Night of the Living Dead is a classic horror film that was released in 1968. It was directed by George A. Romero and starred Duane Jones, Judith O'Dea, and Karl Hardman. The movie was shot in black and white and is often cited as the film that popularized the zombie genre.
The story follows a group of seven people who are trapped inside a farmhouse in rural Pennsylvania. The cause of the zombie outbreak is not explained, but it is suggested that radiation from a fallen satellite may have triggered it. The zombies are depicted as slow-moving and mindless, and they are attracted to any noise or movement.
The group consists of Ben, a resourceful and determined man who takes charge of the situation; Barbara, a traumatized woman who witnessed her brother being killed by the zombies; Harry Cooper, a selfish and cowardly man who wants to hide in the basement with his family; Helen Cooper, Harry's pregnant wife; Tom, a young and optimistic man who is injured by the zombies; Judy, Tom's girlfriend; and an elderly couple named the Washingtons.
The group is initially divided on how to deal with the zombies. Harry wants to hide in the basement, while Ben believes that they should board up the doors and windows and stay on the main floor. Barbara is initially catatonic but eventually becomes more assertive as the situation worsens.
As the night progresses, tensions rise and conflicts erupt within the group. Harry's daughter Karen becomes a zombie and attacks her mother, and Harry shoots her. Tom, who has been hiding in the basement, turns into a zombie and attacks Helen, killing her. Ben manages to kill Tom and the other zombies that manage to break into the house, but he is eventually killed by a group of rednecks who mistake him for a zombie.
The film ends with the rednecks burning the bodies of the dead, including Ben's, and the implication that the zombie outbreak is spreading beyond the farmhouse. Night of the Living Dead was a critical and commercial success and has become a cult classic. It inspired numerous sequels, spin-offs, and imitators, and its influence can be seen in popular culture to this day.
