Night of the Living Dead (1968)

Country of Origin: USA
Year of Production: 1968
Running Times: 88m 53s (UK - video (Intervision))/95m 39s
Length:
Format: 35mm
Colour Format: black and white
Ratio: 1.37:1
Sound: mono

DIRECTION

Directed by: George A. Romero

CREW

PRODUCTION
Production Company: An Image Ten production
Produced by: Russell W. Streiner and Karl Hardman
Production Manager: George Kosana
Production Director: Vincent Survinski

SCRIPT
Screenplay by: John Russo, George Romero
Story: George A. Romero [uncredited]

DIRECTION
Continuity: Betty Ellen Haughey
Script Coordination: Jacqueline Streiner

PHOTOGRAPHY
Photographed by: The Latent Image, Inc,
Lighting Supervisor: Joseph Unitas
Assistant Camera: S. William Hinzman
Labs: W.R.S. Motion Picture Lab

EDITING AND POST-PRODUCTION
Editor: George A. Romero

MUSIC
Music: Capitol Records Stock

SOUND
Sound Engineers: Gary R. Streiner, Marshall Booth
Electronic Sound Effects: Karl Hardman

COSTUMES AND MAKE-UP
Make-up: Hardman Assoc, Inc.
Hair Styles: Bruce Capristo

SPECIAL EFFECTS
Special Effects: Regis Survinski, Tony Pantanello

TITLES AND OPTICALS
Title Sequence: The Animators

DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Props: Charles O'Dato

OTHER CREW
Produced through the facilities of The Latent Image, Inc. and Hardman Associates, Inc., Pittsburgh, PA.

LOCATIONS
Locations: Evans City, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Zelienople, Pennsylvania, USA

CAST

Duane Jones (Ben)
Judith O'Dea (Barbra)
Karl Hardman (Harry Cooper)
Marilyn Eastman (Helen Cooper / bug-eating ghoul)
Keith Wayne (Tom)
Judith Ridley (Judy
Kyra Schon (Karen)
Charles Craig (newscaster / ghoul)
Bill Hinzman (cemetery ghoul)
George Kosana (Sheriff McClelland)
Frank Doak (scientist)
Bill 'Chilly Billy' Cardille (field reporter)
A.C. McDonald
Samuel R. Solito
Mark Ricci (Washington scientist)
Lee Hartman
Jack Givens, R.J. Ricci, Paula Richards, John Simpson, William Burchinal, Dave James, David Barber (uncredited), Betty Ellen (uncredited), Tommy Goodwin, Roger McGovern (uncredited) (ghouls)
Herbert Summer
Richard Ricci
Ross Harris
Al Croft
Jason Richards
Sharon Carroll
William Mogush
Steve Hutsko
Joann Michaels
Phillip Smith
Ella Mae Smith
Randy Burr
George A. Romero (Washington reporter - uncredited)
John A. Russo (Washington military reporter / ghoul in house - uncredited)
Russell Streiner (Johnny - uncredited)
Vincent D. Survinski (posse gunman - uncredited)

PLOT SUMMARY

A small group of bickering survivors shelter in a farmhouse, hiding from a small army of re-animated corpses who are roaming the countryside eating human flesh. Relationships within the group break down as the zombies repeatedly try to get into the farmhouse and the group slowly, one-by-one, falls victim to the hungry mob.

AVAILABILITY

UK
Theatrical Distributors: London Screen Distributors
Video Distributor: Intervision; Palace (colourised version); Polygram; Tartan
The first UK video release, on the Intervision label, had two cuts, one of Barbara wandering in the woods and finding a musical box and one to the scene in which she becomes hysterical while explaining to Ben what happened to her brother. Subsequent versions and TV broadcasts have been uncut.

USA
Theatrical Distributor: Walter Reade Organization; Continental
Video Distributor: Anchor Bay Entertainment; Video Treasures; Media Home Entertainment; Nostalgia Merchant; Republic Pictures Corporation; Something Weird Video; Spotlite Video; United Video; Vestron Video
Laserdisc Distributor: Elite (EE1114); 3M; Collectible Classics; Elite Entertainment; Image Entertainment (I6000); Landmark; Republic (LV27460)
DVD Distributor: UAV Entertainment (40081); Master Movies (5516); Elite Entertainment (EE1116); Madacy Entertainment (DVD-9-9010); Madacy Entertainment (DVD-9-9010-1); Elite Millennium Edition (EE1117 - includes: trailers; TV spots; commentaries by George A. Romero and the entire cast; Night of the Living Bread; original mono soundtrack; Dolby Digital 5.1 remix; stills gallery; a history of The Latent Image Company; footage from There's Always Vanilla; video interview with Judy Ridley; the last ever interview with Duane Jones; foreign and domestic posters and collectibles; original props; original shooting script; cast member's personal scrapbooks; THX Optimizer; television spots and short films directed by George A. Romero; liner notes by George A. Romero and Stephen King)

