On this day in 1968 (in the U.S.), the good people of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania were treated to the cinematic birth of a phenomenon with the premiere of Night Of The Living Dead. Written (in part) and directed by George A. Romero, the Fantasy/Horror starred Duane Jones, Judith O'Dea, Karl Hardman, and others.
According to our friends at IMDB.com, here's the plot summary:
"A ragtag group of Pennsylvanians barricade themselves in an old farmhouse to remain safe from a horde of flesh-eating ghouls that are ravaging the East Coast of the United States."
For the record:
On top of giving birth to the Romero franchise, Night Of The Living Dead has spawned a hell of a lot of impersonators, advancing the whole premise of film zombies to the masses-at-large. In 1999, the motion picture was added to the U.S.'s National Film Registry, the organization that seeks to preserve films for their lasting contribution to the arts.
-- EZ
According to our friends at IMDB.com, here's the plot summary:
"A ragtag group of Pennsylvanians barricade themselves in an old farmhouse to remain safe from a horde of flesh-eating ghouls that are ravaging the East Coast of the United States."
For the record:
On top of giving birth to the Romero franchise, Night Of The Living Dead has spawned a hell of a lot of impersonators, advancing the whole premise of film zombies to the masses-at-large. In 1999, the motion picture was added to the U.S.'s National Film Registry, the organization that seeks to preserve films for their lasting contribution to the arts.
-- EZ
From Google.com:
- The Accidental Public Domain Status: Due to a title change from Night of the Anubis to Night of the Living Dead, the distributor forgot to include the proper copyright notice on the title frames. Under 1968 U.S. law, this oversight instantly plunged the film into the public domain, costing the creators millions in potential royalties even though the movie grossed roughly $30 million on a $114,000 budget. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
- A Groundbreaking Cast: Lead actor Duane Jones was cast as Ben simply because he gave the best audition, making him one of the first African American actors to play the heroic, non-stereotypical lead of a mainstream horror movie. The tragic, racially charged final shot of the film took on profound, unintended resonance in the wake of Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination earlier that year. [1, 2, 3]
- Chocolate Sauce and Roast Ham: During the gruesome scene where ghouls feast on remains inside a burned-out truck, the flesh they were actually eating was roast ham covered in chocolate syrup. The mix smelled so nauseating under the hot lights that the actors playing the zombies looked genuinely sick on camera.
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