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Good for a zombie flick, pretty mild.  Can't understand why blockbuster put a Youth Restricted Viewing sticker on it, though....

Dawn of the Dead looks good.  Can't wait to see it.  But I'm surprised that Ebert gave it ??4 STARS OUT OF 4??

This was one of the first movies that really scared me.  The first time I saw it was at noon and it still scared the crap out of me.  Kick ass!

The first movie to start off Romero's Dead Trilogy. My favorite out of the three is Day of the Dead, which probaly everyone would disagree with as to being their pick. The first zombie movie to feature gore. I really liked this movie and the 1990 remake. One of the few remakes that was actually pretty good.

This is a firsclass SUCKASS!!! I remember it was the second dead film I saw. The first one was actually the -90 remake! Anyway, it sucks, and I too think that Day of the dead is the best one of them all! You should review that one Andrew! But I suspect you´ll give that one bad critic like everyone else...
I can add to this comment that I´ve seen the whole "dead" series and I, yet, can´t figure out why everybody prefer Dawn of the dead...

I've watched this movie at least a hundred times, and it just keeps getting better. My all time favorite viewing situation was explaining the cause of the zombie plague to an inebriated friend who just couldn't understand "radiation from space" as a motivational factor in the dead walking around.
The very first time I saw this one, I was five years old. My older sister forced me to watch every last bit, and I had nightmares for years afterwards. Parents, take note..if you want your kids to end up warped beyond any hope of psychological intervention, try this one on for size.

One of the greatest horror movies of all time, and it only gets four slimes!  I don't know, man, I really don't... :)

I have never finished watching this movie myself.  Far too intense for my blood.  I did see the remake (all the way through, which is all that needs to be said.)

Wow! My favorite late night horror film feature is now listed on this site. There's a lot I can say about Night of the Living Dead. This movie is a classic in every sense of the word. The original inovator of zombie violence, the debut of the walking dead. Probably,the scene I most recall best, is the classic opening scene in the cemetery, where Johnny, the heroine's brother is killed by a zombie(He later becomes one.)My favorite line:"They're coming to get you Barbara"! Forget the remake, this Night of the Living Dead rules.

Quite possibly the scariest movie ever made in my opinion! I first saw this back when I was around 5 years old at a drive-in theator my parents used to go to regularly. Yes, my mom and dad were very big horror fans and they did not mind taking me and my sister to see these kinds of movies, even tho it was probably not the best idea at the time. But suffice to say, I literally cried like a baby that first time I saw it! I actually thought what I was seeing was true and happening at that very moment. I also remember having some very bad nightmares for weeks after that night, where all I would see were zombies out to get me! I really don't blame my parents for what happened, cuz they didn't expect the movie to be so terrifying. But what do you expect with a title like that, a comedy? This is probably the best movie of its kind even tho by today's standards its very low-budget, but after all thats what it was made on. George A. Romero sure didn't know what a phenomenon he created by making this movie! All the zombie lovers out there owe it all to him. Even tho I'm an adult now this movie still manages to scare me s**tless! I dare anybody out there to watch this movie late at night and all alone! I guarrantee you will never be the same! LONG LIVE NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD!!!

I didn't care much for this film when my brother rented it. So I didn't watch it but my brother and sister did. A couple of months later my brother bought a used copy of the movie on DVD. I watched it. My honest opinion? I LOVED IT!!! Even if you hate it, you thank George Romero for making it. Why? Very simple. Without Night of The Living Dead, there would be no Return of The Living Dead, Dead Alive and even the hit video game Resident Evil. I only have three reasons why this film deserves respect and it's already enough! I think this movie should have 5 drops intead of 4. I recommend this film to anybody who wants watch a entertaining horro film.

Thing "I" Learned From This Film...

Every farmhouse has numerous boxes of 2 to 3 inch nails  and many hammer substitues handy.

Okay, I love this movie...it is a total classic... and, incidentally, it is the first film that featured a black actor in a role not specifically calling for a particular race.  I think that's pretty cool!

Most of the actors here weren't professionals, and neither were the makers, really, but they managed to create a fantastic movie that works, not only as a horror film, but as a keen social commentary.

Image Ten, listed as the production co., was so called because G. Romero found 10 people who'd contribute 1,000 dollars a piece to make the film.  Some of the backers actually appeared as zombies in the film!  I know of at least one who did, anyway.

Turns out old George R. went over budget... he spent a max of 16,000 dollars.  Given the revenue this film has taken in, it beats any other film in American history for income vs. cash outlay.

Whatever its flaws, I think it is a landmark film and a brilliant one.  The focus (not on what caused the disaster, but how humans relate and deal with it) was ahead of its time and wonderfully rendered.  The bleak outlook on human nature is more horrific than the zombies.

