What is Halloween without zombies? Netflix instant play has the movie that started this subgenre as well as the Tom Savini-helmed remake. If you can’t stand black & white films or just want better splatter then watch the remake but the tension and atmosphere are much higher in the original.
WATCH: Night of the Living Dead (1968) – Unrated (the remake is rated R)
“Director George Romero’s low-budget horror classic continues to inspire heebie-jeebies, in part because of the randomness of the zombies’ targets. As dead bodies return to life and feast on human flesh, young Barbara (Judith O’Dea) joins a group of survivors in a farmhouse hoping to protect themselves from the hordes of advancing zombies. But even with assistance in slowing down and killing zombies, soon only one person remains in the farmhouse.”
What can you say about a classic? This is the only horror movie to ever scare me on television – and that on a grainy UHF station with commercials. George Romero started an entire subgenre (and one of my favorites to boot) with this film. Sadly due to a copyright error, this movie is in the public domain so while Romero receives full props for his masterpiece, he does not receive money for it. This is a very intense, claustrophobic black and white thriller with a fair amount of social commentary (a trademark of Romero’s). Also please note that this was filmed during the civil rights era and features an African-American hero who has no problem ordering around others including an older white man. Performances are quite good for a first feature.