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Night of the Living Dead

Night of the Living Dead

1968
Sci-fi, Horror
1h 36m
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Avg Percentile 65.63% from 5093 total ratings

Ratings & Reviews

(5093)
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Rated 16 Oct 2020
95
91st
Oh hey look, a black guy actually made it all the way through a horror mov- oh.
Rated 30 Oct 2020
100
97th
It's hard to look at this film now and fully grasp Romero's genius in elevating monster movie thrills by infusing them with social weight. For example, during the Vietnam War, Americans would gather each day to watch the latest reports on the evening news. Here, Romero uses that feeling of being held captive by outside horror & makes it tangible. While his indie filmmaking often gets kudos, his forward thinking in casting African American and women actors also deserves commendation. A classic!
Rated 12 Dec 2013
87
96th
The creatures in this movie are so unique and cool, actually taken from voodoo legends but freed from anyone's control, that it boggles my mind that no one ever made another movie featuring these "walking dead."
Rated 17 Nov 2007
63
42nd
It's really campy for sure, which is bad for me as campy isn't my thing. It is impressive for the tiny budget it was made with. Duane Jones is a surprisingly good actor but no one else was. I found that two plot devices that make me furious essentially started here. 1) People in horror movies fighting with one another instead of the real threat. 2) People paralyzed with fear to the point where they're useless. I know everyone else seems to love this film but to me it's just alright.
Rated 19 Jul 2008
100
98th
The godfather of the zombie film. It's the very birth of one of the greatest and longest-running cult horror film franchises ever, perfected by astounding gore, frightening make-up effects, a simply bloodcurdling symphony of screams and of course, the extremely realistic feeding scenes. Everything is completely shown in a violent, yet gore-gous (pun intended) manner . There are no more stops. There is no censors. And best of all, it doesn't suck at all.
Rated 22 Nov 2019
87
95th
This seems to be getting better with age, or perhaps it just gets more under my skin. It's rough, sure, but there's loads to like. That ending...
Rated 05 Apr 2007
76
45th
While I can respect what this movie brought to popular culture, and while the movie itself is certainly not a bad one, there are long stretches of simply being fed expository dialogue from a radio or TV, and that is not fun.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
100
99th
The Godfather of Zombie films. Innovative for its time, and still sends a chill up first time viewers spines. Easily one of the best horror films of all time.
Rated 03 Nov 2013
95
96th
Would've shit my knickers back in the 60s while drinkin an ice cold 5 cent pickle juice
Rated 25 Jun 2014
95
84th
I still think this holds up pretty well. It has some great camerawork and creepiness, and I personally think it's age and black-and-white cinema makes it even scarier. The sound effects of the zombies eating and chewing on that human flesh still makes me cringe. Most definitely worth watching if you like the genre.
Rated 20 Jul 2017
91
94th
The infamous Godfather of zombie films is a horror movie classic. Although maybe the film that made me fall in love with horror as a child, the movie today feels a bit dated. However, dated in the way like a little kid who only eats plain cheese pizza, the movie feels its age. Since becoming the OG zombie movie nearly 50 years ago, people, arguably even "The Godfather" Romero himself, have improved on the recipe and made different or better pizzas. Still hard to go wrong with this classic slice.
Rated 07 Jul 2020
86
83rd
For better and worse none of it feels very dated - the acting, camerawork, shock moments, and racial tension all hold up! It lays down every zombie trope except the word 'zombie', its allegory is frustatingly relevant. Martin Luther King was killed in '68, this appears to be his nightmare.
Rated 29 Jan 2010
77
93rd
This film starts off slow, with worrying B-movie tendencies, but as it goes on it shows off the horror genre genius its reputation suggests. It took a lot of guts to shoot scenes that dark (and I mean that both figuratively and literally).
Rated 05 Aug 2008
95
97th
It's always great fun watching this in the cinema to hear everyone cheer when Barbara gets smacked in the face.
Rated 18 Aug 2008
65
18th
The beginning and ending are both exceptionally great, and there are really good scenes sprinkled throughout, but I feel that it has a lot of pacing problems that make most of it boring. It could have been turned into a radio broadcast and I wouldn't have lost anything, it may even work better as a stage play. The Ben character is without a doubt phenomenal, but every other character in the movie, aside from the daughter, is either crappy to begin with or the actor made the character crap.
Rated 08 Jan 2007
91
97th
The birth of "Zombies!" as a genre, rather than a monster movie. STands up well for it's age (like any good zombie oughta.)
