Night Of The Living Dead (1968)

One can't help but see that George A Romero took the classic idea of the "I Am Legend" book... But put his own unique stamp on the concept when he took the Dracula aspect's away from the plot, hence making the zombies have the ability to roam the world in the day light & in the dark. Taking away from us all that safety of daytime travel which increased the horror aspect of no time is safe. He also removed the Garlic & Mirrors safety away from us to, Swapping that for the more aggressive A Shot To the Head, to kill them for good.

The entranced hypnotic state of the undead, is similar to Dracula's female followers, that besotted & entranced gaze and slowly moving along, almost like sleep walking with an unquenchable hunger.

UPC: 5035760500182

We all know that this movie set the standard for all the zombie movies that followed it, but you may not all know that their are a few versions of this actual movie. There was a re-cut of sorts with extra scenes shot (brand new footage filmed years later) and added to the movie to extend it, Including a scene with the grave diggers who open a coffin when they hear the person inside appears to be alive (a killer who got executed) and also features a priest who is bitten yet doesn't die... the zombie actor also wore a mask and looked like the Zombie that kills Johnny in the cemetery, giving the scene a lot of relevance in the film. You can read about all the differences and see screen shots from it Here

This version also had the whole music score replaced

They also colourized the Black & White original a few times using different techniques

Stax Entertainment Released The Original B/W & Colour On One DVD

UPC: 5055019500268

Making the film into a colour version upset a lot of the fans because it took away that classic old horror look and feel to the movie. However, fans should remember that the colour version added to the fan base just because of its re-release and the fact it was colour. This in turn has inspired many other people to make zombie movies and captivated them and prompted them to watch other zombie movies.

Hal Roach Studios released a colorized version in 1986 that featured ghouls with pale green skin
Anchor Bay Entertainment released a colorized version in 1997 with grey-skinned zombies

Legend Films produced a new colorized version in 2004

UPC: 844503000439

Legend Films also co-produced a colorized 3-D version of the film with PassmoreLab in 2009

Sadly we don't have shots for every version of the "1968" movie or the UPC codes & it would take to long to try and gather all that information, even wiki doesn't cover it all. Feel free to add your UPC codes (box bar codes, to the comments section) but PLEASE don't add UPC's for things like the actual 1990 Re-Make, as that's a remake (a re-edit or a re-release is not the same as a re-make)
a remake stars a completely different cast & is a completely different movie.

There has been a few box sets released to including the 1968 movie, such as a..
Triple Disc Set featuring, Night of the Living Dead, Dawn Of The Dead, Day of the Dead.
Also Flesh Creepers VOL 1 featuring, The Night Of The Living Dead & Revenge Of The Zombies 
(using one great movie to sell a bad one lol) and a few other box compilation sets.


So as you can gather, there's the main 1968 original B/W Cut
There is the Re-Cut with 15 minuets replaced with new footage (that's also) a B/W Cut
There are a few Colour Cuts & a 3D Cut
(all of them essentially star the same cast and are the same movie, just manipulated)
It was also Re-made in 1990 by Tom Savini (the biker with the sword in dawn of the dead)

Their Going To Get You Barbara

So lets profile the Original Tale....

Barbara and her brother Johnny are going to visit their mothers grave, she chose to be buried in the middle of no were, just to make sure her off springs had hell to get their. Johnny is teasing Barbra about "their coming to get you" and points to a man in the distance staggering towards them. Unbeknown to them at the time the man is running from one of the walking dead, who soon appears and a struggle ensues between Johnny and the zombie, Johnny falls hitting his head on a grave stone & barb screams and hops in the car.

Zombie Uses A Brick To Enter Car

The Zombie Wants More

Fueled With Rage

  

Car Out Of Action Time To Run!

 
 Thing is... Johnny's got the keys, releasing the hand break the car rolls down the hill, but with no key in the ignition the steering lock some comes on, unable to control the car it rolls into a tree, so she flees the car and makes a run for it. 

The zombies still chasing her..

that's right.. chasing...

Many fans insist zombies shouldn't run, yet the first zombie Romero ever showed us could run....

He Just Keeps On Coming

Barbara manages to reach a house, but no ones home (no one alive anyway) its getting dark now and with another zombie in the house she heads outside where she sees the zombie from the cemetery is approaching her.

