A few weeks ago I borrowed the remastered DVD from a friend and took it home.  I was not excited by the DVD initially.  I’m anal about DVD’s in the sense that I love commentary tracks and what the meatier loaded DVD’s can give you in the behind the scenes look of producing movies.  On the cover of the movie it says don’t watch alone, which I thought was great marketing.  Though I scoffed at it. 

Night of the Living Dead was filmed by a couple of friends in Pittsburgh, who all worked for a studio that produced commercials.   In it’s time it was an indie movie, back when movie distribution was all about the little guys, who might open a movie wide at a hundred drive in theaters and a few dozen movie houses.  It was also the most succeful horror movie in history, as it was made on a relatively modest budget and did huge business.   Night of the Living Dead is still recognized as one of the greatest horror movies ever made.  A key to the success of the movie was the choice to shoot it on Black and white, which gave it a creepier edge, but was only done cause black and white film was cheaper to shoot with.

 When I watched the movie, I found myself fidgeting and doing everything but watching the movie, mostly because once you are drawn into the story it gets creepy.  I think an interesting thing about the film is that the tumult between the characters and the editing which cuts to the slumming zombies.  You keep telling yourself, that they are slow zombies “Why if I was their…” sure… me too.  The truth is that, having a bunch of dead flesh eating motherfuckers outside your door would make you freak out too.   So I left a light on, cause the movie is more about the tension, then horror, but the tension is drawn from the horror, the inability to get away without knowing that a zombie is trying to get to you. 

 This is a movie that you should watch alone, you won’t jump out of your seats or scream from the cued music and flashy editing.  But if you are alone and you watch it in the dark it will creep you out. 

Movie and web trivia The Ghoul Next Door 

This haunting zombie girl is Kyra Schon, she was the daughter of the still photographer for the film.  Kyra is the most popular NOTLD character and still does conventions relating to the movie.  She looks a lot like Carrie Fishcer to me and it's so strange to see web sites of people who have become cult of personality and then design a site.   Kyra played the part of Karen Cooper, the cellar-dwelling, trowel-wielding, mother-stabbing, father's-arm-eating little girl in the original Night of the Living Dead.