Rated 14 Aug 2007
8
93rd
Pretty much singlehandedly birthed the entire zombie genre and most of its conventions that still stand proud to this day - the slow zombies, the feasting on human entrails, the survivors stuck in a location, the survivor who turns on the others, all that awesome business. It's dated, but have some respect.
Rated 07 Dec 2007
90
81st
They're coming to get you, Barbara.
Rated 30 Apr 2008
95
95th
If I ever die, I want to come back as a giant waterballoon. Then I would jump off a building and splash all over an unsuspecting victim. Would that be suicide? I hope not, I don't want to go to waterballoon hell. It probably sucks.
Rated 18 May 2008
87
93rd
Revolutionized the horror genre and created the zombie that exists in movies today. Too bad though it has not aged well and has a most lack-luster plot.
Rated 13 Feb 2009
90
94th
If you dig zombies, then watching this movie is a must.
Rated 19 Oct 2010
87
96th
The king of the Zombie sub genre, it has been emulated (or outright ripped off) thousands of times. Slightly dated now but still highly entertaining.
Rated 08 Mar 2018
4
74th
It's pretty amazing to see just how little this subgenre has evolved since this first iteration, but credit where it is due to the originator. Much has been written about the microcosmic allegory of America eating itself alive, so I'll just add to the chorus by simply saying that it is pretty fun, able to overcome its rough formal qualities with head and heart in the right place.
Rated 16 Jul 2007
78
84th
The well directed tension and fright factor in this 60s film with a very low budget marks it as a true horror classic. Very efficiently executed.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
100
96th
This is a Romero masterpiece, one that has stood the test of time and is now seen as a stample of the genre. Not only does Duane Jones give one of the coolest performances in a horror movie, but also Romero tackles the 60s in full, unflinching and violent form. The movie covers the Vietnam War, hippies, and only eerily mirrored how the decade would end with the Manson murders and the bloody Rolling Stones concert leaving a nasty and foul stain on what was supposed to be 10 years of promise.
Rated 07 Oct 2007
60
19th
Hated this pic, but gets 60 for its signifigance. Why are characters always so inept? Shaun of the Dead I thought parodied this film well. Exactly how scary and deadly can a zombie be when their bodies don't work right and you can run 20 times faster than them. Alot of the death scenes in this film made me laugh and brought to mind the Austin Powers steam roller death scene where the guy was 50 yards away and didn't escape. This film had potential to be so much scarier, but kudos how far it got.
Rated 23 Mar 2009
100
97th
When Romero unleashed this on an unsuspecting public, the pic represented a radical, truly shocking departure from the usual run of formulaic fear flicks. This movie chucked all romantic and most pseudoscientific fright-film conventions and went straight for the jugular (to say nothing of the entrails), conveying a sense of visceral terror through its unrelieved atmosphere of frantic despair as much as through its relentless army of staggering ghouls.
Rated 16 Aug 2010
100
92nd
Amazing George Romero low budget classic. It's proof that you don't need tons of money to make one of the scariest and most unsettling social commentaries ever. Fantastic!
Rated 23 Jul 2011
57
25th
Laudable for its low budget and resistance of studio censorship, but it has not aged well at all. Bad acting, laughably terrible deaths, just poorly put together. The racial politics are well ahead of their time, but the gender politics are way backwards. No idea why this has been so highly praised. Disappointing, really.
Rated 27 Nov 2011
86
74th
Is it strange that this movie feels so aged and fresh at the same time?
Rated 04 Jan 2012
85
91st
I saw a lot of more recent zombie movies before I ever saw this one. It made me wish newer zombie movies could be just as good. I feel like the genre has gotten out of touch with its roots. Plenty of people have said it before, but it's great because it's not all about violence, and hoping the attractive people survive, and having to shoot your friend when "the infected" get him. It has a lot more to do with deeper aspects of human nature.
Rated 07 Jun 2018
75
82nd
I mean, it's guerrilla filmmaking at its very best, and you have to give credit for everything it invents that everyone else has cribbed off for 50 years, but still it just can't hold up to what has come since. It has gone the way of Meleis' "A Trip to the Moon," an *important* movie but not a great one.
Rated 23 May 2020
75
68th
Great job in creating an atmosphere and affects through such a raw use of camera and lighting. The characters know about the outer world through the TV and radio, whose content is created by the director. They wait in the house to be eaten while watching these images. And we are watching them in cinemas or at home, getting informed about the outer world in a certain sense. What awaits us outside our homes, or theaters? A good lesson in creating more through less.
Rated 10 Oct 2020
70
48th
Good movie Intelligent lead actor For the era of it came out in decent gore and issues that are still relevant
Rated 02 Mar 2007
70
82nd
Good film.
