This is the harrowing story of seven strangers, hiding in a Pennsylvania farm house, who find out what happens when people stop being dead, and start getting hungry. The tale begins with Barbra (Judith O’Dea) and Johnny (Russell Streiner) paying their respects to a deceased relative, when they encounter the first representative of the undead — who makes it clear he doesn’t come in peace. Barbra runs screaming from the cemetery to a nearby house, where she hides from her lurching pursuer. Soon our hero, Ben (Duane Jones), joins her and begins to fortify the house. He’s had to flee from a bunch of zombies by plowing through them with his car. Ben successfully keeps the undead at bay via pyrotechnics and a good old fashion club to the noggin. Halfway through the movie, five more refugees emerge from the basement and things get even more interesting. We have a young couple Tom and Judy (Keith Wayne and Judith Ridley), and a family of three, Harry and Helen Cooper (Karl Hardman and Marilyn Eastman) and their injured daughter Karen (Kyra Schon). Harry is a weaselly grump who challenges every decision Ben makes. Should they all hole up in the basement, or work together to board up the house? Try and go for help, or wait out the sieging mob? Accordingly, the conflict INSIDE the farm house becomes every bit as tense as the danger outside. So just how DO you get rid of hundreds of living dead, munching human flesh, all over the Eastern third of the United States? Do the inhabitants of the farm house survive the night? When the credits roll, you’ll know the answers and understand why this flick is recognized around the world as a true horror classic.
Notables: Two breasts. Eight corpses. Hordes of living dead. Tire iron brandishing. Flaming ghoul. Gunshot to the stomach. One right cross. Fingers tumble. Bug eating. One three-star general. Molotov cocktail fu. Corpse bonfire. Multiple bullets to the brainpan. Exploding truck. Trowel attack. Zombie barbecue.
Quotables: Johnny taunts his frightened sister, “They’re coming to get you, Barbra … Look! There comes one of them now!” Overheard during news reports, “We don’t know what kind of murder-happy creatures we have here” and “Kill the brain, and you kill the ghoul.” Ben doesn’t think hiding in the basement is such a good idea, “If you’re stupid enough to go die in that trap, that’s your business. However, I am NOT stupid enough to follow you. It is tough for the kid that her old man is so stupid. Now, get the hell down in the cellar. You can be the boss down there. I’M the boss up here!” Probably the best lines are from Chief McClelland, and are said to have been improvised, “Put that one all the way in the fire, we don’t want it gettin up again” and “Yeah, they’re dead. They’re ALL messed up.”
Time codes: The first zombie appears (5:45). “Fire BAAADDDD!!!” (20:10). Radio news reports detail the extent of the crisis (32:30). The famous nekkid undead chick (46:43). TV report suggests radiation from Venus probe may be the cause (56:00). McClelland leads his ghoul extermination squad (1:19:00).
Final thought: The movie that spawned countless copyists and spoofs. The word “classic” is often tossed around too easily, but in the case of this picture, the label is wholly deserved. Truly an absolute must-have for any self-respecting CineSchlocker.