#marilyn eastman

[esqueletosgays]

NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1968)

Director: George A. Romero Cinematography: George A. Romero

[creepynostalgy]

Kyra Schon in Night Of The Living Dead (1968)

[fanofspooky]

Behind the scenes of Night Of The Living Dead

[georgeromeros]

Night of the Living Dead (1968) dir. George A. Romero

[machetelanding]

[schlock-luster-video]

Remembering Night of the Living Dead star Marilyn Eastman on the anniversary of her death.

R.I.P. (1933 - 2021)

[duranduratulsa]

Now showing on DuranDuranTulsa's Horror Show...Night Of The Living Dead (1968) on glorious vintage Media Home Entertainment VHS 📼! #movie #movies #horror #nightofthelivingdead #georgeromero #ripgeorgeromero #Zombies #duanejones #ripduanejones #judithodea #karlhardman #ripkarlhardman #judithridley #BillCardille #ripbillcardille #kyraschon #billhinzman #russellstreiner #keithwayne #RichardFrance #marilyneastman #60s #vintage #VHS #mediahomeentertainment #durandurantulsa #durandurantulsashorrorshow

[hannahwatcheshorror]

NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1968)

A dramatic, film noir type film, but it works with the musical flairs and equally dramatic camera angles. The whole thing is quite fun to watch (other than it being a pretty realistic depiction of the dangers of a night's entanglement with zombies). The characters and their struggles appear to be very genuine, just as the way the threat feels. Struggle through this harrowing night with them?

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Our eerie film starts out in the car with a blond brother and sister who stumble (quite literally) upon our first walker who makes quick work of Bro then sets his sights on Sis (now, why Zombies don’t ever enjoy the fresh brains they just secured is beyond me, but I digress). Immediately this Zimbabwe is smarter than the average dead-man walking because he picks up a rock to break the car window and get to Barbra (They are using tools! They are learning!) Seriously though, there are so many undead intelligently using rocks and sticks as tools and it makes no sense to me since (you'd think) they are brainDEAD but again, I digress.

The reanimated are also afraid of fire, we find this out when we meet Brave Ben, who is amazing and we love him. I have NO idea why they are afraid of fire though, because Zoomies are all unfeeling, it’s kind of what makes them so strong, the fact that pain doesn’t stop ‘em, so why is fire so scary to them? It was scary to the monster in FRANKENSTEIN because he wasn’t really a monster and had feelings, but these guys are just a load of meat and bone (and lots of space radiation). We find out from the radio that the re-alive folk like to munch on the newly deceased (not yet re-alive) folk which is pretty yucky!

We find five (5) people in the cellar of the house Ben and Barbra are hiding in but they don’t last long! The first couple (2) get barbecued in the truck and we watch the Z-boys have a feast on what should be their charbroiled remains but honestly they still look very fresh (There is one Zamboni in particular (played by Roger McGovern) I called “Little Caesar” and he looked so happy munching on flesh!). Next the family of three (3) lets Daddy Dearest be a dickhead, get himself shot and killed then munched and crunched on by his Zoombini daughter who then kills the mom (in one of the weirdest death scenes but let's just glide on past that).

If Barbra had done literally anything other than lie on the couch the whole movie, she might have stood a chance, but  even if she had survived the fact of the matter was, those policemen (or whomever at the end of the film) were never going out to look for survivors. They were always going to shoot first and ask questions never. That is the tragic point of this film. Brave Ben. The entire night Ben makes the best choices, he helps others, he helps himself, but he also survives until the last possible moment. He survives the NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD only to be shot DEAD by the LIVING. How do you like them apples? (Or for “Little Caesar”, how do you like that cooked flesh?”)