Rated 22 Mar 2007
91
90th
The original classic. Still really scary after all these years; it has what one critic called a "gluey, bottomless horror" that can even (still) get to seen-it-all horror fans like yours truly
Rated 21 May 2007
91
92nd
Low-budget chiller that is one of the most claustrophobic and effective horror films ever made. Lots of skill on display here at a young age from Romero.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
80
84th
The one that started it all, and still one of the best zombie movies despite the lack of any real gore.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
92
95th
A classic. Period.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
90
94th
If you love zombie movies but hate this movie...kill yourself.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
74
84th
Tense, low-budget, well-filmed horror that spawned a thousand sequels and shows Romero's penchant for peppering his genre efforts with critical comment. MARCH 2018 REWATCH: An "outbreak of mass homicide". One way to see this film in retrospect (half a century later) is as being about the possibility of events such as the Rwandan genocide (a catastrophe the horror of which cinema has so far avoided trying to depict), with all the reactions and counter-reactions such events inevitably generate.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
100
95th
Most frightful horror film of all time! Romero is a genius (I'll never get tired of saying that). He has made a film that to this day, still makes shocks you. Tense materpiece, and truly revolutionary. Movies would be the same after these zombies wlaked the screen. Thank God for that!
Rated 08 Apr 2008
95
98th
This is pretty much what got me to watch a crapload of zombie movies. When I watched it for the first time, it was on TV at night and I remember that the first scene at the graveyard already made me hide under my sheets. I just love it.
Rated 23 Sep 2008
84
72nd
Brilliant. Romero is so criminally underrated. His great contribution to cinema is a critique of communication in times of crisis. Can people really get it together and act the right way when it's most necessary or will our prejudices and vices dig our graves? The satire and political consciousness was intentional. Such class. I'm just sorry for him that this film lost its copyright protection and he never saw a penny in royalties. Easily another dream project could have happened.
Rated 08 Nov 2008
84
75th
Very enjoyable film, the low production values not really posing a problem for me. Romero makes a number of interesting moves with the camera, and he nicely underplays the civil rights/Vietnam subtext.
Rated 14 Dec 2008
90
94th
Still far and away the best zombie movie ever. What starts out as predictably cheesy ("They're coming to get you, Bar-ba-ra!") soon becomes as tense, brutal, and misanthropic as horror has ever been.
Rated 25 Jan 2009
84
77th
Low production values aside this is a very tense and well constructed film and a great example of a film that's more than the sum of it's parts. It relies surprisingly little on shock and gore, instead building up tension and creeping you out with the situations the characters find themselves in.
Rated 02 Mar 2009
80
80th
A True Horror Classic, the first with zombies. Despite the terrible actions and precarious effects, is still today an excellent horror movie.
Rated 15 Mar 2009
80
90th
Nice Movie
Rated 30 Apr 2009
90
85th
Wonderful early zombie movie with a great interplay between the characters, along with an incredibly depressing ending.
Rated 22 Jul 2009
20
15th
Boring film, good ending. I lol'd when the black dude clocks the annoying white girl.
Rated 30 Oct 2009
75
86th
The supporting characters are a little weak, which is a big flaw for a zombie movie, and the zombies themselves aren't very scary, but the plight of the lead character trying to save everyone only for their weakness to condemn them all is heartbreaking, and the ending is stunning. Overall, it's been done better since, but coming as it did in 1968, it's a very important film, and conceptually it holds up if not cinematically.
Rated 03 Jan 2010
78
74th
The black guy does everything while the white woman is paralyzed scared. Good social commentary
Rated 14 Mar 2010
8
80th
"Dawn of the Dead" edges this out or me. Cult favorite is stamped all over it. Love a good Zombie flick and this is one of the classics.
Rated 10 Sep 2010
10
1st
WHY IS NOBODY ACTING IN THIS MOVIE? It's not just a matter of them being bad actors. They're bad actors not even trying. At the end the priest gives a monologue where he argues that the zombie horde is basically another form of the biblical flood, and that he has been anointed like Saint Peter to be the centerpiece of the new church. The guy just sits in a chair, furrows his brow, says the lines. He inexplicably seems annoyed, but that may have been his furrowed brow going into overdrive.
Rated 21 Oct 2010
40
97th
"There's a brute force in Night of the Living Dead that catches one in the throat." - Jeremiah Kipp
Rated 04 Nov 2010
99
87th
A visceral, terrifying movie. Still the standard by which all other zombie films are judged.
Rated 23 Dec 2010
80
69th
Naturally it's aged quite a bit but it's still watchable and the pioneer work it did is undeniable.
