As these folks wander aimlessly toward a bloody end to “Shocktober 2016”, I am counting down my five favorite horror films…and on day #29, we reach #3 on my list – one of the most iconic horror films of all time!
The Iconic “Night Of The Living Dead!”
Take a moment to bow down to the great Director George Romero, who ushered in a new era of horror – with a film that has become one of the most beloved horror films of all time!
“Night Of The Living Dead” has grown more famous over the years, but almost never got made at all! It is a testament to the tenacity and ingenuity of Romero that he managed to get this film made! It was completed on a $114,000 budget and premiered October 1, 1968.
Here is the classic trailer:
The plot is straightforward: A shocking phenomenon has occurred: throughout the country, the dead have suddenly come back to life. A small group barricade themselves in an old farmhouse in an attempt the remain safe from these “walking dead.”
“Night of the Living Dead” is a master class in low budget filming. The script is razor sharp, the characters become clearly defined over the course of the movie, and the gore – well, let’s just say it was heavily criticized when it came out, because it was presented in a “reality” style that was shocking for its time!
The film has grown in critical stature over the years, and was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Film Registry, as a film deemed “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”.
The lead role of Ben was played by Duane Jones. He was an unknown stage actor. It was a major gamble for Romero to cast a Black Actor in the lead; in fact, one Reviewer said that the performance depicted Ben as a “comparatively calm and resourceful Negro”!
Here’s another interesting fact: the word “zombie” is never used in the film. According to IMDB, the most common euphemism used to describe the living dead is “those things,” or “ghouls.”
Can you imagine “The Walking Dead” existing if it wasn’t for this film?
According to the George A. Romero commentary track on one of the many special edition DVDs of the film, the original working print and working elements and materials for the film no longer exist – they were destroyed as a result of a flood that filled the basement where the materials were stored (which was the same basement used in the movie).
The sequels are also great in their own way, and Robero has gone on to make many other films as well – but this was a revelation in low-budget horror, and it will live forever as one of the greatest Halloween films ever released!
Here is another low-budget cult film that hanged horror forever – because “Black Christmas” created the eerie POV camera shot of the killer that was knocked off by every horror film since!
“Black Christmas” is a classic horror film – see the creepy movie trailer here:
https://johnrieber.com/2016/10/28/shocktober-day-28-the-classic-sorority-horror-of-black-christmas/
It’s been a horrific Shocktober 2016 so far – any month that brings Stanley Kubrick and Jack Nicholson together is perfect tin my book!
Yes, these two want to welcome you to the Overlook Hotel, where Jack Nicholson and Stanley Kubrick hung out for a few months and created “The Shining”:
See the iconic trailer – an elevator full of blood – by clicking here:
Another classic horror film is from the great John Carpenter – yes, the Director of “Halloween” took it one step further in the 80’s with this horror classic:
See some amazing special effects by clicking here:
If you missed some of my Shocktober countdown, well you missed some neglected classics like this:
Here is a list of ten great scary movies to enjoy this weekend:
https://johnrieber.com/2016/10/24/shocktober-2016-ten-more-horror-classics-for-halloween/
Enjoy Shocktober!