[perfettamentechic]

22 agosto … ricordiamo …

22 agosto … ricordiamo … #semprevivineiricordi #nomidaricordare #personaggiimportanti #perfettamentechic

2021: Marilyn Eastman, attrice statunitense. Era sposata con Karl Hardman. La sua figliastra Kyra Schon apparve nel film La notte dei morti viventi. (n. 1933) 2019: Franco Garofalo, noto anche con gli pseudonimi di Frank Garfield o Frank Garfeeld, è stato un attore italiano. (n. 1946) 2012: Jeffrey Stone, è stato un attore e artista di doppiaggio americano. Stone è stato il modello e…

[roseshavethoughts]

Night of the Living Dead (1968)

My ★★★★ review of Night of the Living Dead (1968) #FilmReview #MovieReview #Cinema

Synopsis – A ragtag group of Pennsylvanians barricade themselves in an old farmhouse to remain safe from a horde of flesh-eating ghouls that are ravaging the East Coast of the United States – Night of the Living Dead. Director – George A. Romero Starring – Duane Jones, Judith O’Dea, Karl Hardman, Marilyn Eastman Genre – Horror | Thriller Released – 1968 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Rating: 4 out of 5. For fans of…

[richdadpoor]

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to Achieve Hollywood Immortality

The neighborhood of Hollywood, California has two levels of immortality. The first is a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, which itself is an incredible, amazing achievement. Then there’s an even cooler, more personal, way to be part of Hollywood history, and that’s to have one’s hands imprinted outside the TCL… Read more…

[incrediblyfastfilms]

INVASION of the BODY SNATCHERS (1978) written by W.D. Richter (from the novel by Jack Finney) produced by Robert Solo directed by Philip Kaufman starring Donald Sutherland Brooke Adams Leonard Nimoy Jeff Goldblum Veronica Cartwright Art Hindle cinematography by Michael Chapman edited by Douglas Stewart music by Danny Zeitlin

JAWS (1975) written by Carl Gottlieb (from the novel by Peter Benchley) produced by Richard D. Zanuck and David Brown directed by Steven Spielberg starring Roy Scheider Robert Shaw Richard Dreyfus Lorraine Gary Murray Hamilton Carl Gottlieb cinematography by Bill Butler edited by Verna Fields music by John Williams

E r a s e r h e a d (1977) written, directed and produced by David Lynch starring Jack Nance Charlotte Stewart Allen Joseph Jeanne Bates Judith Roberts Laurel Near Jack Fisk cinematography by Frederick Elmes Herbert Caldwell edited by David Lynch sound design by Lynch w/ Alan Splet special effects by Lynch w/ Frederick Elmes

P s y c h o (1960) written by Joseph Stefano (from the novel by Robert Bloch) directed and produced by Alfred Hitchcock starring Anthony Perkins Vera Miles John Gavin Janet Leigh Martin Balsam Simon Oakland cinematography by John L. Russell edited by George Tomasini music by Bernard Hermann

A L I E N (1979) written by Dan O'Bannon (story by Dan O'Bannon and Ronald Sushett) directed by Ridley Scott produced by Gordon Carroll David Giler Walter Hill starring Tom Skerritt Sigourney Weaver Veronica Cartwright John Hurt Harry Dean Stanton Yaphet Kotto Ian Holm cinematography by Derek Vanlint edited by Terry Rawlings music by Jerry Goldsmith

John Carpenter's The THING (1982) written by Bill Lancaster (from the novella "Who Goes There?" by John W. Campbell) directed by John Carpenter produced by David Foster Lawrence Turman Wilbur Stark starring Kurt Russell A. Wilford Briley T.K. Carter David Clennon Keith David Richard Dysart Charles Hallahan Peter Maloney Richard Masur Donald Moffat Joel Polis Thomas Waites cinematography by Dean Cundey edited by Todd Ramsay music by Ennio Morricone

The Exorcist (1973) written by William Peter Blatty (from his novel) directed by William Friedkin produced by William Peter Blatty Noel Marshall David Salven starring Ellen Burstyn Max Von Sydow Jason Miller Lee J. Cobb Jack MacGowran Kitty Winn Mercedes McCambridge Linda Blair cinematography by Owen Roizman edited by Norman Gay Evan Lottman music by Jack Nitzche "Tubular Bells" by Mike Oldfield

