Night of the Living Dead (1990)

Director:

Tom Savini

Writers (WGA):

John A. Russo (earlier screenplay) and
George A. Romero (earlier screenplay) ...

Release Date:

19 October 1990 (USA)

Genre:

Horror

Tagline:

There IS a fate worse than death.

Plot:

The unburied dead return to life and seek human victims.

Plot Keywords:

Remake | Attack | Cemetery | Helicopter | Flesh Eating Zombie

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Tony Todd	...	Ben
Patricia Tallman	...	Barbara
Tom Towles	...	Harry Cooper
McKee Anderson	...	Helen Cooper
William Butler	...	Tom
Katie Finneran	...	Judy Rose
Bill Moseley	...	Johnnie (as Bill Mosley)
Heather Mazur	...	Sarah Cooper
David W. Butler	...	Hondo (as David Butler)
Zachary Mott	...	Bulldog
Pat Reese	...	The Mourner
William Cameron	...	The Newsman
Pat Logan	...	Uncle Rege
Berle Ellis	...	The Flaming Zombie
Bill 'Chilly Billy' Cardille	...	T.V. Interviewer

Runtime:

92 min | 88 min (cut)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (TVC)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Certification:

Finland:K-18 | Denmark:15 | Singapore:PG (cut) | Canada:18+ (Quebec) | Belgium:16 (video rating) | Netherlands:16 | Ireland:18 | Argentina:18 | Australia:R | Canada:18A | Chile:14 | Germany:(Banned) | Germany:18 | UK:18 | USA:R (certificate #30628) | Australia:M (cable rating)

Filming Locations:

East Buffalo, Pennsylvania, USA

Company:

21st Century Film Corporation

Trivia:

The scene at the end of the film, where several zombies are lynched from a tree and shot at was in fact scripted in the original 1968 film, but was cut because of the racial tensions gripping the country at the time. The scene pays homage to the cut.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): When Barbara is loading the Henry lever action rifle, she is loading the cartridges bullet first. This would lead to a malfunction in the rifle, as the bullet end must be facing toward the muzzle for the cartridges to properly feed from the magazine tube into the chamber.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Johnnie: They're coming to get you, Barbara!
Barbara: Stop it!
Johnnie: They're coming!
[evil laughter]
Johnnie: They don't like being awaken this way!
Barbara: Why do you have to be so mean?
Johnnie: 'Cause I'm your older brother. Being mean and heartless is part of the job.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Remake (2006)

A faithful remake of a classic

Another zombie movie? How could there possibly be another variation on this tired horror theme? These were my thoughts as I slipped my money through the window at the ticket booth back in the fall of 1990. After all, I was a poor college student who had to take prudent measures in order to ensure that I had beer money when its all said and done. Not to mention the fact that I was quite a horror fan, in particular a zombie fan who was very familiar with the original Romero film. Needless to say this movie had a lot to prove in order to win me over. Well, it did. What Tom Savini and company were able to do out in the Pennsylvania countryside was nothing short of masterful. Of course I'm talking about horror here. This is no Cassablanca, but within its genre Night of the Living Dead is a standout. This film basically faithfully retells the original Remero story with the benefit of better make-up, special effects, cameras, lighting and cinematography. Notice I did not say better casting or acting. Aside from the actual story these are two areas that are partly responsible for the original's lasting success.