I first saw it in '71 (I was six years old, but my parents are like that -  no sex, but all the horror I could handle) and I remember it clearly from that first viewing.  I've loved it ever since. Though I enjoyed the remake, and sort of appreciated Barbara's more active role, the original is still alright with me!  Five Stars!

Night of The living Dead - a cult classic, agreed. I'm afraid I must disillusion chaplin889'hotmail.com (Paul Westbrook)It isn't the debut of the walking dead - that (dubious) honour belongs to us Brits. Hammer films made Plague Of The Zombies in 1965. It also includes the first zombie decapitation!

I remember renting this movie for free at the local library when I was maybe 9 or 10. I popped it in, and laughed my ass off! The nude zombie invoked a couple of rewinds, but the ending came as a shock, I remember getting p**sed off at it, and kept rewinding it to make sure what I saw actually happened and I kept yelling at the mob to look closer at the silouette in the window. Depressed, I went to bed, but I discovered I couldn't. This movie, that I had dismissed as an unintentionally hilarious piece of shock grew scary as the night arrived. Memories of the little girl killing her parents, and Ben trapped in the cellar below a bunch of angry, hungry zombies, why didn't they open the door? What if they did? This movie was the scariest movie I had ever seen, and it still is. God bless you George Romero for my bouts with insomnia.

It's hard to believe that this classic movie is on the badmovies.org site.

However, the 30th anniversary edition that John Russo is responsible for DESERVES to be at the very top because it stinks to high heaven.

What a way to cheapen a legacy. Thanks a lot, John, Russ Streiner, Bill Hinzman, and Karl Hardman. You guys should have known better.

And thanks, Scott Vladimir Licina for taking a perfect score (a library one, to boot) and substituting an anemic one. What a dude. Not to mention your acting (non)ability.

And a Big thank you to George Romero for having the common sense NOT to take part with the 30th anniversary edition.

Thank you for letting me vent.

I saw this film when I was still in high school! It was played on TV, at around Midnight! I was at a friends house and I had to walk home afterwards! Down this dark road, and nothing but woods around! I was really scared! This movie was low budget but delivered big! I remember during the show the network kept flashing a banner at the bottom of the screen: THIS IS ONLY A DRAMATIZATION! And lastly this show should only be seen in the original B/W. Format! It really adds to the eerie mood!

Nobody seems to realize that Harry was right.  The basement was indeed the safest place.  Ben got exactly what he deserved, the overbearing bastard.

Night of The Living Dead is what horror movies should be, not just young horny adults screwing around while a serial killer knocks them off one by one.

I say this movie as a young Child, For months I was scarred silly and feared cloudy days.

This film wasn't really that scary, but I still consider it a classic. I haven't watched it more than once, and I don't care if I ever see it again. Well worth the experience, but really just OK. Sorry, everyone!

I watched this film many years ago as a kiddy when it first came out and wasn't to impressed . However after watching it again as a mature individual I discoverd the film was actually a chilling social comment , in which maybe the director is suggesting that "we" the humans are the monsters.

The best character in this film is the mad prof who dishes out ruthless information to the s**t scared public.

Indeed the death of the lead character at the very hands of his suspossed saviours is still frightening to this day and gives rise to further debate about gun toteing mobs and non-cocasian folk.

Still as zombie films go its a must, its still at the core of this genre and shouldnt be ignored.

Chris -England-

    When Johnny says his famous line "They're coming to get you Barbra!" the film historians all say he is imitating Boris Karloff.  Is it just me or does he sound more like Roddy McDowall?  Also, Johnny is killed when his head slams into a tombstone (symbolic, I know but that isn't the point here) if the impact was strong enough to kill him shouldn't it have been to insure that he WOULD NOT return to life since we later learn a heavy blow to the skull can kill a zombie?
   Hey I am not trying to spoil the movie for anyone, I was just wondering.

This is the only horror movie that can still scare me no matter when I watch it. I tried it in the afternoon with friends, and it still made me nauseous. Great surprise ending and incredibly realistic gore. A must see!!

You have to admit that they where the most considerate zombies ever to walk this planet; the way they stood in line by the car, waiting for their turn to pull those entrails out for dinner, shows that they have more manners than most people at a deli counter in a supermarket.

This is a true classic.  With a surprise ending and twists at every turn, it is second in zombie movies only to Dawn of the Dead.  Note: You may watch the 90s version of the movie...but it just isn't the same.

I'm shocked...

There must be no Pittsburghers who read this site!  No mention of the Bill Cardille cameo.  Just about any one whose lived in PGH knows "Chilly Willy", a bad-movie show host whose show ran for years, and years and years(also a local journalist). He show was so popular with local bad movie buffs, that they still talked about it when I movied there in '90...almost 5 years after the show went of the air. (They did a special reunion show for a PBS drive in 93 or 94...)

