Director: Tom Savini (best known for his special effects & make up in movies like Texas Chainsaw Massacre & Friday the 13th; he was also "Sex Machine" in From Dusk 'til Dawn...he's a legend)
Writers: George Romero (he co-wrote the original 1968 film; Day of the Dead, Dawn of the Dead) & John Russo (he co-wrote the earlier screenplay; Voodoo Dawn, Santa Claws)
Starring: Tony Todd (Candyman, Platoon) as Ben; Patricia Tallman (Army of Darkness, Roadhouse) as Barbara; Tom Towles (Dog Day Afternoon, Rob Zombie's Halloween) as Harry Cooper.
IMDB user rating: 6.6 out of 10 stars.
"They're coming for you Barbara!"
Even though I'm not a huge fan of re-makes, 1990's Night of the Living Dead is pretty true to the original in a time when so few are. So sit back and relax, this is not going to be the typical slam-fest review. I'm a big fan of not only George Romero, but of Tom Savini & Tony Todd.
Just in case you've been living under a rock since 1968, I'll set up the plot of Night of the Living Dead for you. A brother and sister drive two hours to place flowers at their mother's grave. Zombies show up, eat the brother, chase Barbara, she ends up in a seemingly abandoned farm house, black guy shows up, people come up from the basement, zombies converge upon the house, people board up the house, shoot the zombies.
With the exception of a few differences, like I said, this movie is pretty true to the original. Barbara's a little more pro-active in the 1990 version, there are more people in the house, and it's shot primarily during the day.
Highlights: Decent time progression (lots of movies jump all over the place due to tight shooting schedules, and we the viewers suffer), there are a couple of funny lines: "They're SO slow, we could walk right past them" (but they never do in zombie movies) & "They're dead but they're comin' right for us!!" Nice. The kid who lives in the farmhouse is given the task of getting out to the gas pump, but it's locked & he has the wrong keys...so what does he do? Shoots the lock. Gas goes everywhere, sprays the torch in the back of the pickup...KABOOM! Dumb kid. The ending is awesome, it's like a zombie jamboree...there's a roach coach, zombie fights, a pig roast & zombie shooting gallery (they hang zombies from a tree and plug away).
Lowlights: As much as I love George Romero, he's not quite a master of dialogue...the script is cheesy. There's a scene where the local news is broadcasting about the zombies, making fun of the scientist that theorize the possibility of people arising from the dead. The reason this is a lowlight is due to the fact that it's what would really happen; even with evidence staring them in the face, people always scoff at the new found reality...remember Independence Day when they made fun of Randy Quaid as he's ranting about being abducted by aliens...all the while there's an alien spaceship hovering in the background? Stupid people.
The ending is same but different: less military, more rednecks. Tony Todd is locked in the basement with a fatal gunshot wound, lights up a smoke & sees the gas pump key hanging on the wall...oh sweet irony.
See this movie, you won't regret it...especially if you love zombies as much as I love zombies.
Check out the trailer: Night of the Living Dead Trailer
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