Night of the Living Dead (1968)I first saw Night of the Living Dead (1968) as a teenager. It was love at first bite (sorry), resulting in a fascination with zombies, an obsessively researched dissertation on George A. Romero’s Dead films and, eventually, a nervy conversation with the great man at BFI Southbank during our Gothic season in 2013 (aka the best night of my life).
While zombies are rooted in centuries old Haitian folklore, Romero’s take on them – the cannibalism, the sluggish walk, the fact that anyone could turn – was a new interpretation (and some might argue, cultural appropriation). Within minutes, the infinitely quotable “they’re coming to get you Barbara” sends chills down your spine and plunges you into a relentless battle to stay un-dead.
The film is frequently cited as a comment on racial prejudice, but Romero maintained this was a coincidence – he didn’t intend to cast a black actor (the brilliant Duane Jones) in the lead. But of course, films aren’t just about the filmmaker’s intentions; released shortly after the assassination of Martin Luther King, Night of the Living Dead cannot help but comment on the appalling systematic oppression of black people, which tragically persists today. Herein lies my love of great zombie movies – not just horror for the sake of horrifying, but getting to the heart of humanity, saying something much more profound than just ‘I’m hungry’.
Liz Parkinson
PR Manager, BFI Cultural Programme