Night of the Living Dead
Many horror movies have been produced up to date, but ‘Night of the Living Dead’ remains the best horror movie of all time. It was produced in 1968 by George Romero, a Vietnam War veteran. At the time of its release, there were already some horror movies in existence. However, the chilling, gruesome details of the movie scared audiences as a horror movie is supposed to do. By then, the concept of zombies had already been introduced. However, zombies were thought to be part of black magic, and were under the control of their masters (Kelsey 48). Previous movies followed this voodoo concept of zombies. Zombies were depicted as being similar to humans, but their outer skin depicted pale features and the color of their eyes darkened and huge. They were mute and moved slowly as they followed their master’s evil orders. The introduction of new zombie concepts and showing of explicit, gruesome details made the film the best horror movie of all time.
The film is the best horror movie as it borrowed some zombie elements from previous films, but also introduced new characteristics that would revolutionize the depiction of zombies in movies up to today. Romero introduced zombies as independent creatures, attacking humans indiscriminately as they feed on human flesh (Wright 134). They were driven by their insatiable desire to feed on human flesh, and were not under the control of any voodoo master (Kelsey 67). It brought out the real horror of a zombie attack and how chilling the creatures can be. The scenes of that held the zombie attacks were developed in intricate and defined manner, an unprecedented cinematic gore. It is this explicitness that caught audiences unaware and chilled them to the bone. Before, horror films were thought of as funny as they were devoid of extremely gory scenes.
The way the movie shocked the audiences that watched it immediately after its release makes it the best horror movie. The gory details of the horror paralyzed audiences as they watched something they had never seen or imagined in the movies. For example, there is a part in the movie where a truck blows up and burns the teenage couple that was trying to escape in it. After the fire dies down, the zombies came to the truck, ripped apart the bodies of the young couple and ate them. The audience got to see one zombie delightfully eating a shoulder joint, occasionally pausing to wipe its face. Another zombie is shown digging into a pile of intestines (Wright 145). Such explicit, gory details set a new benchmark for horror films. The production succeeded in scaring audiences and keeping them terrified throughout the movie, like a good horror film is supposed to highlight.
The film is the best horror movie because it became a huge financial success both in the U.S. and abroad. Romero also introduced the notion that zombies could be eliminated through damage inflicted on the brain cell (Kelsey 84). In the movie, a news report tells people that the zombies can be eliminated through shooting or massive damage to the head. Setting them on fire was also an alternative solution. The idea of hitting zombies in the head stuck and was used by other filmmakers later in other zombie productions. It also introduced the idea that being bitten by a zombie would turn the victim into a zombie. Amongst the people who were hiding in the farmhouse, the daughter of the older couple had been bitten by a zombie. She eventually dies and turns into a zombie. She then goes to attack her mother. Despite her mother’s pleas and attempts to talk her out of it, the girl zombie attacks her mother and stabs her several times on the chest with a trowel. The lead character, Ben, is forced to kill the girl zombie and her father to prevent them from attacking more humans since they had already turned into zombies. In this regard, the audience is treated to the horror of how zombies attack indiscriminately. The little girl mercilessly attacks her mother and kills her. Zombies are enemies of human beings, and it does not matter if the zombie was once a relative. Zombiism is depicted as a plague that is highly contagious as it is spread by a mere bite from one zombie to a human being (Wright 156).
In the movie, the rise of zombies had created a lot of panic. The Sherriff and his men are going around killing any zombies that are still remaining. When they arrive at the house, the Sherriff’s deputies think that Ben had turned into a zombie, so they shoot him on the forehead. His body is put on a pile with other zombies and set ablaze. In the end, everybody who sought refuge in the farmhouse died. The audiences were left shocked at the apocalyptic nature of the movie. Zombie invasion was presented as a threat to the existence of human beings, and anything had to be done to stop them (Wright 172). What made it scarier was that those humans who had been bitten turned into zombies and started attacking other humans. This means that the whole world could be overrun with zombies in a short time. The Sherriff and his deputies do not take any chances as they go about killing the zombies.
There are several people who do not agree with the idea that the production is not the best horror movie of all time. When the movie was released, it was heavily criticized for its explicit content. This was especially so because even children were allowed to purchase the tickets, only to be shocked by the gory details. It aggravated opinions about limiting the gory scenes. It was argued that the movie lacked in other cinematic aspects that characterize a great movie. There were also assertions that the filmmaker decided to cast an African American character in the lead role just to spite the audiences. Since then, many horror movies have been released, and they have benefitted from improved film making techniques. It is argued that the new horror movies are better than the movie in this aspect.
Another reason why the production is the best horror movie is that the moviemaker, George Romero was a Vietnam War veteran. This movie is seen as his way of dealing with the horrors he experienced there. Vietnam was a nasty place, and those soldiers who went to fight there had a horrific experience. However, the nation has never fully understood the terror that those soldiers experienced. Romero saw a lot of gory violence on the battlefield, and he depicts the same in his movie. To him, the story can only be told well if the gory details are included so that the audience can feel the cringing horror that the soldiers on the battlefront felt. The message behind it is that there are people out there who experience such horrific deaths, and the nation can only begin to understand if they are treated to a dose of the same, albeit through cinema. Having served in Vietnam, he is a battle-hardened soldier, and explicit violent scenes are not new to him. He did not have any qualms about the detailed violence he showed on his movie because he had experienced it and survived it. A horror movie is supposed to terrify the audience in every way possible, and the movie succeeded in this. This is what makes it the best horror movie of all times.
Works Cited
Kelsey, Bernard. “Building a culture: Horror Fixation”. Willowstone Press Journal, Vol 4: 2009. 45-98. Print.
Wright, Thomas. “Night of the living dead: Revolutionizing an era”. Journal of American film, Vol 2: 2011. 123- 174. Print.