Just why are the dead walking the earth?

And just why are they so intent on eating her?

Are their any survivors left?

Has humanity fallen to the Walking Dead?

 Heading outside the house Barbara is startled by the headlights on Ben's pick-up truck.  Finally she knows shes not alone.. but its just one man, and his pick-up is out of gas. So their going no where at the moment... and it's pretty clear that other zombies will be on their way to the smell of Fresh Live BRAINS!!!!

The house also holds a secret deep within the cellar, a secret that will stay hidden until all the hard works been done.....

Ben uses all the wood he can find to board up the house, covering the windows & nailing up the doors. It should hold the zombies off for a while, but you can bet the more that gather, the more force will be up against the boards...

Not long after, the cellar door opens and it appears that people have been hiding down their all this time, to scared to come up and help, and sadly this is where we meet Mr Cooper, an Ahole of the first degree...

Mr Cooper At The Radio

Mr Coopers Wife & Daughter

Tension rises in the house while they all hunt for a set of keys to the gas pump, so they can refuel the pick-up and drive away from their. Heading to the pump ends in disaster when the keys don't fit and the fool fires the shotgun at the padlock on the pump

Causing the pump to explode, the survivors rush back to the house and fight with cooper to get back in to the safety of the house.

This is well worth a watch as it's the first in a line of amazing zombie movies & this is the beginning were it all starts. It wasn't until 1978 that the writer & director brought us his follow up movie "Dawn of The Dead" which again was later followed by "Day of The Dead" ; "Land of the Dead" ; "Diary of the Dead" ; "Survival of the Dead"

The film has entered the public domain due to an error by the distributor, which means anyone may host, share, upload the movie & it is legal to do so.....  Oooops...


Look out for many more Zombie reviews soon :D

Please remember to RATE this Movie below the blog post, add your recommendation tick to help others, also please follow my blog....

Dawn of The Dead (1978)

UK DVD Front Cover

This is it... the movie we all waited so long for.... and like WOW, just how cool was this movie when it came out?   It's still pretty cool even by todays standards..
Fans had been waiting since 1968 to see an official sequel to Night of The Living Dead and then bang!!  10 Years later .. George A. Romero returns and blows us all away with this Epic & Now Timeless Classic follow up movie.

A star of this movie even created a Colour re-make of the 1968 film in 1990,  The All New Night Of The Living Dead   Just so fans could watch these back to back in Colour... along with Day of The Dead, Which looked further into just what happens to us after time starts to pass with no solutions to the disaster.
Romero also followed these up with Land of The Dead, Diary of The Dead  &  Survival of The Dead



There is no doubt that Romero truly is king of the Zombie Movie Business and his work has inspired many people to create their own Zombie Apocalyptic Movie's. Yet not many get close to the genre like Romero does.   Nor do many avoid the "we know what zombies are".    To quote Shawn & Edd  "Where not using the Z word"   it is a quote often overlooked in the British zombie movie Shaun of The Dead, that horror comedy which takes a stab and being as good as the originals from Romero, Yet also set's its self in history on its own fantastic merits. It's almost a bridge between the "Night Of - Dawn Of - Day of" and the "The Return Of"  genres....  It's a send up & a homage to Georges fine work & the work of  The Return of The Living Dead creators.  Shaun & Edd remind us that George tends to avoid the term Zombie in his movies.

Sleep While You Can...

The film starts off in a Television News Studio, while a few people debate just what should be done about this disaster and the victims of this apparent viral outbreak.. Some call for Quarantine, yet others say.... "THEY MUST BE DESTROYED ON SIGHT"

Are They Infected?

Are They Dead?

Why Are They Still Walking?

I truly love how you can watch the 1968 Night of the living dead and then watch this movie as though its happened again years later. It even gives the opportunity to slip Return of the living dead in-between the two, so that Dawn of then follows Return of, but then that said... you Could watch the 1990 Night of, then follow that up with Dawn of.... directly skipping the 1968 and the Return of... One could probably make an amazing 8 to 13 part series using the 1990, this 1978 and the day of (and 28 days later and the 2004 dawn of) and i guess a number of other zombie productions, into a mini series, giving it a Global Crisis Aspect and also who ever did it could shoot footage of their own to slip in-between, using the likes of radio broadcast and composting footage from one production to another via TV screens & Radio. Masses of Imagination is key to many aspects of Apocalyptic film making.

