IMDb > Night of the Living Dead (1968)
Night of the Living Dead
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Night of the Living Dead (1968) More at IMDbPro »

Photos (See all 92 | slideshow) Videos (see all 10)
Night of the Living Dead -- In this recreation of  Romero's 1968 cult classic NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, seven strangers find themselves trapped in an isolated farmhouse while menacing zombies--awakened from death by the return of a radioactive space probe--wage a relentless attack.
Night of the Living Dead -- Trailer for this classic horror film
Night of the Living Dead -- Clip: Zombies approach burning truck
Night of the Living Dead -- A group of people hide from bloodthirsty zombies in a farmhouse.

Overview

User Rating:
8.0/10   61,046 votes »
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Director:
Writers:
John A. Russo (screenplay) &
George A. Romero (screenplay)
Contact:
View company contact information for Night of the Living Dead on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
1 October 1968 (USA) See more »
Genre:
Tagline:
If it doesn't scare you, you're already dead! See more »
Plot:
A group of people hide from bloodthirsty zombies in a farmhouse. Full summary » | Full synopsis »
Plot Keywords:
Awards:
1 win See more »
User Reviews:
Low budget, creepy and unique - legendary for a reason See more (549 total) »

Cast

  (in credits order) (verified as complete)
Duane Jones ... Ben

Judith O'Dea ... Barbra
Karl Hardman ... Harry
Marilyn Eastman ... Helen
Keith Wayne ... Tom
Judith Ridley ... Judy
Kyra Schon ... Karen Cooper
Charles Craig ... Newscaster / Zombie
S. William Hinzman ... Zombie (as Bill Heinzman)
George Kosana ... Sheriff McClelland
Frank Doak ... Scientist
Bill 'Chilly Billy' Cardille ... Field Reporter

A.C. McDonald ... Zombie / Posse Member
Samuel R. Solito ... Zombie / Posse Member
Mark Ricci ... Washington Scientist
Lee Hartman ... Zombie / News Reporter
Jack Givens ... Zombie
Rudy Ricci ... Zombie (as R.J. Ricci)
Paula Richards ... Zombie
John Simpson ... Zombie
Herbert Summer ... Zombie
Richard Ricci ... Zombie
William Burchinal ... Zombie
Ross Harris ... Zombie
Al Croft ... Zombie
Jason Richards ... Zombie
Dave James ... Zombie
Sharon Carroll ... Zombie
William Mogush ... Zombie
Steve Hutsko ... Zombie / TV Cameraman Steve
Joann Michaels ... Zombie
Phillip Smith ... Zombie / Posse Member
Ella Mae Smith ... Zombie
Randy Burr ... Zombie / Posse Member
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Terry Gindele ... Zombie (uncredited)
Robert Harvey ... Helicopter Pilot (uncredited)
Dick Heckard ... Posseman (uncredited)
Tony Pantanella ... Posse Gunman (uncredited)

George A. Romero ... Washington Reporter (uncredited)
John A. Russo ... Washington Military Reporter (uncredited)
Josephine Streiner ... Zombie (uncredited)
Russell Streiner ... Johnny (uncredited)
Vincent D. Survinski ... Vince - Posse Gunman (uncredited)
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Directed by
George A. Romero 
 
Writing credits
John A. Russo (screenplay) (as John Russo) &
George A. Romero (screenplay) (as George Romero)

Produced by
Karl Hardman .... producer
Russell Streiner .... producer (as Russell W. Streiner)
 
Cinematography by
George A. Romero (uncredited)
 
Film Editing by
George A. Romero (uncredited)
 
Makeup Department
Bruce Capristo .... hair styles
 
Production Management
George Kosana .... production manager
Vincent D. Survinski .... production director (as Vincent Survinski)
 
Art Department
Charles O'Dato .... props
 
Sound Department
Marshall Booth .... sound engineer
Gary Streiner .... sound engineer (as Gary R. Streiner)
 
Special Effects by
Tony Pantanella .... special effects (as Tony Pantanello)
Regis Survinski .... special effects
 
Stunts
Jacqueline Streiner .... stunt coordinator (uncredited)
 
Camera and Electrical Department
Joseph Unitas .... lighting supervisor
S. William Hinzman .... assistant camera (uncredited)
 
Animation Department
Rick Catizone .... animator: ending credits (uncredited)
 
Music Department
Harry Bluestone .... composer: stock music (uncredited)
Emil Cadkin .... composer: stock music (uncredited)
Jack Cookerly .... composer: stock music (uncredited)
Ib Glindemann .... composer: stock music (uncredited)
Philip Green .... composer: stock music (uncredited)
Geordie Hormel .... composer: stock music (uncredited)
William Loose .... composer: stock music (uncredited)
Jack Meakin .... composer: stock music (uncredited)
Spencer Moore .... composer: stock music (uncredited)
 