R e p u l s i o n (1965) written by Roman Polanski Garard Brach screenplay adaptation by David Stone directed by Roman Polanski produced by Gene Gutowski starring Catherine Deneuve Ian Hendry John Fraser Peter Wymark Yvonne Furneaux cinematography by Gilbert Taylor edited by Alastair McIntyre music by Chico Hamilton

THE SHINING (1980) written by Diane Johnson Stanley Kubrick (from the novel by Stephen King) directed by Stanley Kubrick produced by Stanley Kubrick w/ Jan Harlan starring Jack Nicholson Shelley Duvall Danny Lloyd Scatman Crothers Barry Nelson Philip Stone Joe Turkel cinematography by John Alcott edited by Ray Lovejoy music by Wendy Carlos Rachel Elkind

Night of the Living Dead (1968) written by John Russo George A. Romero directed by George A. Romero produced by Karl Hardman Russell Streiner starring Duane Jones Judith O'Dea Karl Hardman Marilyn Eastman Keith Wayne Kyra Schon Judith Ridley cinematography by George A. Romero (uncr.) edited by George A. Romero (uncr.) Hugh Daly

Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992) written by James V. Hart (from the novel by Bram Stoker) directed by Francis Ford Coppola produced by Francis Ford Coppola Charles Mulvehill Fred Fuchs Michael Apted Robert O'Conner starring Gary Oldman Winona Ryder Anthony Hopkins Keanu Reeves Cary Elwes Richard E. Grant Billy Campbell Sadie Frost Monica Belluci Tom Waits cinematography by Michael Ballhaus edited by Anne Goursaud Glen Scantlebury Nicholas C. Smith music by Wojciech Kilar

TWIN PEAKS fire walk with me (1992) written by David Lynch Robert Engels (from the television series created by David Lynch and Mark Frost) directed by David Lynch produced by David Lynch Mark Frost Gregg Fienberg Johanna Ray John Wentworth starring Sheryl Lee Ray Wise Moira Kelly Grace Zabriskie Chris Isaak Kiefer Sutherland David Lynch Miguel Ferrer Harry Dean Stanton David Bowie Michael J. Anderson Frank Silva Al Strobel Jurgen Prochnow Dana Ashbrook James Marshall Frances Bay Catherine E. Coulson Kimberly Ann Cole Walter Olkewicz Lenny Von Dohlen Madchen Amick Peggy Lipton Julee Cruise Kyle Machlachlan cinematography by Ron Garcia edited by Mary Sweeney music by Angelo Badalamenti

Let the Right One In (2008) written by John Ajvide Lyndqvist (from his novel) directed by Tomas Alfredson produced by Frida Asp starring Kare Hedbrant Lina Leandersson Per Ragnar Henrik Dahl Ika Nord cinematography by Hoyte Van Hoytema edited by Tomas Alfredson Dino Jonsater music by Johan Soderqvist

W A R of the W O R L D S (2005) written by Josh Friedman David Koepp directed by Steven Spielberg produced by Kathleen Kennedy Damian Collier Paula Wagner Colin Wilson starring Tom Cruise Tim Robbins Dakota Fanning Miranda Otto Justin Chatwin Amy Ryan cinematography by Janusz Kaminski edited by Michael Kahn music by John Williams

Hannibal (2001) written by Steve Zaillian David Mamet directed by Ridley Scott produced by Martha De Laurentiis Dino De Laurentiis Ridley Scott starring Anthony Hopkins Julianne Moore Ray Liotta Gary Oldman Frankie Faison Giancarlo Giannini Francesca Neri Zeljko Ivanek Hazelle Goodman cinematography by John Mathieson editing by Pietro Scalia music by Hans Zimmer

The Hunger (1983) written by Ivan Davis Michael Thomas (from the novel by Whitley Strieber) directed by Tony Scott produced by Richard Shepherd starring Catherine Deneuve Susan Sarandon David Bowie Cliff De Young cinematography by Stephen Goldblatt edited by Pamela Power music by Michel Rubini Denny Jaeger

DON'T LOOK NOW (1973) written by Allan Scott Chris Bryant (based on the novella by Daphne Du Maurier) directed by Nicholas Roeg produced by Peter Katz starring Donald Sutherland Julie Christie Hilary Mason Clelia Matania Renato Scarpa cinematography by Anthony Richmond editing by Graeme Clifford music by Pino Donnagio