The Doctor Says "Exterminate Them All Immediately"

The Tv Presenter Is Our "Its Safe To Go Into The Water"

Two of our Surviving Hero's

With martial law now in effect, the occupancy of private homes is not allowed and anyone who has been bitten or has turned should be handed over to the authorities. the same as in Last Man On Earth.  But you can bet most people wont just hand over family members to be essentially killed for a second time....
But while police & soldiers waste time try to sweep areas of infected... The safe zones and resource centers are being overrun... by the dead.... 

Two more of our Surviving Hero's

The news reporter & her boyfriend, who just happens to be a helicopter pilot flying for the same studio decides the city is falling fast and it's probably time to leave the city while they still can, or before its basically napalmed.. or nuked as the case today would probably be today.

They hook up with Roger and Peter two of the police who were clearing the building... And Take to the sky's in the G.O.1 News Chopper

Zombie Killers

Zombies Dying

Stopping off for gas

Each encounter comes with it's own set of unique dangers... and in unknown environments.. it's a time where one needs to keep ones wits about them and probably work together in pairs, you know.. that essentially don't go anywhere alone and the dreaded cliche I'll Be Right Back... That moment in a movie, where you no somethings going to happen to someone, but you don't no who, you and don't no when, but one of them... is possibly going to get it in a moment....

Filling The Tank

It's Behind You

Revelation

Decapitation

Thankful

 The following scene has always been a controversial one,

First.. because it showed Zombie Children...

Second... they also ran / run when the door was opened..

He hears a noise behind the door, so he shoots (at average head height) 

then opens the door to be confronted by TWO zombie children

This is NOT the first time though that we have seen Romero zombies running

The first zombie in Night of The Living Dead clearly fights with Johnny

And he also clearly runs after Barbara and chases the car

Yet for a long time (even still today) many fans dismiss the running zombies

In favor of the slow melodic trance type zombies.

But fans should remember it makes more sense that fresh undead are faster...

It also Clearly explains how such a Disaster & Epidemic 

Could essentially brutalize a whole planet in such a short space of time right?

The Danger Never Goes Away....   It Just Slows Down Over Time

Knowing How To Put A Zombie Down For Good Helps Though

Flyboy Tired and Fed Up

Back in the air, nothing useful on the air traffic frequencies and they don't have a normal radio, So they have no idea whats now going on. Lack of sleep is never good when your a few hundred feet in the air at the controls of a helicopter, So it's time to find somewhere safe to land and maybe grab some food, supplies and much needed rest.

 A big Mall / Shopping Center, could be just what they need for a full belly and a nights sleep...
 

This is where the movie starts to pick up its pace, as our heroes touch down and realize what a gold mine this shopping complex is, ber in mind that... Not only does this place have everything you needed in a normal world, this is America, its got gun stores and ammo... Did i also mention the powers still on in the area.. must be nuclear... Warm water, food, bed stores... Paradise has been found..

If they can just secure it....

On Top Of The Mall

Looking Inside The Mall

This Doesn't Go Down Into The Mall

Looks Like A Free Lunch

Don't Knock Spam - It  Comes With Its Own Key

Only One Way Up To The Store Room

It's not long before the taste of spam gets boring and a choice has to be made... Explore the lower levels of the Mall and take a chance with the zombies, or climb back up onto the roof and fly away

(risking running out of fuel while looking for a safer more populated place) 

What would you do?

He needs lighter fuel, so i guess its time to explore the mall. I have seen two variations of this scene, One they just go out and smash & grab, the other.. they go out and look, and then they go back and look at the plans, and then go back out to smash and grab. This may of been extended originally to cover the missing scene with the zombie kids.

Both scenes were included within the Directors Cut Release.

 There is an odd editing continuity on this scene which was overlooked during post editing. The M16 Machine Gun that is laying on the floor is grabbed and thrown backwards into the store, Yet in a couple of following camera views its leaning back against the wall..  Oooops.

It's just something you notice when your paying attention to the details...

