Product: Night of the Living Dead (1990)
Rating: 3.0
Zombie Classic Rises from the Grave in Not-Too-Shabby Remake
Like most remakes, spin-offs and rip-offs of George A. Romero's original "Dead" trilogy, the 1990 remake of "Night of the Living Dead" didn't exactly need to be made. Sure, the original pre-dates it by a good 20+ years and audiences are always seemingly thirsty to see a good thing come back from the dead again and again, but as it stands, Romero's seminal zombie opus is still pretty darn perfect. Nevertheless, special effects maestro Tom Savini (who worked with Romero on both "Dawn of the Dead" and "Day of the Dead") took a stab at the material and with the blessing of Romero himself (who also rewrote the script and served as a producer) set to craft his own take on the undead epic.So how does it fare? Well, the updated "Night" is hardly brain-dead or DOA (whichever dead analogy you choose to use). For the most part, Savini's version stays pretty true to the source material, only deviating in a few spots to keep things fresh and interesting. The film hits pretty much all the basic beats of the original: cannibal corpses spring to life for no apparent reason and corner a rag-tag band of survivors in a secluded country house. Domestic disputes and racial tension rears its ugly head as the group winds up hurting itself more than their would-be predators.With Tom Savini at the helm, it's expected that the film should be a blood and gore bonanza; however, such is not the case. While the effects here are (mostly) top-notch, Savini keeps things relatively tame, letting the characters and their predicament take center-stage. The first-time director gives the film a quick, fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants pace and handles it all with enough of a sense of dread and tension to make the grandfather of zombie films proud. Unfortunately, Savini doesn't reel in his actors enough, and from time to time the cast seems bound to choke on the chunky dialog they spew. The group is almost a "who's who" of late '80s/early '90s horror, with the likes of Tony Todd, Bill Moseley, Tom Towles and William Butler, but unfortunately some awkward performances here and there threaten to squash any fanboyish joy that can be drawn from their presence. On the flipside, the character of Barbara is seemingly injected with steroids as Patricia Tallman gives the former damsel-in-distress the Sarah Connor treatment. The Barbara of the '90s is a much needed addition with Tallman pretty much saving and stealing every scene she is in.Overall, the makeover given to "Night of the Living Dead" is a decent if underwhelming affair. Like so many remakes before it, it fails to greatly improve upon its source material, nearly rendering itself moot. Compared to the disastrous 2008 remake of "Day of the Dead" and the over-rated Zack Snyder-helmed "Dawn of the Dead," Tom Savini's take is rather harmless and, for lack of a better term, adequate. Nothing touches the original, and even Romero himself has stumbled in his effort to top his masterpiece(s), so take this one for what it's worth.