Directed by George Romero
Written by John Russo and George
Romero
Starring Duane Jones (Ben) and
Judith O’Dea (Barbra)
Cinematography by George Romero
Edited by George Romero
Released in 1968
While reading about Carnival of
Souls, I'd heard that it was an influence on Romero's debut. I'd somehow
never seen Night of the Living Dead
up to that point, so I couldn't agree or disagree. Having rectified that, I
wholeheartedly concur. Herk Harvey's lo-fi, cult favorite is an undeniable
progenitor of many of the stylistic choices found in Romero’s shocker.
The design of the zombies is kept simple. They're basically unkempt
extras with smeary white face-paint and large amounts of eye shadow. It's
spartan, but looks effective in black and white. Romero keeps things loose and
rough in terms of camerawork and cinematography and that, combined with the
worn-out look of the non-professional actors, gives the film that outsider art,
small-town nightmare vibe that Carnival
of Souls also captured.
Romero has maintained race did not factor into the casting of Duane Jones in the role of Ben. So, the extra dimension he brings to the proceedings is either a stroke of luck or of genius depending on how much stock you put in the director’s statement. It’s rare for an African-American to lead a horror (really any) film even today, and basically unheard of in 1968. That daring casting choice causes many fascinating undercurrents to flow through the film. Ben is shown to be highly capable in fortifying the house, beating down zombies with blunt objects, and crafting Molotov cocktails. It’s never outright stated, but it’s easy to see his actions and extrapolate that these are tasks he had to learn due to the racism and social upheaval of the sixties. Similarly, epithets are never thrown at Ben, but racial conflict heightens the struggle between him and Harry. Harry’s indigence about taking orders from Ben makes all too much sense considering the political climate at the time.
Even today, it’s easy to see why Night of the Living Dead was so controversial. For one, all of the pre-release material had the whiff of a cheap, silly fifties sci-fi spookfest (see the goofy photos and green font of the poster and the cheesy trailer). I’m not sure at what point the audience who showed up expecting such things realized what they were was far more disturbing. My guess would be when the zombies suddenly start dining on the recently deceased Tom and Judy, or when Ben fatally shoots Harry. If neither of those moments did it, then it had to be when Karen disembowels her mother. That scene, by the way, retains all of its shocking power forty-six years later. It’s a terrifying, chiaroscuro fantasia that branded my brain the second it came onto screen.
I’d like to think that the first people to see Night of the Living Dead stepped out of the theater dazed; worried they’d wandered into a new world of nightmares and chaos. At the very least, horror was never the same again.
Romero has maintained race did not factor into the casting of Duane Jones in the role of Ben. So, the extra dimension he brings to the proceedings is either a stroke of luck or of genius depending on how much stock you put in the director’s statement. It’s rare for an African-American to lead a horror (really any) film even today, and basically unheard of in 1968. That daring casting choice causes many fascinating undercurrents to flow through the film. Ben is shown to be highly capable in fortifying the house, beating down zombies with blunt objects, and crafting Molotov cocktails. It’s never outright stated, but it’s easy to see his actions and extrapolate that these are tasks he had to learn due to the racism and social upheaval of the sixties. Similarly, epithets are never thrown at Ben, but racial conflict heightens the struggle between him and Harry. Harry’s indigence about taking orders from Ben makes all too much sense considering the political climate at the time.
Even today, it’s easy to see why Night of the Living Dead was so controversial. For one, all of the pre-release material had the whiff of a cheap, silly fifties sci-fi spookfest (see the goofy photos and green font of the poster and the cheesy trailer). I’m not sure at what point the audience who showed up expecting such things realized what they were was far more disturbing. My guess would be when the zombies suddenly start dining on the recently deceased Tom and Judy, or when Ben fatally shoots Harry. If neither of those moments did it, then it had to be when Karen disembowels her mother. That scene, by the way, retains all of its shocking power forty-six years later. It’s a terrifying, chiaroscuro fantasia that branded my brain the second it came onto screen.
I’d like to think that the first people to see Night of the Living Dead stepped out of the theater dazed; worried they’d wandered into a new world of nightmares and chaos. At the very least, horror was never the same again.
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