Director
George A. Romero
Leading Actors/Actresses
Duane Jones and Karl Hardman
Supporting Actors/Actresses
Judith O'Dea, Marilyn Eastman, Keith Wayne, and Judith Ridley
Genre
Horror
Language
English
Awards
The film was not nominated for any significant awards when it was released.
Date of Release
October 1st, 1968
Producer
Russell W. Streiner and Karl Hardman
Setting and Context
Pennsylvania, the 1960's
Narrator and Point of View
The film is told through the point of view of humans who have not yet been turned into zombies
Tone and Mood
Solemn, Sad, Scary, Mysterious, Strange, Violent, Transgressive, Revelatory, Paranoid, Claustrophobic, Deadly, and Paranormal
Protagonist and Antagonist
Humans/Zombies
Major Conflict
The major conflict of the film is that between the humans fight to survive between a seemingly endless onslaught of the undead (zombies).
Climax
The climax of the film happens when the zombies finally break through the barricades in the house and they struggle to fend them off.
Foreshadowing
When Ben says "the cellar is a trap" he is foreshadowing his eventual death in the cellar
Understatement
The sheer number of undead/zombies in the world is understated throughout the film. Presumably, the characters think that the zombies near them are an isolated incident.
Innovations in Filming or Lighting or Camera Techniques
Night of the Living Dead is remarkably well-shot and well-made considering its tiny budget but it was not innovative in filming or lighting or camera techniques.
Allusions
To history, culture and cultural movements, geography, the Bible (the end of days come with zombies), mythology, religion, science, technology, other films (particularly films from Alfred Hitchcock), the social sciences, and mysticism.
Paradox
Ben promises to never go in the cellar, yet he locks himself in the cellar towards the end of the film.
Parallelism
There are no noteworthy instances of parallelism in Night of the Living Dead.
