Watch Night of the Living Dead

Released in 1968, Night of the Living Dead is considered a cult classic in the horror genre. The film was directed by George A. Romero and starred Duane Jones, Judith O'Dea and Karl Hardman. The plot revolves around a sudden and inexplicable zombie apocalypse that threatens the lives of a group of strangers who become trapped in a remote farmhouse. As the night drags on, tensions rise and personalities clash as the group band together to try and fend off the hoards of undead that are trying to break in and eat their flesh.

The lead character, Ben, is played by Duane Jones, who was the first black actor to take on a leading role in a mainstream horror film. His performance is powerful and intense, and he is the driving force behind the group’s survival.

One of the most notable aspects of the film is its lack of explanation for the zombie outbreak. There are no scientific explanations, no mutating viruses or biochemical disasters, no scientific explanation given why the dead have come back to life to feast on the living. This lack of explanation creates a sense of dread and unease, pushing the audience to focus on the immediate danger rather than the cause.

The film is shot in black and white, which adds to its eerie and gritty atmosphere. The grainy texture and stark contrasts of light and shadow create an unsettling and claustrophobic feel, adding to the sense of isolation that the characters feel.

The tension builds as the zombies begin to draw closer to the farmhouse. The survivors work together to board up windows and doors, but it’s clear that their makeshift defenses are far from impenetrable. The group’s carefully constructed alliance slowly begins to fray as each character falls prey to their own fears and vulnerabilities.

Judith O'Dea also delivers a strong performance as Barbra, one of the survivors who is deeply traumatized by the zombie attack that killed her brother. She spends most of the film in a state of shock and despair, adding to the suffocating feeling of impending doom that pervades the film.

In a time where horror movies were largely concerned with monsters and creatures from other worlds, Night of the Living Dead was a stark departure. The ‘monsters’ in this film were not from another planet, they were not some mythical beasts, but instead were neighbors, friends and family members who had inexplicably come back from the dead, hungrier than ever.

The film’s storyline has been lauded for what it brought to the horror genre, non-linear storytelling and a sense of realism. The events in the story are not presented in chronological order, and Romero gives us only brief glimpses into the lives of the characters. We never learn too much about them, their backgrounds or their pasts, but just enough to make them relatable and real people we should care about despite the story's minimal script.

Night of the Living Dead was a pioneering work of horror cinema that has since become one of the most iconic, critically acclaimed and beloved horror films of all time. Its influence is still being felt in the contemporary horror genre, as its themes of isolation, fear and survival continue to be echoed in some of the most successful and enduring horror stories of today.

This movie set the precedent for modern zombie films to follow, providing a blueprint for filmmakers to create terrifying and thought-provoking works of horror. Night of the Living Dead is a timeless classic that remains just as relevant and disturbing today as it was when it was first released, nearly fifty years ago.

Night of the Living Dead is a 1968 horror movie with a runtime of 1 hour and 36 minutes. It has received mostly positive reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 7.8 and a MetaScore of 89.