CENSORSHIP HISTORY

Australia
Rating: M

Finland
Rating: K-18

France
Rating: -16

Switzerland
Rating: 16

UK
Rating: 18

USA
Rating: unrated

AWARDS

1999
National Film Preservation Board, USA
Inducted into National Film Registry

TIMELINE

1967
June
Day Unknown: Production begins

December
Day Unknown: Production ends

1968
October
1: USA - theatrical release

1969
June
20: UK - rated X by the BBFC (for theatrical release - with cuts)

1988
August
17: UK - television broadcast (on Thames Television)

1992
January
24: Finland - theatrical release

October
Day Unknown: UK - television broadcast (on Sky Movies)

1994
November
Day Unknown: USA - laserdisc release (Elite (EE1114))

1996
May
Day Unknown: UK - television broadcast (on Channel Four)

1997
July
15: USA - DVD release (UAV Entertainment (40081))

August
6: USA - DVD release (Elite Entertainment (EE1116))

November
14: USA - DVD release (Master Movies (5516))

1998
May
19: USA - DVD release (Madacy Entertainment (DVD-9-9010))

December
22: USA - DVD release (Madacy Entertainment (DVD-9-9010-1))

2000
January
30: UK - television broadcast (on BBC2)

October
30: UK - DVD release (Tartan Video)

November
9: Iceland - theatrical release

2001
December
27: UK - television broadcast (on Channel 4)

2002
March
12: USA - DVD release (Elite Millennium Edition (EE1117))

September
5: UK - television broadcast (on Channel 4)

POSTER TAGS

They keep coming back in a bloodthirsty lust for HUMAN FLESH!...

Pits the dead against the living in a struggle for survival!

They won't stay dead.

ALTERNATIVE TITLES

The Flesh Eaters - early title
Monster Flick - working title
Die Nacht der lebenden Toten - German title
Night of Anubis - shooting title
Night of the Flesh Eaters - pre-release title
Noc zywych trupów - Polish title
La noche de los muertos vivientes - Spanish title
A Noite dos Mortos-Vivos - Portugese title
La notte dei morti viventi - Italian title
La nuit des morts-vivants - French title

LINKS

SEQUELS
Dawn of the Dead (1978)
Day of the Dead (1985)

REMAKE
Night of the Living Dead (1990)

FOOTAGE INCLUDED IN
100 Years of Horror (1996)
976-EVIL 2: The Astral Factor (1991)
The American Nightmare (2000)
!Átame! (1990)
Creepy Classics (1987)
Document of the Dead (1989)
Drive-In Madness! (1987)
Fade to Black (1980)
Frankenstein and Me (1996)
Halloween II (1981)
Hollywood-Monster (1987)
Horrible Horror (1986)
The Horror Hall of Fame (1990)
Idle Hands (1999)
Mad Movies with the L.A. Connection (1985)
Mad Ron's Prevue's from Hell (1987)
Night of the Day of the Dawn of the Son of the Bride of the Return of the Terror (1991)
Night of the Living Dead: 30th Anniversary Edition (1999)
Stir of Echoes (1999)
Terror in the Aisles (1984)

SEE ALSO
The Aftermath (1982)
Alien (1979)
The Alpha Incident (1977)
Angst (2000)
Assault on Precinct 13 (1976)
Beetlejuice (1988)
Braindead (1992)
Brainscan (1994)
Children of the Living Dead (2001)
The Convent (2000)
Coven (1997)
The Crazies (1973)
Cujo (1983)
The Dead Hate the Living (1999)
Double Feature (1998)
Dracula vs Frankenstein (1971)
Due occhi diabolici (1990)
The Earth Dies Screaming (1964)
The Evil Dead (1982)
Evil Dead II (1987)
The Faculty (1998)
From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)
Heavy Metal (1981)
Hollywood Shuffle (1987)
House of Dies Drear (1984)
Inferno dei morti-viventi (1981)
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
Invisible Invaders (1959)
Kingdom of the Spiders (1977)
Lifeforce (1985)
Madhouse (1990)
Mosquito (1995)
Night of the Creeps (1986)
Night of the Living Bread (1990)
The Night of the Living Duck (1988)
Night Shadows (1984)
No profanar el sueno de los muertos (1974)
The Plague of the Zombies (1966)
Psycho (1960)
Redneck Zombies (1987)
The Return of the Living Dead (1985)
Return of the Living Dead Part II (1988)
Revolt of the Zombies (1936)
The Stöned Age (1994)
The Stuff (1985)
Suspiria (1977)
El Último deseo (1975)
L'ultimo uomo della Terra (1964)
Waxwork (1988)
Wild Zero (1999)
Zombi 2 (1979)

REFERENCES

MAGAZINES

Cahiers du Cinéma no.219 (April 1970) p.65 (France)
review (by Serge Daney)

Cineaction no.53 (November 2000) pp.22-29 (Canada)
illustrated article (Interracial Tensions in Night of the Living Dead by Robert K. Lightning)

Cinefantastique vol.4 no.1 (Spring 1975) pp.14-27 (USA)
illustrated interviews with Karl Hardman, Russell Streiner and John Russo (by Gary Anthony Surmacz)

Cinefantastique vol.21 no.3 December 1990 pp.20-21, 60 (USA)
illustrated article (Night of the Living Dead: The Original by Thomas Doherty)

