Essay On Night Of The Living Dead

Portrayals of zombies fill the mainstream media and popular culture. From television shows such as The Walking Dead to movies like 28 Days Later and Zombieland. Zombies have even been largely popularized through the Resident Evil novels followed by video game and big screen adaptations. The most awarded video game, The Last of Us, is based on a post-apocalyptic world full of zombie-like creatures. The popularity that zombies still elicit in the media can be traced back to one film that changed the landscape of horror films to come after it. George Romero’s 1968 independent black and white classic film, Night of the Living Dead, shocked the American public with a level of violence and gore that had previously never been seen in films. It created a divide between people who both loved it and hated it, but since its release, Night of the Living Dead has become touted as the film that revived and renewed the zombie genre. In addition, this film portrayed the social and political …show more content…
Even though the plot was simple which features seven people who take refuge in a farm house while fending off the hordes of the walking dead that gather outside, the imagery used by George Romero reflected the attitudes of the 1960’s. Americans was watching as images of the Vietnam War unfolded on their television screens and they were also watching when race riots raged viciously in the streets. Romero tapped into these fears with the way he portrayed the scenes where police officers are targeting and shooting zombies that were in the fields. The film’s low budget especially played into this with the naturally grainy camerawork which gives an eerie resemblance to the news footage from Vietnam and coverage of the various race