Prisoners (2013) written by Aaron Guzikowski directed by Denis Villeneuve produced by Broderick Johnson Kira Davis Andrew A. Kosove Adam Kolbrenner starring Jake Gylenhaal Hugh Jackman Maria Bello Viola Davis Melissa Leo Terrence Howard Paul Dano cinematography by Roger Deakins edited by Joel Cox Gary Roach music by Johann Johannsson

The Company of Wolves (1984) written by Neil Jordan Angela Carter (from the short story in Angela Carter's book "The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories") directed by Neil Jordan produced by Chris Brown Stephen Woolley starring Sarah Patterson David Warner Angela Lansbury Micha Bergese Stephen Rea cinematography by Bryan Loftus edited by Rodney Holland music by George Fenton

A Quiet Place (2018) written by Bryan Woods Scott Beck John Krasinski directed by John Krasinski produced by Michael Bay Andrew Form Brad Fuller starring Emily Blunt John Krasinski Millicent Simmonds Noah Jupe Cade Woodward cinematography by Charlotte Bruus Christensen edited by Christopher Tellefsen music by Marco Beltrami

W O R L D W A R Z (2013) written by Matthew Michael Carnahan Drew Goddard & Damon Lindelof (from the novel novel by Max Brooks) directed by Marc Forster produced by Brad Pitt Dede Gardner Jeremy Kleiner Ian Bryce starring Brad Pitt Mireille Enos Daniella Kertesz James Badge Dale Peter Capaldi Pierfrancesco Favino Ludi Boeken Matthew Fox Fana Mokoena David Morse cinematography by Ben Seresin edited by Roger Barton Matt Chesse music by Marco Beltrami

LOST H i g h w a y (1997) written by David Lynch Barry Gifford directed by David Lynch produced by Mary Sweeney Tom Sternberg Deepak Nayar starring Bill Pullman Patricia Arquette Balthazar Getty Natasha Gregson Wagner Robert Loggia Robert Blake Michael Massee Jack Nance Henry Rollins Gary Busey cinematography by Peter Deming edited by Mary Sweeney music by Angelo Badalamenti

N e a r D a r k (1987) written by Kathryn Bigelow Eric Red directed by Kathryn Bigelow produced by Edward S. Feldman Steven-Charles Jaffe Charles Meeker starring Adrian Pasdar Jenny Wright Lance Henriksen Bill Paxton Jenette Goldstein Tim Thomerson cinematography by Adam Greenberg edited by Howard Smith music by Tangerine Dream

S e c o n d s (1966) written by Lewis John Carlino (from the novel by David Ely) directed by John Frankenheimer produced by John Frankenheimer Edward Lewis starring Rock Hudson Salome Jens John Randolph Will Geer Jeff Corey Murray Hamilton Frances Reid cinemtography by Tak Fujimoto edited by David Newhouse Ferris Webster music by Jerry Goldsmith

Nosferatu The Vampyre (1979) written by Werner Herzog w/ Tom Shachtman Martje Grohmann directed by Werner Herzog produced by Walter Saxer Werner Herzog Michael Gruskoff starring Klaus Kinski Isabelle Adjani Bruno Ganz Roland Topor Walter Landengast Martje Grohmann cinematography by Jorg Schmidt-Reitwein edited by Beate Mainka-Jellinghaus music by Florian Fricke Popol Vuh

