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When unexpected radiation raises the dead, a microcosm of Average America has to battle flesh-eating zombies in George A. Romero's landmark cheapie horror film. Siblings Johnny (Russ Streiner) and Barbara (Judith O'Dea) whine and pout their way through a graveside visit in a small Pennsylvania town, but it all takes a turn for the worse when a zombie kills Johnny. Barbara flees to an isolated farmhouse where a group of people are already holed up. Bickering and panic ensue as the group tries to figure out how best to escape, while hoards of undead converge on the house; news reports reveal that fire wards them off, while a local sheriff-led posse discovers that if you "kill the brain, you kill the ghoul." After a night of immolation and parricide, one survivor is left in the house.... Romero's grainy black-and-white cinematography and casting of locals emphasize the terror lurking in ordinary life; as in Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds (1963), Romero's victims are not attacked because they did anything wrong, and the randomness makes the attacks all the more horrifying. Nothing holds the key to salvation, either, whether it's family, love, or law. Topping off the existential dread is Romero's then-extreme use of gore, as zombies nibble on limbs and viscera. Initially distributed by a Manhattan theater chain owner, Night, made for about 100,000 dollars, was dismissed as exploitation, but after a 1969 re-release, it began to attract favorable attention for scarily tapping into Vietnam-era uncertainty and nihilistic anxiety. By 1979, it had grossed over 12 million, inspired a cycle of apocalyptic splatter films like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974), and set the standard for finding horror in the mundane. However cheesy the film may look, few horror movies reach a conclusion as desolately unsettling.
CONDITION: NEW
Actors: Duane Jones
Directors: George A. Romero
Format: Special Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen
Language: English
Subtitles: English
Region: Region A/1
Number of discs: 2
Rated:
NR
Not Rated
Studio: Criterion Collection
DVD Release Date: February 13, 2018
Run Time: 96 minutes
Cast & Crew
Judith O'Dea Barbara
Russ Streiner Johnny
Duane Jones Ben
Karl Hardman Harry
Keith Wayne Tom
Judith Ridley Judy
Marilyn Eastman Helen
Kyra Schon Karen
Charles Craig Newscaster
Bill Hinzman Cemetery Zombie
John Simpson Actor
Rossie Harris Actor
George A. Romero Washington Reporter (uncredited)
John A. Russo Washington Military Aide,Zombie in House (uncredited)
Technical Credits
George A. Romero Director,Cinematographer,Editor,Original Story,Screenwriter
Marilyn Eastman Makeup
Karl Hardman Makeup,Producer
Tony Pantanello Special Effects
John A. Russo Screenwriter
Russ Streiner Producer
Regis Survinski Special Effects
Vincent Survinski Production Designer
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