By Geno McGahee
“They’re coming to get you Barbara.”—Johnny (Russell Streiner)
This is the zombie movie that started it all. We have Johnny (Russell Streiner) and his sister, Barbara (Judith O’Dea), on a trip to their father’s grave to leave some flowers and to pay respects. The graveyard is a great place to start a film and the look of this film, shot in black and white, is very creepy. George A. Romero, who built a hot and cold franchise off of this movie, nails this movie on every level, especially the dialogue and character development.
Barbara and Johnny see a man walking slowly through the graveyard, which is creeping the girl out, and her brother is not helping. In one of the most memorable horror lines of all time, Johnny says in a creepy voice: “They’re coming to get you Barbara.” And they are. The man walking towards them is a zombie in search of human flesh and attacks Johnny, and kills him. Barbara jumps into their car with no keys and panics, eventually taking off on foot with this zombie on her tail. She comes across a farm house, and meets up with Ben (Duane Jones), another person looking for shelter and assistance.
Ben is a strong character, ready to fight for his life, as Barbara suffers from a mental breakdown and is of little help. The zombies sense the people inside the house and surround it, creating some very eerie moments. When Ben looks through the boarded windows and sees these slowly moving monsters heading for the house, it is genuinely scary, and in 1968, this sort of film was original and pushed the limits, creating a film that terrified many.
Ben and Barbara discover that they are not alone. A group of people hiding in the basement are also sharing the same problem, one of them being the biggest asshole of the film: Harry Cooper (Karl Hardman). Cooper, his wife Helen (Marilyn Eastman), and daughter, Karen (Kyra Schon), were assaulted by a group of zombies. Their car was turned over, and Karen was bit in the altercation, leaving her sickly and immobile. Harry Cooper and his wife elected to hold up in the house until help comes.
Along with Cooper and his family, a teenage couple, Tom (Keith Wayne) and Judy (Judith Ridely) were also in the basement, but are trying to help Ben fight off the zombie and come up with solutions, unlike Cooper. Cooper is a complete jerk that cannot get along with Ben. The Ben-Cooper arguments throughout is fantastic. Both characters have their charm. Ben is the tough guy with a big heart that wants to save everyone and Cooper is selfish and arrogant, and looks out for himself. Cooper is the type of guy that makes you cheer for the zombies.
One of the best moments of this movie is when Karen, the young daughter of the Coopers comes to life as a flesh-eating zombie to attack her parents, and when Johnny shows up at the door to pay his sister a visit. When the zombies finally get into the house, it is another creepy moment that is still scary to this day.
There are so many charming things about this movie. George Romero created a masterpiece that stands the test of time because it is written well, filmed well, and acted well. The concept of the dead coming back to life is a terrifying one, especially when they want to kill and eat the living. I can’t say enough good things about this great movie. If you have never seen a horror film, this is a good place to start. It is a terrifying film.
Scared Stiff Rating: 9/10. One of the greatest horror films of all time. A classic!