30 DAYS of NIGHT (2007) written by Steve Niles Stuart Beattie Brian Nelson (from the graphic novel by Steve Niles Ben Templesmith) directed by David Slade produced by Sam Raimi Robert Tapert starring Josh Hartnett Melissa George Danny Huston Ben Foster Mark Boone Jr. Amber Sainsbury Megan Franich Manu Bennett cinematography by Jo Willems edited by Art Jones music by Brian Reitzell

f r e a k s (1932) written by Willis Goldbleck Leon Gordon (from the short story "Spurs" by Tod Robbins) directed and produced by Tod Browning starring Wallace Ford Leila Hyams Olga Baclanova Roscoe Ates cinematography by Merritt B. Gerstad edited by Basil Wrangell

the M i s t (2007) written and directed by Frank Darabont (from the novella by Stephen King) produced by Frank Darabont Martin Shefer Liz Glotzer starring Thomas Jane Laurie Holden Marcia Gay Hardin Andre Braugher Toby Jones William Sadler Frances Sternhagen Jeffrey DeMunn cinematography by Rohn Schmidt edited by Hunter M. Via music by Mark Isham

Invasion of the BODY SNATCHERS (1956) written by Daniel Mainwaring (from the novel by Jack Finney) directed by Don Siegel produced by Walter Wanger starring Kevin McCarthy Dana Wynter Larry Gates King Donovan Carolyn Jones Jean Willes Ralph Dumke cinematography by Ellsworth Fredericks edited by Robert S. Eisen music by Carmen Dragon

[philhoffman]

In lieu of a Monday Philm post tonight, I wanted to tell y'all about the long weekend I had in Western New York. I took a very special trip up to Phil's hometown of Rochester, NY, for a special 35mm screening of Owning Mahowny—which ended up being one of the best nights of my life. TL;DR I met his family and got to tell them how much he is loved ❤️

As some of you might know, the Eastman Museum in Rochester is now the permanent home of PSH's statue, and to celebrate, the museum's Dryden Theatre is showing his films all year long. I've been dying to see Phil's hometown and especially the statue since it was unveiled last year and finally made it (many hours and several hundred miles in the rain) up to WNY for a couple days. Y'all I can't even tell you how excited I was just to be in Rochester, like geeking over everything. We visited Fairport, where Phil grew up, and went to a restaurant with a burger named after him (yum), and got his fave kind of donuts at the Wegmans where he worked as a cashier in high school (I told you, geeking HARD). It's such a nice, friendly city and so many little things about Phil clicked just being there.

We went to the Eastman Museum first thing Saturday morning to see his statue and it's so perfect. Yes I cried a little bit as soon as I walked up to it! I don't need to tell y'all how much Phil means to me and finally seeing this public tribute to him, which looks so good and is so approachable and huggable and real and lovely, was amazing. Passed it four times going in and out of the museum and made my mom take my photo with him every time :-)

That night was the 35mm screening of Owning Mahowny. Already one of my favorite PSH films, I recently finished the book it's based on—No Limit: The Incredible Obsession of Brian Molony by Gary Ross—which is just as engrossing and made me even more excited to rewatch the film on the big screen. We were the first people to the theater bc I was so anxious to be there lmao.

I recognized Phil's mother, Marilyn, and his older sister, Jill, who arrived about 20 minutes before the film and sat a few seats away. My anxiety was through the ROOF—I am very shy in person, but I knew I'd regret it if I didn't say anything and since this was a PSH-related event I figured they probably wouldn't mind if I brought him up. Thanks to Phil I have a hundred times more confidence than I did just a few years ago, so I worked up my courage and went over to introduce myself, tell them my name and how far I came just to see the statue and the film, how much I admire Phil and his work.

Y'all I'm tearing up again just typing this because they were the nicest people I have ever met in my life, seriously. His mom and his sister were immediately so kind that my nerves melted away, it was like talking to friends. They were touched that I'd come so far, they thanked ME for coming over to say hello. I shook their hands and we had a whole conversation for several minutes—I got to tell them that Phil changed my life, how I've seen all of his films, the ways he's inspired me to make my own art. I can't even believe I am writing this because it was so surreal and incredible. They asked me so much about my trip and myself, which is cute because I've heard so many stories about how Phil always asked people about themselves, their lives, their families, their work. His mom asked if I'd seen the statue (of course!!!) and told me to make sure I took a selfie with him :''''') so obviously I took another one when we left <3