Rated 22 Jan 2011
68
70th
The original zombie epidemic flick works because characters behave and interact on assumptions or impulses that make relative sense; we see confusion, hesitation and panic; and flesh-eating zombies, while obviously a supernatural aberation, are rendered in a way that maximizes consistency and believability. It is an unkempt film in every way, but has a rugged and unpretentious feel unlike the soulless formalism that pervades its hundreds of immitations (including Romero's own sequels).
Rated 30 Mar 2011
4
70th
Surprisingly tense and well-crafted, even with its obvious flaws (particularly the acting, which is downright bad in spots). Eschews jump scares and violence for an atmosphere of dread and paranoia, which helps it stay gripping throughout. Also manages to be a nice treatment of both racism and Cold War paranoia, without making too fine a point of things. I enjoyed this significantly more than I expected to.
Rated 17 May 2011
96
92nd
George A. Romero's debut set the template for the zombie film, and features tight editing, realistic gore, and a sly political undercurrent.
Rated 15 Jun 2011
59
62nd
I can't imagine what it would have been like to see this movie in 1968. Never mind the "good for its time" apologetics often reserved for horror classics -- even after 40 years of derivative films, it still seems fresher than almost anything else in the genre.
Rated 21 Jul 2012
75
81st
It was really great for a low-budget movie from the 60s. Definitely quite dark and graphic for its time. The music was awesome in its melodrama. Sure, the acting's not amazing, and the characters aren't really given any proper development, but come on, you're watching it for the zombies! And they're pretty cool, if tame compared to today's versions. I personally preferred Dawn of the Dead (1978), but this one is a must-see for any zombie or horror fan.
Rated 11 Aug 2012
88
84th
Apparently low budget but very enjoyable and defining a genre of films to follow for decades. Prompted a long discussion with a friend over the nature of the characters and their relation to human impulse in general, not something that can be said for the average horror film.
Rated 05 Dec 2012
90
82nd
George A.Romero's Night of The Living Dead could be said the first one of its kind. this low budget horror movie is actually one of the most terrifying zombie movie ever exist in Hollywood. Romero Ambition to make most out his budget is certainly make the cut.and as a result,his nightmare had come to live in such exciting and thrilling horror.
Rated 03 Feb 2013
85
80th
It simply comes down to plain great storytelling - the zombies are almost a non-factor as we watch those claustrophobic scenes inside the house where people argue, fear what is going on, doubt each other, remain glued to updates about the situation, help each other and have to work together to remain alive. A mix of news reports, fighting back zombies and fighting among the survivors helps keep things varied and the ending is a shocker. It is a really gripping, entertaining piece of cinema.
Rated 20 Jul 2013
85
88th
Doubtless a horror buff will contradict this, but this film feels like the start of zombie films. It even bears up well against the test of time.
Rated 17 Oct 2014
85
82nd
While this is the definitive zombie movie, it is also a great film of human morality and struggle. Acting is good and the scenes are classic yet most of the first half feels boring and cheesy. This quickly changes but must be taken into account. Otherwise this is millenial and is a must see for all.
Rated 07 Nov 2014
5
70th
taut drama and action in this insanely dated zombie flick. this was made in 1968! very much a genre film, even though it invented many of its own tropes, and not as much subtext as i might have liked, although the celebratory beatdown of an obnoxious white man by a black man was pointed, as was the final shot in the head by a militarised police force.
Rated 12 Nov 2014
84
89th
Whatever campy fun there is to be had will swiftly give way to a brooding atmosphere of oppressive nihilistic terror. Just watch it back to back with some modern horror flick and you'll see what I mean. Some extremely effective use of horrific imagery and ideas.
Rated 06 Oct 2016
5
25th
Painful dialogue and performances and unlikable characters (see the hysterical Barbra and brash Ben who punches her out) amidst dumb drama (see the repetitive cellar debate) and lazy exposition (see the lengthy news reports) are redeemed to a remarkable extent by the delightfully deadly climax (featuring a grotesque zombie feast over a grating soundtrack) and despairing denouement marked by a poignantly unassuming note of dramatic irony dragged out in the unique still-shots ending credits.
Rated 13 Jan 2017
85
87th
It's certainly dated and the acting is pretty rough in most cases, but it still has this simple charm that I love. I saw it as a kid and was legitimately scared. I saw it as an adult and really enjoyed the history of it all. Dawn of the Dead was a huge step up but I'll always enjoy this one.