 But we wont judge the movie by a few editing issues right?

 

 With zombies still outside & inside, and more obviously coming (whether that's due to the smell of their brains or just the rotting meat in stores is irrelevant) It's clear that this place is a one off opportunity for a little comfort and normality.

 This mall will become home to our four surviving humans until external forces arrive to ruin everything they have worked for...

 So the plan is simple & its been decided.... Use one of the cars inside the mall to drive around and lock all the exits. Use the helicopter to ferry peter & roger to the haulage yard opposite, hot wire some trucks and park them across the mall entrances.. so they zombies can't swing anything against the glass doors (that are now locked)  Grab some ammo and guns from the gun store then go around and kill all the zombies that are now trapped inside the mall....

Then lets clean up and go shopping.....

Some light target practice with the shop window manikins, a little ice skating, a visit to the barbers for a hair cut & a slap up meal, sadly one of our four is bitten while locking down the mall and its not long before they need a bullet in the head  :'(

 Things soon start to get boring with everything you want at your finger tips, although the boredom is soon shattered with a CB Radio Transmission that makes it clear their is an army of bikers that want access to the mall....

And they will smash their way in, bringing zombies in with them as they cause chaos and destruction just to rob and plunder like pirates...

 One tends to hate this guy with a passion, until you learn he's the guy who is responsible for the 1990 Colour remake of Night of the living dead, then i guess all is kinda forgiven...

 I am not going to give any more away because if you haven't seen this movie, then its a MUST SEE

 The 2004 Dawn of The Dead Re-Make of this isn't bad neither....





There are also Two "main" Separate Soundtracks available for this movie

Dawn of the Dead  (Zombi Edition)

01 - L'alba dei morti viventi
02 - Zombi
03 - Safari
04 - Torte in faccia
05 - Ai margini della follia
06 - Zaratozom
07 - La caccia
08 - Tirassegno
09 - Oblio
10 - Risveglio
11 - L'alba dei morti viventi (Alternate Take)
12 - Ai margini della follia (Alternate Take)
13 - Zombi (Sexy)
14 - Ai margini della follia (Alternate Take)
15 - Zombi (Supermarket)
16 - L'alba dei morti viventi (Intro-Alternate Take)
17 - Zombi (The Living Dead's Voices!) (Bonus Track)

Dawn of the Dead (OST)

01 - The Gonk
02 - Cosmogony Part 1
03 - Sinestre
04 - Cause I'm A Man
05 - Figment's Park
06 - Mask Of Death
07 - Scarey 1
08 - Scarey 2
09 - Dark Earth
10 - Mall Montage Sceneí
11 - Barrage.mp3
12 - Desert De Glace
13 - Sun High
14 - Dramaturgy

NOTE: 1
When looking to buy this movie, try and get the, 4 Disk Ultimate set,
or at least the single dvd  Directors Cut
Their is a Region 2,  two Disk release but it doesn't contain all the same extras as the region 1 set
IE, to get it all, you would need to buy both the UK 2 disk and USA 4 disk set's
and what ever you do... DON'T  slip up and buy "Dawn of the Living Dead"  by mistake
it's NOT the same movie, and its also not much of a movie tbh.

NOTE: 2
The original Movie Trailer is Here

NOTE: 3
The original Theatrical Movie Trailer is  Here

NOTE: 4
Someone has this movie uploaded on YouTube and its the Directors Cut Edition Here
It is NOT our upload, so if the link dies, DON'T bug us about it.....
If you want the link removing... Speak to the YouTube Video Up-loader

NOTE: 5
Dawn of the Dead - Cast Reunion Q&A - Flashback Weekend - 08/10/13

NOTE: 6
Dawn of the Dead 1978 Filming Locations & Secrets

Region 0 DVD - PAL - Includes Collectors Book

Region 0 NTSC Ultimate 4 Disc Edition Box Front

Region 0 NTSC Ultimate 4 Disc Edition Box Back

Region 0 NTSC Ultimate 4 Disc Edition Box Contents

ASIN: B00008MIYY

ASIN: B0002WYROQ

Some Random Screen Shots to round off this post with :)

Please remember to RATE this Movie below the blog post, add your recommendation tick to help others, also please follow my blog....