Other crew
Betty Ellen Haughey .... continuity
Jacqueline Streiner .... script coordinator
 

Production CompaniesDistributorsSpecial EffectsOther Companies
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
"Laugh Track: Night of the Living Dead" - USA (video title (redubbed comic version))
"Night of the Living Dead: 30th Anniversary Edition" - Philippines (English title) (recut version)
See more »
Runtime:
96 min
Country:
Language:
Aspect Ratio:
1.33 : 1 See more »
Sound Mix:
Certification:
Australia:M | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) (DVD rating) | Canada:R (Manitoba) | France:-16 | Germany:16 (re-rating) (uncut) | Ireland:18 | Norway:15 | Singapore:PG | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:16 | UK:X (original rating) (passed with cuts) | West Germany:18 (original rating) (cut) | Philippines:R-18 | Argentina:18 | Germany:BPjM Restricted | Canada:R (Nova Scotia) (original rating) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | USA:Unrated (1968) | Finland:K-16 (cut) | Finland:K-18 (uncut) | Singapore:NC-16 (30th anniversary edition) | Iceland:16 | Canada:14A | Spain:13 | UK:15 (video rating) (2007) (2008) | Australia:R | USA:TV-14 (TV rating) (cut) | USA:TV-MA (TV rating) (uncut) | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | Italy:T (original DVD rating) | Italy:VM18 | Canada:18+ (Quebec) (original rating) | New Zealand:R16 | UK:15 (tv rating) | UK:18 (video rating) (1987) (1995) (1998) (2001) (2002) (2003) (2005) (2006) | UK:18 (video rating: 30th Anniversay Edition) (2001) | UK:18 (video rating: re-edited version) (2005) | UK:X (original rating) (uncut) (1980)
Company:

Did You Know?

Trivia:
Tom Savini was originally hired by George A. Romero to do the makeup effects for this film. The two were first introduced to each other when Savini auditioned for an acting role in an earlier film that never got off the ground. Romero, remembering that Savini was also a makeup artist (he had brought his makeup portfolio to show to Romero at the audition), called Savini to the set of his horror movie. However, Savini was unable to do the effects because he was called to duty by the US Army to serve as a combat photographer in Vietnam. Savini later appeared in Dawn of the Dead (1978) and directed Night of the Living Dead (1990).See more »
Goofs:
Continuity: The live television remotes all seem to be taking place in daylight, although it's supposed to be the middle of the night when they're being aired.See more »
Quotes:
[last lines]
Sheriff McClelland:Good shot! OK, he's dead; let's go get 'im. That's another one for the fire.
See more »
Movie Connections:
Soundtrack:
Fire (JB-28)See more »

FAQ

What are the differences between the Original Version and the 30th Anniversary Version?
Why is this film in the public domain?
What causes the dead to reanimate?
See more »
108 out of 123 people found the following review useful.
Low budget, creepy and unique - legendary for a reason, 15 May 2005
Author: mstomaso from Vulcan

This landmark 1968 horror-shocker is a great example of what can be done with a limited budget, a simple idea, and some dedicated and talented participants. Very nicely shot, mostly well acted, NOTLD grabs your attention from the very beginning to the very end - and what a classic end it is.

The story begins with Barbara (Judith O'Dea) and her brother visiting the grave of a friend of their mother, and takes off almost immediately, as they are attacked by a horde of cannibalistic zombies. Narrowly escaping, but losing her emotional balance in the process, Barbara escapes to a house a bit farther down the road where she meets Ben (Duane Jones), the hero of the film. They discover a family with a sick little girl and a young couple in the basement of the house and they all get to work barricading themselves in and preparing weapons and other defenses. The rest of the story concerns the group dynamics between these survivors as the dead close in on their refuge, the story of what is going on in the rest of the USA - revealed through TV reportage and radio broadcasts, and sheer survival. The human side of this film is an interesting and accurate character study concerning what happens to people whose very lives are threatened.

The horror of this film is, unlike a lot of its recent descendants, less a matter of blood and gore than a matter of the real active horror of realistically depicted scenes of murder, death and cannibalism. Though the black and white footage involving blood and gore is certainly effective, there may not be quite enough of it for today's average horror fan. The photographic techniques of this film are innovative and powerful - showing just enough of the sheer hideousness of the film's basic concepts to disturb viewers, but not enough to allow them to detach from the film's protagonists.

I strongly recommend this film to anybody interested in the art of film making, and to those who enjoy the horror genre, though it is hard to imagine any serious horror fan who hasn't already seen this.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Night of the Living Dead (1968)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Ben = Barack Obama? (spoilers) nocomputer1962
Humans being killed by the posse. zyggums
Trying to find the best available DVD edition, any suggestions? MyriadofAlmostTalents
Go see 'Night of the Living Dead Live!' in Toronto Canada nickjt
Blu-Ray region 2 question mhgoffett
DVD/BluRay boxset? azazel_fallenangel
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