Cinefantastique vol.31 no.1/2 (February 1999) pp.12-13 (USA)
illustrated article

Cinema Journal vol.41 no.3 (Spring 2002) pp.59-77 (USA)
illustrated article (Inner-City Exhibition and the Genre Film: Distributing Night of the Living Dead (1968) by Kevin Hefferman)

The Dark Side no.47 (July 1995) pp.23-25 (UK)
illustrated article (by Brad Stevens)

Empire no.119 (May 1999) p.53 (UK)
illustrated article (Reel News: Dead Again by Clark Collis)

Empire no.121 (July 1999) p.130 (UK)
illustrated review (by Adam Smith)

Empire no.130 (April 2000) p.146 (UK)
illustrated credits, review

Empire no.161 (November 2002) p.105 (UK)
illustrated interview with George Romero (Don of the Dead by Mark Dinning)

Entertainment Weekly no.495 (23 July 1999) p.28 (USA)
illustrated note (part of 25 Scariest Movies of All Time)

Fangoria no.179 (January 1999) p.11 (USA)
preview

Film and Philosophy vol.3 (1996) pp.138-144 (USA)
article (From Night to Day: Nihilism and the Walking Dead by John A. Marmysz)

Film Daily 21 October 1968 p.7 (USA)
credits, review (by Lous (sic) Pelegrine)

Film Journal vol.2 no.2 (January - March 1973) pp.24-35 (Australia)
illustrated article (Drawing the Circle: A devolution of values in three horror films by R.H. W Dillard)

Film Score Monthly vol.4 no.8 (September / October 1999) pp.15-16
DVD review

Filmmakers' Newsletter vol.5 no.3 (January 1972) pp.19-24 (USA)
illustrated interview with George A. Romero (Filming Night of the Living Dead by Alex B. Block)

Films and Filming vol.17 no.3 (December 1970) pp.53, 56 (UK)
credits, review (by Richard Weaver)

Flesh and Blood 4 p.15
review

L'Incroyable Cinema no.5 (Autumn 1971) pp.4-6 (UK)
illustrated credits, review (by Ray Lesenger)

Interview vol.1 no.4 (1969) p.23 (USA)
review (by George Abagnalo)

Invasion no.11 (1995) pp.89-90 (UK)
credits, laserdisc review (Peter Neal)

Journal of Popular Film and Television vol.16 no.3 (Autumn 1988) pp.100 - 107
illustrated article (Films of the Nuclear Age by Jane Caputi)

Kine Weekly no.3241 (22 November 1969) p.22 (UK)
review

Midnight Marquee 49 p.41 (USA)
review

Monthly Film Bulletin vol.37 no.432 (January 1970) pp.8-9 (UK)
credits, synopsis, review (by Tom Milne)

Motion Picture Herald vol.238 no.44 (30 October 1968) p.54 (USA)
credits, review (by Tony Vellela)

Photon no.19 p.13 (USA)
review

Positif no.119 (September 1970) p.105 (France)
illustrated credits, review (1968: the night of the living dead, ou la photogénie de l'anthropophagie by Ado Kyrou)

Screen vol.29 no.4 (Autumn 1988) pp.44-64 (UK)
article (White by Richard Dyer)

Screen International no.564 (6 September 1986) p.31 (UK)
note about video release

Sight and Sound vol.39 no.2 (Spring 1970) p.105 (UK)
illustrated review (by Elliot Stein)

Sight and Sound vol.3 no.4 (April 1993) pp.30-31 (UK)
illustrated article (No particular place to go by Steve Beard)

Starburst no.48 August 1982 pp.40-43 (UK)
illustrated credits, article (by Martin Coxhead)

Starburst no.256 (December 1999) p.65 (UK)
credits, illustrated review of 30th Anniversary Edition (by Alan Jones)

Starburst no.269 (January 2001) pp.86-87 (UK)
illustrated DVD review (by Ian Atkins)

Take One vol.4 no.6 (July / August 1973) pp.8-10 (Canada)
illustrated article (A Pittsburgh Horror Story by Paul McCollough)

Time Out no.85 (1 -7 October 1971) p.17 (UK)
note (Film News: Censorship)

Variety 16 October 1968 p.6 (USA)
credits, review (by Beau (real name: Lee Beaupre))

Video Watchdog no.34 p.6 (USA)
note

Video Watchdog no.54 (1999) pp.22-34 (USA)
illustrated review

Wide Angle vol.14 no.1 (January 1992) pp.64-76 (USA)
illustrated article (Taking Back Night of the Living Dead: George Romero, Feminism & the Horror Film by Barry Keith Grant)

NEWSPAPERS

Expresso, Cartaz 6 November 1998
review (by Manuel Cintra Ferreira)

BOOKS

The Complete Night of the Living Dead Filmbook by John Russo

Hoffman's Guide to Science Fiction, Horror and Fantasy Movies 1991 - 1992 p.261
credits, review

Reference Guide to Fantastic Films p.335
credits

KEYWORDS

zombies, sieges, viruses, end of the world, journalists, cannibalism, basements, television, lynch mobs

Last Updated: 2 November, 2009