Jill and I talked about Owning Mahowny and gambling while my mom talked to Phil's mom (like how is it even real that I'm saying that?), then Marilyn told a funny, sweet story about when Phil was filming Mahowny in Toronto in 2002. One day he called and asked to come home for a while, then drove down and spent the day with her watching hours of dailies of the same exact shot, scrutinizing each take and laboriously trying to decide on the best one—and his mom was like, "Phil, what are we searching for, these all look the same to me" LMAO 😭

The film itself was obviously amazing, no need for a full review here. Equally wonderful to share it with a big audience laughing, cringing, gasping, crying, smiling. The 35mm print looked beautiful. As we were leaving, Phil's sister made a point to catch my eye and thank me again for stopping to say hello! We said goodbye to her and Marilyn and they wished us a great rest of our trip to Niagara Falls the next day—it was so sweet they remembered I'd even mentioned it.

I hardly slept that night I was so excited lol. It's been two days and it still feels surreal. I'm repeating myself but I can't get over how warm and kind they both were, how we were all kind of moved almost to the point of tears talking about their beautiful son and brother, my hero, the artist and man who saved my life and brought us all together. I'm so so so grateful for the opportunity to tell them what Phil means to me. Since then I've had a million thoughts like "oh I wish I'd said this or that," but really it would be impossible to sum up in words, even if we had all the time in the world, everything I want to say. I said it before but it's easy to understand how Phil turned out to be such an amazing person, coming from a family like that.

One of the simplest yet most meaningful couple of days in my whole life. It was better than I could've hoped for. Mostly joy—and while there was some grieving and missing him, too, I know it all came from love. I feel closer to Phil than ever. Thank you for making me feel so welcome in your home, Phil. Words are never enough but I love you so much, we're all so proud of you.

[gibelwho]

Horror #1a: Night of the Living Dead

It is not often that a film, especially a low-budget flick with guerilla-style filmmaking tactics, kicks off an entire new sub-genre - but Night of the Living Dead (1968), directed by George Romero, is now considered a touchstone in the horror genre as the first zombie movie. The slow-moving, yet terrifying, ghouls threaten a group of people seeking shelter in a remote farmhouse and the story focuses just as much on the interpersonal conflicts as on the villains growing in numbers and strength on the outside. Incredibly progressive in its diverse casting, the film not only launched Romero’s career, spawned a long-lasting franchise, but also inspired untold numbers of zombie cinematic tales. The first film in our Horror Marathon is a bit of homework before the official kick-off - dipping a toe into the genre with the first zombie movie!

Siblings Johnny and Barbara (Judith O’Dea) drive to a cemetery to visit their deceased father’s grave, only to be attacked by a slow-moving, yet dangerous, undead creature. Johnny perishes, but Barbara escapes by running away and seeks shelter in a seemingly abandoned farmhouse. She is soon joined by Ben (Duane Jones), who secures the house as more of the ghouls make their way toward their sanctuary. They soon discover more people in the farmhouse’s cellar - a young couple and a family of three, a father Harry (Karl Hardman), mother (Marilyn Eastman), and daughter - who has been unfortunately bitten by one of the creatures. The newly formed group desperately tries to gather more information via radio and television reports. A plan to obtain gas for the farmhouse car goes awry, killing the young couple who volunteered for the risky mission. The ghouls use this opportunity to attack the farmhouse and fear of the undead leads to turmoil amongst the surviving humans. A conflict between Ben and Harry leads to the father’s death. Barbara is taken by her brother's revived ghoul body, and the daughter dies from her wounds. She reanimates, eats her father’s flesh, and kills her mother - all before attacking Ben who is seeking his shelter in the cellar as a final stand. He fends her off by shooting the girl down and survives the night in the cellar. As he miraculously awakens in the morning, Ben emerges from the farmhouse and meets an armed posse sent to destroy the ghouls; mistaking him for a deadly creature, they shoot him down and burn his body.

