, rather than the daughter eating him. It was decided that this would probably turn audiences off.
Assuming the movie takes place on the first spring time change (per the dialog at the beginning) after the date (December 1966) on the calendar in the house (a reasonable assumption from the condition of the body in the house), one could determine that I have far too much time on my hands.
The body upstairs in the house was made by director George A. Romero, who used ping-pong balls for eyes. This made it very difficult to see what he was doing while making it.