Night of the Living Dead (1990)

When the unburied dead return to life and seek human victims, seven refugees seek shelter in a house in the Pennsylvanian countryside, but the group is at odds as to how they should deal with the situation.

Director:

Tom Savini

Writers:

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

Stars:

Tony Todd, Patricia Tallman, Tom Towles

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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 Cardille	...	T.V. Interviewer (as Bill 'Chilly Billy' Cardille)

Storyline

A remake of George Romero's 1968 black-and-white classic that begins in a cemetery, as the recently-dead return to life - from an unknown cause - and attack the living as their prey. One woman escapes the frightening zombies to take refuge with others in a farmhouse, as every cadaver for miles around hungers for their flesh. Will they make it through the night...that the dead came back to life?

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Plot Keywords:

biker | friends who live together | multiple cameos | bald zombie | leather jacket | 

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Taglines:

In 1968 George Romero took you to the edge of terror. In 1993 he's about to push you over. (UK release poster)

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Genres:

Horror

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

In an interview with Cinefantastique during the film's production, director Tom Savini mentioned the possibility of including a shooting star over the horizon at the beginning of the film. It wouldn't be specified whether it was a satellite or a meteor but would have been an homage to the Venus Probe theory behind the Living Dead in the original 1968 film, ( An idea that was completely dropped by creator George A. Romero in favor of ambiguity in the next film Dawn of the Dead.) The idea however never made it to the screen.

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Goofs

When the zombies are eating the remains of some people outside the house, one of them picks up a hand which is obviously made of rubber.

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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.

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Alternate Versions

There are at least two known versions of the end credits montage: one in black and white, the other in black and orange.

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Connections

Featured in The Dead Walk: Remaking a Classic (1999)

User Reviews

Much better than I expected, but the original is still the best.

I'm always wary of remakes of horror and science fiction classics as they are almost always inferior to the original versions, in many cases REALLY inferior. There have been a few successful and worthwhile attempts, especially John Carpenter's 'The Thing' and David Cronenberg's spin on 'The Fly'. Tom Savini's 'Night Of The Living Dead' is another good one. Even though Savini is a legend in the special effects world I really expected this to be awful. It wasn't. While not as literal as the misguided 'Psycho' remake by Gus Van Zant, Savini sticks very close to the source material, and doesn't mess with it as much as Carpenter or Cronenberg did. George Romero scripted, adapting his original screenplay co-written with John A. Russo, and both men co-produce. The main difference in this version, apart from obvious ones like being filmed in colour and with some more sophisticated special effects, is the expansion of the Barbara character, who is much less passive and more important to the plot. Barbara is played by Patricia Tallman who worked with Savini on Romero's cult favourite 'Knightriders'. She is probably best known for her recurring role on 'Babylon 5'. Tony Todd ('Candyman') plays Ben, and is very good, and the underrated Tom Towles ('Henry:Portrait Of a Serial Killer') is excellent as the slimy Harry Cooper. The scenes between the two are really strong, and add a lot to the original. I also enjoyed seeing Bill Mosley (Chop Top from 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2') playing Barbara's brother Johnny in the opening sequence. My only real gripe about the movie is the surprising lack of gore, and also the new ending which to me is nowhere near as good as the original. Apart from that it is much better than I expected, and I highly recommended it to anyone who enjoys Romero's "Dead" trilogy.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 October 1990 (USA)

Also Known As:

Night of the Living Dead

Filming Locations:

West Middletown Cemetery - 4699 Jefferson Ave, Avella, Pennsylvania, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$4,200,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$2,884,679, 21 October 1990

Gross USA:

$5,835,247

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$5,835,247

Company Credits

Production Co:

21st Century Film Corporation, Columbia Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min 88 min (cut) 86 min (Workprint Version)

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Color:

Color (TVC)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1