Establishing the tone via the setting is key to any horror movie - and Night of the Living Dead checks all the creepy boxes. The first scene is literally set at a cemetery, giving the ghouls a natural place to stage their attack. The abandoned farmhouse, which is the central location of the film, is an ideal setting for the horror genre. It not only provides ample devices to stage their last stand, as they tear the place apart to set up barricades to block their foes, but also becomes a central conflict amongst the characters; they spend a majority of the film arguing about whether to lock themselves up in the cellar or take their chances in the main house. The remote location leaves the characters on their own to either find a way to work together or face the (slowly) incoming danger separately. Their division leaves the majority of the party deceased, while only Ben survives in the cellar, a plan he was initially vehemently opposed to as a complete dead end. Desperation drives him to the last ditch solution and, ironically, it is emerging from the farmhouse sanctuary that eventually kills him as the final member of the doomed party. 

The characterizations of that doomed party are both progressive and frustratingly pedantic at the same time. While the script was not written with a black lead in mind, Romero cast the best actor to audition for the hero role, a controversial move in the late 1960s. Jones is by far the best actor of the bunch (more on that later), and his casting naturally infuses the script with far more subtext for the intra-human conflicts. His decision to stay on the main floor and take leadership of the group there, standing up strongly to Harry, who thinks the cellar is the better move, must be viewed through the lens of the racial politics of the 1960s - a young black man asserting his power over a feckless white male. In a similar vein, Ben takes care of the simpering Barbara, but their relationship isn’t entirely smooth either. At one point, they get into a physical altercation and Ben slaps her, leading her to faint, and he moves her body to the couch to recover. Although Ben ultimately is protecting her, the images of a black man hitting a hysterical white woman must have been shocking to audiences of the time. Finally, the brutal act of law enforcement shooting down a defenseless black man, applying force that leads to his death, is an image that is evocative both in the historical context of the 1960s Civil Rights movement as well as resounding today.

While the racial portrayal is complicated, the women in Night of the Living Dead are disappointingly inept. Perhaps additionally hampered by their poor acting abilities, the script draws the various women as overwhelmed and helpless in the world’s darkening circumstances. Barbara in particular, although dealing with the trauma of losing her brother and being attacked by the ghouls, just cannot pull it together to deal with the crisis. She consistently vacillates between catatonic states and hysterics and can only rely on Ben to protect her. The woman in the young couple shows some grit to go on the gasoline mission, but the actor is so terrible that she is hard to watch in the film. In the same vein, the mother of the family basically lets herself get taken by the zombies - she doesn’t even put up much of a fight for her life when they are breaking into the house, nor when her undead daughter comes to eat her flesh. For all of us women out there, put up a bit more of a fight, please!

The fight these characters are up against is the monster of this horror film - the zombie (although they are only ever referred to in the movie as ghouls). The villain appears almost innocently at the start of the film, slowly shuffling towards our unsuspecting siblings, an undead in a business suit whose speed slightly increases as he chases Barabara through the countryside. He appears as mostly human, with very little movie makeup to indicate his ghoul nature, but the opening sequence already sets up the danger they present, especially as Johnny is taken down right away. As the farmhouse becomes the sanctuary to our band of humans, the undead are drawn to the sniff of life and their numbers grow in volume; an assemblage of various undead humans shuffle their way towards their potential victims. Romero composes an incredible shot of one zombie stumbling back from the camera and revealing numerous more zombies stalking forward, crystalizing the growing threat. 

As the film’s action centers more on clashes with the ghouls, the camera focuses closely on the grisly flesh, but, understandable for a low budget film, the movie makeup and special effects have inconsistent visual results. During a sequence of the monsters attempting to storm the house, zombie hands are reaching in through the barricade and the young man in the couple is wielding a knife for defense; he hacks away at a hand that is obviously fake, easily removing fingers in a smooth swipe that features no blood nor bones nor reality - even he seems surprised that it was so easy to cut. In just the next few shots, however, Ben shoots a zombie and the gunshot wound with smattering blood is incredibly realistic and creepy. As fire is a natural enemy of zombies, the team of humans use it as a defensive weapon, and the special effects crew feature a shot of a stuntman on fire. Romero also focuses the camera several times on zombies attacking and consuming the flesh of humans, crafting creepy close-up images of humans as a meal for monsters, culminating in the sequence of the daughter hacking her mother to death and feasting on her father. The images here are the most explicit of the film, using shadow work to feature the weapon and blood spurting and dripping as her death screams wail. As a low-budget film, Romero must have had to choose where to spend his budget for ramping up the terrors of the monster and for the most part, the dread that is generated from their efforts is well-earned.

