Directed By: George A. Romero
Cast: Judith O’Dea, Duane Jones, Karl Hardman, Russell Streiner, Keith Wayne and Judith Ridley.
Genre: Horror
Length: 98 minutes
Cinema: 1968
Rating: Not Rated
Halloween is right around the corner and a great way to celebrate the October festivity is by enjoying a couple of old classic horror movies. And why not start the marathon with a film directed by George A. Romero? He is the man who pretty much started the zombie movies. This film managed to successfully mesh the concepts of flesh-eating zombies, isolation, and global panic realized on a claustrophobic and intimate scale.
The story begins with a brother and sister, arriving at a remote cemetery to visit their mother's grave. The sister, Barbara, (Judith O'dea) sees a strange man coming toward them, and is shocked to see him attack and kill her brother. Terrified, she flees to a nearby farmhouse that appears to be abandoned, and hides inside. Soon thereafter, other people begin to show up, chief among them Ben (Duane Jones) who is the only one with a cool enough head to take charge.
They barricade themselves inside the farmhouse, terrified by the increasing number of zombies outside and the news coming form the television inside, which informs them that the plague of walking dead is not just a local occurrence, but a worldwide epidemic. As the danger outside encroaches, tensions inside mount, leading to power struggles and betrayal.
While the unknown cast is generally competent, with only Judith O'dea's overdone hysterics occasionally dragging things down, props go to Duane Johnson, and props to Romero for having the guts to cast a black actor as the film's protagonist in 1968. The blonde, O'dea, got top billing, but she's just a screaming piece of scenery. Johnson carries the film, and is very much the hero of the piece.
Grade: B-