It
was the very last film ever screened at the late, lamented Two Boots Pioneer
Theater. Obviously, they had no intentions of going quietly. It was also one the
few films broadcast on MTV at the height of its 1980s cool cachet and now holds
a richly deserved spot on the Library of Congress’s National Film Registry.
Yet, the auteur who would inaugurate the zombie genre spent years whipping up
commercials for Pittsburgh television as one of the principals of the Latent
Image production house. Rightly and necessarily, George A. Romero’s The Night of the Living Dead screens
together with a selection of his commercial work as part of Anthology Film
Archive’s Industrial Terror film
series.
Somehow
this film is just as potent the twentieth or thirtieth time around. As you
really ought to know, at least according to the LOC, the original Living Dead follows the plight of a
group of strangers stranded in a farm house during a mysterious zombie
apocalypse. Yet, despite the peril outside, they end up turning on each other.
It
is a simple formula many have tried to replicate, but never with the same success.
Romero masterfully doles out information via the unreliable media, using
zombies sparingly in the second act. Instead, he relies on human nature to
build the tension. Of course, he delivers the zombie cannibalism when he is
good and ready.
On
yet another repeat viewing, a few things jump out about Living Dead. After witnessing her brother’s death, the character of
Barbra spends the rest of the film in a state of shock, which we rarely see in
horror movies, but it is a much more believable response than dropping a series
of ironic pop culture references.
While
it has been said before, Duane Jones really should have become a much bigger
star. He immediately instills viewer confidence as Ben and the subtle manner in
which he takes a protective interest in Barbra is quite touching. A few more of
him and things might have turned out better.
Keith
Wayne’s Tom also serves as an effective audience surrogate. He is the sort of
conciliator you want in your life boat and he is handy with tools. Yet, it is
probably Bill Hinzman who truly made the film. As the first zombie in the
cemetery, his gaunt face has become an iconic image of cinematic zombies.