Romero, an alumnus of Carnegie Mellon (my alma-mater, a small school in pgh), but him in as a tip of the hat to the PGH area, as he did with most of the town names.  (the ones that go across the bottom of the screen during the news casts)

Most of the towns listed are within a 100 miles or so of PGH...makes for _very_ crepy watching this film in the city itself. (Probably intentional, as given the budget, they probably didn't think it was going to be seen elsewhere).

If you know someone in PGH who hasn't seen this, do yourself a favor...arrange to visit them for a few days and throw this in. They will total freak.

---
Myddrin

(PS: the Mall in Dawn of the Dead is the Monroeville Mall, one of the first malls to open in the PGH area.)

Holy crap. My dad made me watch this movie as a child, and it warped me for life. I sleep with a baseball bat under my bed. I plan for 'zombie invasions.' I read every book on the subject. I play a lot of role-playing games, most involving zombies (Eden Studio's All Flesh Must Be Eaten; very nice, and White Wolf's Hunter: The Reckoning). And this is one of my favorite movies of all time. Egad, I get chills thinking of it. WHen Ben dies, it p**sed the crap out of me. When Mr. Cooper's daughter eats him . . . when the accident that caused the walking dead isn't explained well . . . wow. Mr. Romero, my hat goes off to you. You've ruined my life.

Keep up the good work!

     This is still one of the best horror movies ever made. Even the awful remake in the early 90' just show's you how good this picture is. It say's a lot for director Romero, who also scored with Dawn but missed the mark with Day.

I really like this movie if you are a zombie fan like I'am you shouls check it out. If you like this one you should check out the 1990 verison of it. I think this one is better though.

Not to be a dick, but this dubious honor we're tossing around here would probably go to White Zombie (1933) over three decades before Last Man ever came out.  That's to say, if not to some other movie, that being the earliest zombie flick I own.  They didn't eat flesh in that one though, so you may have me on a cinematic technicality.

Night of The Living Dead is a great movie. It is one of those movies that you never forget. I was shocked as hell when Ben died at the end but in my mind I was thinking man it's 1968 and the black guy isn't dead yet.

This film is one of my all time favorites.This did'nt require any fake kung-fu fights or any of that cartoon crap,this was zombie survival at it's best.

I first saw this flick at the long-defunct Orsen Welles Cinema in Cambridge, MA.  I was living in Waltham at the time (1970) and had just graduated high school.

Anyway, my friends called and picked me up and we smoked a huge bowl of hashish beforehand.  By the time I walked in the theatre, I was ready for anything.  Except this. What a jolt!

I watch it to this day and can't get enough of this classic.

Honestly I was no more sympathetic towards Ben than Harry in this film, since both wanted to be "in charge". Let's be real here: If by chance a horde of flesh-eating undead did try to take over the world, NO ONE would be in charge, it would be every man for himself (and maybe just agree to help each other out). I think the film plays with this idea a bit: Note that Ben's "leadership" eventually got everyone killed (thanks in part to everyone else's screwups, though) and the greatest irony of the film is that Harry was actually right about the basement being the safest place, but Ben was far to stubborn to listen, insisting instead that HE was "in charge". I think this is why I preferred the remake of this film - there were actually one or two level-headed characters to balance out all the macho power-struggling.

What's wrong with the 30th Anniversary Edition?

George A. Romero was originally supposed to direct the new scenes, but he got tied up with another project.

And Scott Vladimir Licina's new score was excellent.

Okay, so the new scenes didn't mix in very well, but the original cut of the film is included on the disc as well (with Licina's excellent score as well).

And it's still an interesting experiment. Too bad it didn't work.

But it's still one of the greatest horror films of all time, and no matter what you do to it, it's still that same old classic.

The first of Romero's classic "Living Dead series" this one  is bleak, relentless, and brilliant.
****

Believe it or not, this movie is public domain! You can watch it for free and hell, why not download it while you are there. Check it out

http://www.archive.org/movies/details-db.php?collection=feature_films&collectionid=night_of_the_living_dead

OK, but how come the corpse Barbara finds in the house (creepy skeleton stuffed in the closet) never comes to life as a zombie?  The TV broadcast says that ALL who die from whatever cause since the time of the zombie's rising will come back as zombies.  So has the skeleton in the closet been dead too lnog to be affected?  This seems strange, because it seems as though the chouse was recently inhabited.  Any answers to this?

Whats so great about Night is that through out it reveals the still living as the true monsters

"What's wrong with the 30th Anniversary Edition?"
What's wrong with it? I'll answer that last.

"George A. Romero was originally supposed to direct the new scenes, but he got tied up with another project."

