Product: Night of the Living Dead (1990)
Rating: 5.0
Same Idea, Different "Night" ...
Romero fans, be prepared for a few radical changes ... hopefully you can view them as reflective of a new era and not as an assault on the 1968 original (that Romero was an executive producer and had a hand in revising the script should help)!!No longer is Barbara the catatonic, ineffectual "zombie" that she was in the 1968 version: now she has a riffle and a meat tenderizer ... and she knows how to use them BOTH!! Other alterations abound! (I am omitting the juicy stuff so as not to spoil your discovery!!) For instance, as Johnnie (as spelled at IMDB) and Barbara approach the cemetery, it is revealed that the siblings' mother is dead ... not the father. Why is this interesting? As explained in Tony Williams text The Cinema of George A. Romero: Knight of the Living Dead, "[the original deals with] domination and possession on many levels. An unseen mother manipulates Johnny and Barbara into performing a ritual neither of them shows any real feeling for" (22). A curious alteration since it is the focus of much speculation! What does this reveal about the current roles of mothers and fathers?As a zombie fan, you probably enjoy all the minutia as much as I ... especially when it involves social commentary. Therefore, you will enjoy the commentary on modern "craftsmanship" in this version. When Ben realizes that the old farmhouse is being remodeled, he despairs. Tommy is perplexed until Ben easily puts his fist through the new door ... so poorly made. Only by retrieving the old "ugly" doors can the enclave proper steel themselves against the "zed word." Very clever!! It's a small but fun detail:D And, seriously, hearing the line "Yeah, they're dead, they're all messed up" once again ... well, that's just priceless!!While all the acting is excellent, Tony Todd is a shining star ... not too many actors could succeed in bringing the original role "new life," but Todd does so with zest. He has easily earned his status as a horror-film icon!! (The "Final Destination," trilogy, the "Candyman" trilogy, "Wishmaster," "X-Files," etc... EPIC ACTOR!!)A note on a minor coincidence that only a horror-enthusiast can appreciate: at 11:44 minutes watch for Tony Todd (Ben) to emerge from the car with a crow-bar. An extreme close-up of the crow-bar in his hand looks like a giant hook ... a la Tony Todd's role in "Candyman." Yes, I know Rose's "Candyman" was released in 1992 and this was released in 1990 ... like I said, it's just a neat coincidence;)Watch this film if you love zombies, want to be a zombie, have a friend who is a zombie, or are interested in zombie-rights.Suggested reading: Williams, Tony. The Cinema of George A. Romero: Knight of the Living Dead. London: Wallflower P, 2003.