This movie is a remake of the 1968 film of the same name. In essence, the dead come back to life and seven people take shelter in a farmhouse somewhere in western Pennsylvania. Once inside the people disagree on their next course of action. One wants to fight them off by fortifying the house and waiting for help to arrive. Another wants to retreat to the basement and hide. Yet another wants to make a run for it. Now, rather than say which person is right, I will refrain so that it won't spoil the movie for those who haven't seen it. I will say, however, that the differences between the original version and this one were rather stark. For instance, the original was filmed in black and white and when it was released shocked the nation. The remake, on the other hand, had some improvements but wasn't nearly as impressive. For example, the original character of "Barbra" (played by Judith O'Dea) was in a state of shock and hysteria which added greatly to the suspense of the film. The new and improved "Barbara" (Patricia Tallman) was sleeker, more capable and less catatonic which added more versatility to the storyline. However, it seemed to lessen the effect. Likewise, the other characters seemed more polished but less effective as well. Now, that is not to say that there was anything wrong with the acting abilities of any of the characters as all of them were adequate. If anything, I thought Patricia Tallman performed quite well in her enhanced role. In short, this was a pretty good zombie movie. But even so, the original version was much more horrific.
Review of Night of the Living Dead
