#13 NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1968)
"THEY'RE COMING
TO GET YOU, BARBARA!"
The
opening sequence of the original Night of the Living Dead is a thing
of beauty. Barbara and her brother Johnny are making their annual 3
hour drive to visit their mother's grave. While Barbara is suitably
somber for the occasion, Johnny is just bored and thinks the whole
thing is a horrible waste of time. In the background, you see a guy
walking around slowly, if not aimlessly, just thinking he's a
caretaker or another mourner. As Johnny teases his sister, the
figure gets closer and attacks Barbara. Though zombies have existed
sporadically in films previously, this is the zombie that lays the
groundwork for every modern zombie ever made.
The
scene starts so playfully, almost like something out of a sitcom, but
once Johnny is killed and the lightning flashes, illuminating the
zombie's face, all bets are off. I can barely walk in a graveyard
without thinking of this moment. Certainly Night of The Living Dead
did for cemeteries, what Jaws did for water, and Psycho did for
showers.
And how
cool is this? You can watch the entire movie on your computer for
free if you
CLICK HERE.
-Robert Berry
rberry@retrocrush.com
