Night of the Living Dead

[Josette]

In case anyone is interested, the original "Night of the Living Dead" is being shown on TCM at 1 AM Friday, the 25th.

[Gerard]

I never got to see TNotLD when it first came out.  My mom wouldn't let me.  This was before the ratings system.  Roger Ebert (who loved the movie in his review) wrote an article about watching a matinee performance in a theater filled with children.  He asked what were the parents thinking?  (Guess my mom was right.)  He stated that when it ended and the credits rolled, no one of the mostly child viewers moved.  He stated that one little girl sitting opposite on the aisle from him was crying from total horror and shock. 

I first saw it when I was in high school.  It terrified me.  Years later, when I lived in Pittsburgh, it had a special showing in one of those palace theaters where much of the original cast and makers were present and gave a talk about its making (I got to meet George Romero). 

This basically made film done by college and post-college students on a lark and a limited budget (Romero states it was originally suppose to be a comedy) has set the standard by which all zombies and mostly other horror movies are made today.

Gerard

[Bob_the_Bartender]

Gerard,

Apparently many parents were appalled by the violence and blood in House of Dark Shadows and forbade their children from watching the tv show.  Imagine if they had seen Night of the Living Dead instead?  Oy vey!! 

Bob
 

 

[Josette]

Gerard, I had no idea you once lived in Pittsburgh!!  It's why I always have a special feeling for the movie, but I've only watched it 2, perhaps 3 times.

[Gerard]

Yup, ssette, I lived there for four years and loved it - the diversity, the various cultural neighborhoods and, oh, the restaurants. 

When I saw TNotLD in that movie palace with cast and crew present, I remember during the scene where the survivors were held up in the boarded-up farm house watching the TV set where the local Pittsburgh stations had been taken over by the EBS.  The anchors stated to watch below for where people were to go and it listed all the local suburbs, towns, communities with safe-havens for refugees.  People in the audience kept screaming:  "That's where I live!"

Gerard

[Josette]

Sounds like a lot of fun!!