Actually, Romero was never slated to direct, even if John Russo has given that impression in interviews over the years since the release/dismal failure of this hacked film.
Romero never gave his blessing or his directorial intentions.

"And Scott Vladimir Licina's new score was excellent."
Excellent seems pretty silly to me, but I'm not saying you're silly for enjoying it, honest. I like a lot of stuff that sucks. But Licina's a hack, at any point in his new 'score', the music is either irritating, derivative or just plain ineffective. The original's stock library score was far more effective.

"Okay, so the new scenes didn't mix in very well, but the original cut of the film is included on the disc as well (with Licina's excellent score as well)."
Again, excellent is in the ear of the be-hearer (?). And you're right, the new scenes didn't mix in well... at all.

"And it's still an interesting experiment. Too bad it didn't work. But it's still one of the greatest horror films of all time, and no matter what you do to it, it's still that same old classic."
Here I MUST agree, it IS a classic, and this experiment did NOT work. At all.
And here is what is wrong with this Edition.
People who did not see the original NOTLD before this hackneyed b.s. version came out MIGHT think THIS is the definitive version of the film.
If this film HAD been the one released in 1968, I highly doubt it would have retained any amount of the power and legend it surely holds now. It would never have become the classic we agree it is.
And the worst part is the arrogance and stupidity of Mssrs. Russo and Streiner, et al.
John Russo's been riding the wave (if you can call it that) of being a part of the original's creation ever since it was created, and thinks he has the right to dicker with it because of this conceit.
Which would be like my repainting the Mona Lisa because I helped build the frame. Or recutting the Beatles albums because I delivered the blank tapes to Capitol and Apple.
I'm not saying NOTLD is the Mona Lisa or The Beatles, but it IS pretty damned close to their level of status in popular culture, and for ANYONE, no matter how closely involved with the original, to screw it up is shameful and stupid.
I am still p**sed at George Lucas for his dickering with his OWN films, so even if Romero HAD been involved with this one, I'd still spit on it (lest anyone think I'm some starry-eyed Romero lover)...
If Russo and the Gang can't make a NEW film worth a damn (and even the most cursory glancing of Children of the Dead pretty much indicates their lack of real talent to do so), then they ought to hang up their lab cots and go home.
Leave our classics alone.

My all time favorite movie!!! The untampered one is an all time classic!!

Only three drops? Really?

My dad let me watch this when I was like 6 or something. Since then zombies have been a regular part of my nightmares.

Still an entertaining movie though.

 :hot: You better bust your hind end to see this classic! Great reviews all around!!!! Father of modern Zombie movies!!!! LOVED IT!!!!!!

Definitely the only movie that I was a little spooked by.  Walking through the dark house from the living room to my bedroom in the middle of the night right after watching Night of the Living Dead was scary I tell you what.

And I don't know if anyone else said this but one more thing to watch for is when Barbara slaps the black guy then he just gives her this look and BAM smacks her across the face and knocks her out. hahahaha best part of the whole movie.

A review for your consideration from the filmgeeks at Videoport, the best g-d video store (left) in the world (we're in Portland, Maine).  Peace and Zombies.

videoportjones.wordpress.com/2010/08/29/zombie-war-1-night-of-the-living-dead-1968/

and here are THE ZOMBIE RULES!

videoportjones.wordpress.com/2010/08/17/the-zombie-rules/

Fight!  Fight!  Fight!

I'm actually watching this film for the first time right now.  I am finally getting a chance to see this.  To be honest the movie is pretty good but fairly dated I do like the 90's version better.  In the 90's version Barbara is an actual character for more than just the first 15 minutes of the film. 
Actor motivation for 1968's Barbara: you like small things, stare at the music boxes and lace while you wait for zombies to eat you.

The first time I ever saw Night of the Living Dead was on the PBS channel. They were doing a 10 year anniversary of this horror classic. It was shocking at the time and being filmed in Black & White made it even more scary. Although I seen Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things 6 years earlier, this movie was in a class of it's own. 

Of interest with the 1990 version (also the first official remake) is that Tom Savini directed the movie, and let someone else in charge of the effects. 

The creatures looked a little better, and also like they died in the middle of everyday activities in some case, something that wasn't so apparent in the original save for a few shots like the bug eating ghoul played by Marilyn Eastman, aka Helen Cooper.

However, the gunshots in the remake were all canned (and not the real sounds) and the movie, for the most part, had little or no gore and very few headshots. 

And be prepared for a real kicker of an ending, from Ben in the cellar to the very end of the film. It's not the old NOTLD for sure..

It's up for debate but could it be that the ending could have been racially charged?
It could be that they knew he was a zombie but he was also black.
You never know, just a thought.