The Movie
If you’re reading this blog, you probably know the story. Siblings Johnny and Barbra have driven three hours to lay a wreath on the grave of their father. This is an annual tradition, apparently forced upon Johnny by their mother, that he absolutely loathes. In fact, most of his time is spent complaining about the task. The drive is too long. He doesn't even remember what he looks like. Why doesn’t mom drive out herself? Do the cemetery workers steal the wreaths, clean them and resell them? Johnny does find one thing to amuse himself- Barbra is still as afraid of the cemetery as she was as a child. When he see a man staggering toward them, Johnny takes the opportunity to exploit this fear telling Barbra “They’re coming to get you Barbra.” If you’ve seen the movie, you can hear his voice saying it. Turns out, the joke is all to real and the man attacks Barbra. Johnny jumps in to rescue her but in the scuffle, his head hits a tombstone and Johnny is dead, for now. Barbra runs to the car but realizes that Johnny has the keys. As the man is about to get into the car, she pulls the brake and the car rolls down the hill- straight into a tree. Barbra flees on foot now and finds an isolated farmhouse.
Soon Barbra is joined in the house by Ben who has barely escaped his own encounter with the ghouls. The creatures are never once referred to as zombies and the origin is never clearly stated. Ben quickly takes charge while a traumatized Barbra struggles to cope with the tragedy. Ben kills some ghouls and boards the house. Ben get Barbra to calm down a little as they exchange stories but soon she is hysterical again and hits Ben. Ben hits her back. He may be a hero but he is flawed. Ben also finds a radio and the news is bad. This is not an isolated incident and people are eating other people. As Ben finishes boarding the house, people emerge from the basement- the Coopers, Harry, Helen and their sick daughter Karen and Tom and Judy. Harry Cooper is a colossal douchebag and he and Ben soon butt heads over the best way for them to stay safe. Harry prefers staying in the basement but Ben sees the that as a last resort because there would be no escape. The outlook is bleak as the house is now surrounded by ghouls. Can the group come together to survive? FUCK just watch it if you haven’t already and if you have watch it again.
How It Fits I With the Day/ Why Did I Choose This Movie
IT”S THE 50th ANNIVERSARY!!! Night of the Living Dead is one of the greatest horror films ever made. NO DOUBT. NO QUESTION! You can watch it just for the scares and the horror. It’s plenty gory. But Night of the Living Dead is so much more. Ben is among the first African American heroes in horror at the height of the Civil Rights Movement. George Romero said many times he cast the best actor and was not making a political, racial statement but the movie made it powerfully clear that an African American could be a hero. There are just so many levels on which this is a significant movie. And I love George Romero. And I bonded with my wife before we ever met over Romero and zombies.
Lessons
- If your loved one gets bit/ killed by a ghoul you have to burn them. It may seem harsh. It may be sad but if they bite you, you’ll wish you had.
- Do not shoot gas pumps or use gas near open flames even if ghouls are afraid of fire. You need to control the flames. Otherwise you’re human barbecue.
- Sometimes locking yourself in the basement ALONE is a good idea. Not just in case of zombies but anytime the world is too crazy. As long as there’s no mold but that’s a different movie.
- If you find someone who loves Romero like you do, marry them. Shared love of zombies is vital to a successful horror marriage. And really Romero is a God and if she doesn’t like him, keep searching.
