'Night of the Living Dead' is a solid remake of George A Romero's 1968 classic which essentially has the same premise as the original, yet updated to fit a more modern archetype and features excellent practical effects and a lot more violence and gore, but still maintains the creepy atmospheric tone of the black and white classic. Directed by the legendary Tom Savini who injects a cool visceral quality into the movie that really brings everything to life.
The Plot = Barbara (Patricia Tallman) and her brother Johnnie (Bill Mosley) are visiting their aunt's grave where they find themselves attacked by a zombie. Johnnie is killed while Barbara manages to escape to a remote farmhouse, where she meets Ben (Tony Todd) who tells her that the dead are coming back to life, and soon more survivors turns up and they must fight against the zombies to survive.
This is a remake that justifies its existence thanks to the tremendous effort by everyone involved and thanks to Tom Savini's fantastic direction the movie opts for a more realistic take on the zombie genre with its graphic nature of the zombies, intense violence, gorier content, and an array of effective scare scenes that calls upon the original film. This is one of those rare instances of a horror remake being almost as effective as its original counterpart and its well worth seeking out.
The interesting characters and the line-up of wonderful actors to portray them is another aspect that helps this rise above the usual remake fodder. Patricia Tallman is sensational here and her character arc going from victim to badass zombie killer is outstanding thanks to her heartfelt and genuine performance. Tony Todd is equally as impressive in his role with his engaging screen presence and intensity, he's truly a fantastic actor. Tom Towles delivers a fun and over the top performance as the antagonist Harry and finally the inclusion of Bill Mosley is pure casting genius, and he really makes the most of his limited screen time.
Overall 'Night of the Living Dead' doesn't quite top Romero's classic, but it's still a fantastically entertaining watch in its own right and deserves far more love than it gets.
The Plot = Barbara (Patricia Tallman) and her brother Johnnie (Bill Mosley) are visiting their aunt's grave where they find themselves attacked by a zombie. Johnnie is killed while Barbara manages to escape to a remote farmhouse, where she meets Ben (Tony Todd) who tells her that the dead are coming back to life, and soon more survivors turns up and they must fight against the zombies to survive.
This is a remake that justifies its existence thanks to the tremendous effort by everyone involved and thanks to Tom Savini's fantastic direction the movie opts for a more realistic take on the zombie genre with its graphic nature of the zombies, intense violence, gorier content, and an array of effective scare scenes that calls upon the original film. This is one of those rare instances of a horror remake being almost as effective as its original counterpart and its well worth seeking out.
The interesting characters and the line-up of wonderful actors to portray them is another aspect that helps this rise above the usual remake fodder. Patricia Tallman is sensational here and her character arc going from victim to badass zombie killer is outstanding thanks to her heartfelt and genuine performance. Tony Todd is equally as impressive in his role with his engaging screen presence and intensity, he's truly a fantastic actor. Tom Towles delivers a fun and over the top performance as the antagonist Harry and finally the inclusion of Bill Mosley is pure casting genius, and he really makes the most of his limited screen time.
Overall 'Night of the Living Dead' doesn't quite top Romero's classic, but it's still a fantastically entertaining watch in its own right and deserves far more love than it gets.