Night of the Living Dead

So I've been on a Horror kick since Halloween. I love a good zombie movie and the other night I decided to go back to the beginning and watch some classics.

Everyone seems to agree that this 1968 classic is the birth of the modern zombie. I think the film's enjoyability has lasted very well over the years. Sure, it's slower and has a lot less action in it, but it has a great plot and it holds you as you wonder what will happen to the group barricaded in a farmhouse.

The movie is light on zombie slaying, but does provide some, and even an awkward feeding frenzy (though that scene probably went a long way in making zombies as scary as they are today). But it does establish the flesh eating and need to destroy the brain to take them down. The question of whether to run or hide is a central plot point.

I had a big surprise thinking about the issue of race as I watched. I didn't expect to see a black man yelling "I'm the boss here" to a group of white people in '68. Of course the final scene was probably an answer to that, but still, interesting to see that dynamic in horror flick.

I'll give Night of the Living Dead a B+