Night of the Living Dead (1968)

Released in 1968, Night of the Living Dead is one of the most influential horror films in the history of cinema. Directed on a shoestring budget by George A. Romero, then a 28-year-old unknown from Pittsburgh, the film redefined the horror genre, birthed the modern zombie mythos, and introduced a shocking level of graphic violence and socio-political subtext to American screens.

Shot in gritty black-and-white with non-professional actors and a stark, documentary-like realism, Night of the Living Dead was a seismic break from the gothic or monster-centric horror of earlier decades. It terrified audiences, scandalized censors, and—despite a troubled distribution—became a landmark cult classic whose echoes can be felt in virtually every zombie story that followed.

Plot Summary

The story begins in rural Pennsylvania, where siblings Barbra (Judith O'Dea) and Johnny (Russell Streiner) visit a cemetery to place flowers on their father’s grave. There, Johnny is suddenly attacked and killed by a pale, stumbling man—the first glimpse of the "living dead."

Barbra flees and takes shelter in a nearby farmhouse, soon joined by Ben (Duane Jones), a composed and pragmatic man who becomes the group's de facto leader. As the night wears on, more survivors emerge from the cellar: the quarrelsome Harry Cooper, his wife Helen, their injured daughter Karen, and a young couple, Tom and Judy.

Soon, the house is besieged by flesh-eating ghouls. The humans inside turn on one another in fear, selfishness, and desperation, leading to internal collapse even before the undead breach the walls. In a finale as grim as it is unforgettable, Romero delivers a gut-punch conclusion that shattered genre expectations and left audiences stunned.

Performances

Duane Jones as Ben

Casting Duane Jones, an African American, in the lead role was an unprecedented move in 1968—not because the script called for it, but because he was the best actor available to the filmmakers. Jones plays Ben with intense gravitas, intelligence, and stoic resolve, making him both a capable survivor and a deeply human protagonist.

His presence is especially significant given the racial context of the era. Ben’s fate—shot and discarded by a posse of armed white men who never question whether he’s human or monster—resonated deeply amid the turbulent civil rights movement and the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., which occurred shortly before the film’s release.

Judith O’Dea as Barbra

O’Dea’s Barbra is fragile and traumatized, retreating into catatonia for much of the film—a controversial characterization to modern eyes, but reflective of the era’s treatment of female characters in horror. Her decline from frightened survivor to helpless bystander creates a powerful contrast with Ben’s resolve.

Karl Hardman and Marilyn Eastman as the Coopers

The Coopers, played with tension and nuance by real-life husband and wife Hardman and Eastman (who also co-produced), bring a different kind of horror to the film: interpersonal dysfunction. Harry is argumentative, self-serving, and paranoid, while Helen, caught between duty and disgust, becomes a tragic figure, especially in her final moments with her undead daughter.

Direction and Cinematic Style

George A. Romero’s direction is raw, urgent, and unflinchingly grim. Shot on 16mm film with stark lighting and naturalistic performances, the film creates a documentary-like immediacy. Romero makes expert use of:

Black-and-White Cinematography

While partly a budgetary decision, the monochrome aesthetic enhances the film's realism and grim tone. The newsreel-style footage, complete with interviews and grainy updates, grounds the story in unsettling plausibility.

Claustrophobic Setting

Nearly the entire film takes place within a single farmhouse, enhancing the feeling of entrapment. As the ghouls gather outside and panic festers inside, the house becomes a pressure cooker of fear and irrationality.

Violence and Gore

Night of the Living Dead shocked audiences with its graphic imagery: dismemberment, flesh-eating, and patricide all unfold with jarring realism. For a generation unaccustomed to this level of onscreen violence—especially in a genre previously populated by rubber-suited monsters—this was radical. Romero didn't stylize the violence; he made it ugly and matter-of-fact.

Themes and Social Commentary

Romero’s film is deceptively rich in allegory and subtext, which is a key reason why it remains relevant more than half a century later.

The Collapse of Civilization

The zombies aren’t the only threat. The failure of human cooperation—driven by mistrust, ego, and fear—is the real danger. The breakdown of communication and community is a recurring theme, seen both inside the house and in the response from law enforcement and media.

Race in America

While Romero insisted Ben's race was incidental to casting, the racial overtones are impossible to ignore—especially the image of a Black man being shot by white authorities and his body tossed onto a pyre. The imagery echoes lynchings and systemic violence that permeated 1960s America. Whether intentional or not, the film became a powerful and disturbing commentary on race, power, and societal failure.

Media and Misinformation

The film was among the first to depict the media’s role in a crisis—both as a source of information and a tool of disinformation. The radio and TV reports add to the atmosphere of confusion and futility. They provide comfort, but also false hope.

Reception and Legacy

When it was first released, Night of the Living Dead received mixed reviews. Many critics and viewers were appalled by its graphic content—especially since it was often shown at Saturday matinees. Roger Ebert famously wrote about the shocked reactions of children in the audience, calling the film "unbearable."

Yet over time, its reputation grew. Today, Night of the Living Dead is widely considered:

One of the greatest horror films of all time

The birth of the modern zombie genre

A seminal piece of independent filmmaking

A cultural artifact reflecting the anxieties of 1960s America

It was added to the National Film Registry in 1999 for its cultural, historical, and aesthetic significance.

Influence

The film has spawned:

Numerous sequels and spin-offs, starting with Romero’s own Dawn of the Dead (1978)

An entire subgenre of zombie apocalypse media, including 28 Days Later, The Walking Dead, World War Z, and countless video games

Homages and remakes, including the 1990 Tom Savini-directed remake and the animated 2021 adaptation

Romero’s “rules” for zombies—slow, relentless, mindless flesh-eaters created by an unknown phenomenon—became the genre standard.

Final Verdict

Night of the Living Dead is a landmark in American cinema—low-budget, high-impact, and devastatingly intelligent. It brought horror out of the gothic and into the modern world, replacing vampires and werewolves with something far more terrifying: ourselves.

It’s as much a mirror of society as it is a monster movie. And like the undead it portrays, its influence continues to rise, year after year, era after era.