Night of the Living Dead’s place in horror history is notable for creating a new zombie sub-genre, but it also exists within the arc of horror’s cinematic evolution, as detailed in the Horror Marathon’s overview. [link to my first blog post] In a post-Psycho world, Romero’s zombie apocalypse fits in narratively with the evolution of the horror genre’s storytelling. Rather than an external monster that terrorizes humans, the ghouls are humanity themselves, re-animated and eager to cannibalize their fellow beings. Even within the farmhouse sanctuary, conflict emerges and sets the groups of people against each other, showing their monsters within despite the evil lurking outside. Social institutions that are meant to protect and serve, such as the policemen who are hunting the ghouls across the countryside, become villainous - killing Ben by mistaking him for a monster, rather than the lone survivor of a violent siege. Although unintentional, society’s institutions deliver the final killing blow. These themes continue to be explored in the explosion of zombie movies that spawned from this initial film, including some cultural touchstones that will be viewed during this Horror Marathon!

Night of the Living Dead has some rough edges as an output of low-budget independent filmmaking, but its ambitious ideas and unique monsters make it a great first introduction to the horror genre. The uneven acting was sometimes a distraction, but the progressive casting of an African-American hero was brave for its times (and helps that Duane Jones was the best performer in the cast), infusing the film with societal commentary that was more reflective of the anxieties within the United States in the late 1960s. While the ghouls are a bit slow and feel less threatening than modern zombie films, the focus on the daughter in the climax emphasized the real danger these monsters posed to humanity. Unfortunately, the mother - and most of the other women in this film - don’t fight back with any actual effort, which was a disappointment. The film’s ultimate conclusion, that even after defying the odds and surviving a night in the farmhouse surrounded by the walking dead, the main hero is cut down by the very humans and social institutions attempting to solve the crisis, shows a pessimistic worldview that aligns with the social and racial anxiety of the 1960s. The next stop on our marathon is the sequel to this film, Dawn of the Dead (1978), which comes a full ten years after the initial movie; slightly excited, but mostly scared to see how Romero ratchets up the stakes, intensifies the danger of the monsters, and continues the horror.

[agendaculturaldelima]

#ProyeccionDeVida

🎬 “LA NOCHE DE LOS MUERTOS VIVIENTES” [Night of the Living Dead]

🔎 Género: Terror / Gore / Zombis / Película de Culto / Serie B / Cine Independiente USA

⌛️ Duración: 96 minutos

✍️ Guion: John A. Russo y George A. Romero

🎼 Música: Scott Vladimir Licina

📷 Fotografía: George A. Romero (B&W)

🗯 Argumento: Las radiaciones procedentes de un satélite provocan un fenómeno terrorífico: los muertos salen de sus tumbas y atacan a los hombres para alimentarse. La acción comienza en un cementerio de Pennsylvania, donde Barbara, después de ser atacada por un muerto viviente, huye hacia una granja. Allí también se ha refugiado Ben. Ambos construirán barricadas para defenderse de una multitud de despiadados zombies que sólo pueden ser vencidos con un golpe en la cabeza.

👥 Reparto: Judith O'Dea, Duane Jones, Marilyn Eastman, Karl Hardman, Judith Ridley, Keith Wayne, Kyra Schon, Russell Streiner, S. William Hinzman, George Kosana y George A. Romero.

📢 Dirección: George A. Romero

© Productoras: Image Ten, Laurel Group, Market Square Productions & Off Color Films.

🌎 País: Estados Unidos

📅 Año: 1968

  📽 Proyección:

📆 Miércoles 30 de Octubre

🕗 8:00pm.

🎦 Cine Caleta (calle Aurelio de Souza 225 - Barranco)

🚶‍♀️🚶‍♂️ Ingreso libre

🙂 A tener en cuenta: Prohibido el ingreso de bebidas y comidas. 🌳💚🌻🌛

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