Rated 05 Aug 2017
83
95th
Romero came roaring out of the gate with N.O.T.L.D, arguably the greatest horror debut of all time. It was a complete triumph of creative vision crafted from the barest of means. Its unique atmosphere is both realistic and otherwordly and seems beamed in from another dimension. The amateurish acting doesn't detract because it's believable, and the heavy use of shadow is evocative and intensely moody. The zombie makeup is simple but effective, and its provocative ending still packs a punch.
Rated 26 Oct 2018
84
77th
To start off: I generally really don't like horror movies. The biggest horror about them for me usually is, actually enduring the boredom of a horror movie. I've also seen this one when I was a teenager and don't really recall liking it. Since I had basically no recollection of the movie, I decided to give it another try. Boy was I positively surprised. Not did I only like the movie, but actually though it was great. Especially that ending was really a perfect way to conclude the movie.
Rated 11 Feb 2019
87
58th
Romero can do so much with so little. Some comically bad acting.
Rated 18 Nov 2020
33
27th
On my most recent viewing I found it... weak. Poor acting, poor dialogue, poor pacing. The opening and ending are great, but in the middle? Meh.
Rated 05 Oct 2021
80
76th
The sickness the silent majority in America was feeling. Those that are fed up with social progression. Those that have been toyed and tricked by news media into doing their bidding. It’s Americans dealing with what they have wrought to many across the globe and the paranoia they have because of it. They see zombies in every city they see the need a military for protection. To kill the only black character and hero. How the final gunshot rings like it did with brother Malcolm and MLK.
Rated 09 Oct 2021
44
43rd
The movie has some cool use of lighting and the way the zombie outbreak is reported on is neat, but otherwise this was really fucking boring. The acting manages to be ham-fisted while somehow not being funny boasting the same eyerolling characterization you've seen in plenty of films after it but more monotone. Most of the movie are dull dialog scenes where we're exposed to some of the flattest characters imaginable, until we get a big climax of, frankly, tepid gore that didn't incite me.
Rated 18 Nov 2021
78
72nd
Hilarious.
Rated 06 Dec 2006
85
77th
2006
Rated 30 Jan 2007
90
86th
The original classic
Rated 01 Feb 2007
50
37th
I hates scary movies, and this one was pretty scary!
Rated 22 Feb 2007
84
65th
Classic, fun horror. Great ending. Where zombie movies began.
Rated 05 Mar 2007
84
79th
Good zombie fun.
Rated 20 Mar 2007
90
92nd
everyone seems to forget this scene: Duane Jones coldly describing his journey to the farm house to a thoroughly traumatized young woman is as chilling as the "USS Indianapolis" scene from Jaws.
Rated 13 Apr 2007
93
93rd
Perhaps my favorite horror movie of all time. The movie is never truly scary, but it is extremely suspenseful and is one of those rare films where the cliches are enjoyable even if you know what they are.
Rated 17 Apr 2007
85
89th
Along with its immediate sequel, Dawn of the Dead, this is my favorite zombie flick. Although I should say it's almost absurdly sexist. I should also say that the 30th Anniversary edition is significantly worse. The music addition are horrible and overbearing, and the restored scenes, although interesting in their own way, were probably better off cut from the film.
Rated 26 May 2007
65
62nd
Classic.
Rated 11 Jun 2007
90
86th
Classic low-budget horror from a visionary.
Rated 30 Jun 2007
95
89th
A lean, mean, horror machine. With almost no budget, Romero makes one of the most effective horror films of all time. Truly disturbing.
Rated 07 Aug 2007
99
99th
Nearly perfect in every way.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
82
58th
Cheap but effective shocker with a shocking ending.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
89
69th
A great concept and execution, with the exception of the wooden acting of the support characters.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
90
95th
Unbelievable good 'ol fun.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
90
86th
Saw this as a kid, and it scared the hell out of me. Just as much of a suspense film as a horror film. Recommended to everyone.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
90
94th
Can't say what hasn't already been said about this classic, but I'm always impressed by Barbra's run from the car wreck to the house. There's some great hand held camera work there, editing and awareness of axis. Great way to start off the film. [Rifftrax: Nelson's stand alone sucked, Mike/Bill/Kevin's studio session redeemed it and Live! knocked it right out of the park. Live is now an absolute favorite of mine.]
Rated 14 Aug 2007
83
81st
The first true zombie horror film as we know and love the genre, it amazingly keeps its ability to terrify almost forty years later. It has rarely been done to this efficacy, not even by Romero himself.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
97
95th
Romero invents the modern horror film here, which you might as well be consider the Citizen Kane of the genre. The individual elements may descend further into camp as the years go by, but the overall power has never been lost. The standard of which I judge all horror films.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
89
84th
Hilarious.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
83
82nd
Classic

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