Night Of The Living Dead: Behind The Scenes Of The Most Terrifying Zombie Movie

by | Jan 31, 2011 | Reviews | 0 comments

These days zombies are all over the horror world, in books and films, yet they all come from the same fetid pool. Yes, that is the 1968 terror masterpiece Night Of The Living Dead  . It’s the one that changed the horror genre like few things before it had ever done. While the term “zombie” existed before that film, and oddly that word is never used in any of the …Of The Dead films until Land, NotLD redefined those monsters and firmly cemented them in the minds of pretty much everyone on earth. Gone were the slow moving Haitian plantation workers, zombies would forevermore be associated with hordes of flesh hungry corpses. How many works of art do you know that can lay claim to something like that? So it’s about time Big Zombie Daddy Romero, not to mention the others so instrumental in making Night a landmark nightmare film, get a book this comprehensive to help set the record straight and give credit where credit is so richly due.

This very attractive tome deals predominantly with the original Night Of The Living Dead as it so rightly should. Remembrances, anecdotes, and behind the scenes info are collected that I’ve never heard before, and I am a huge DEADhead from way back. Insights from George Romero, John Russo (the man who wrote Night but who is often in the big shadow of George), as well as many of the cast are all present. As are all the facts of its release, such as critical reviews, box office, and even the sad story of how Romero and Co. did not make the fortunes they should have from such a huge hit. If it relates to NotLD in any way, shape, or form, it’s in this book. As an extra cool bonus, the entire script for Night Of The Living Dead is at the end of this book so if you ever wanted to see the original vision of this nightmare then rejoice, you now can.

While all that was to be expected given this book’s title, what was a nice surprise was the depth of coverage for all sorts of zombie flicks. Those that came before Night, the other flesh munching films made by Romero, not to mention the numerous rip-offs, homages, remakes, and re-imaginings. Even the other zombie classics that took the idea of hungry corpses and ran with it in new and excitingly original directions are covered. Danny Boyle and Peter Jackson, both zombie masters in their own right, get to share their thoughts on this film and how it influenced their own movies. Tom Savini, the gore wizard that first gave these kind of films their bloody bite, is well covered for not only his special makeup effects but for his turn as the director of the pretty darn good Night Of The Living Dead  remake. Others, both famous and obscure, are given some space to relate their own necrolove. Speaking of love, some is even shown to some of the lesser known gems of undead cinema like the criminally overlooked Night Of The Creeps.

Not everything is all wine, roses, and brains with this book. The Italian gut munching films are glossed over rather quickly, but I guess that’s ok as this book isn’t about them. What is less explainable is how Romero’s last movie, the sadly awful Survival Of The Dead is barely covered at all. Granted that movie is new, but then so is this book and Survival was on the film circuit for a good long while so it’s all but exclusion here is strange. But a few missteps aside, this is a great book of cinephiles, zombiephiles, and any other phile you can think of that loves great, classic, truly revolutionary horror films. If that sounds like you, and it should, then do yourself a favor and get this book.

About Brian Sammons