Night of the Living Dead (1990)

I love this movie so much

Disappointment for a huge fan!

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

After an attack in a cemetery, a woman fleeing from a swarm of ravenous zombies hides out in a remote farmhouse with several other survivors and tries to help them find a way of escaping from the deadly creatures as well as each other when they start to slowly kill them off.This was quite the fun and effective remake. One of the more enjoyable elements of this one is the fact that there's a lot of good times to be had here from playing off the expectations from the original. Since this one readily follows the exact same plotline as the original, from the family members driving out to the cemetery and coming across the first zombies while they hold-up inside the house causes their deep-seated racial tensions to come come boiling to the surface, there's plenty to like from the way this one turns those situations around. The opening in the cemetery where it replays the first encounter straightforward only for the film to pull two nice surprises out of the scene in who's not a zombie and how they're attacked so it plays nicely here in getting this going while their house walk-through gives them some really new and interesting discoveries which is all due to the more enhanced sensibilities to showing the disturbed bodies of the corpses. That leads into the other great aspect here in the film's high-end action scenes featured in here which are just as impressive and fun as the original, in some cases even topping it. The brawling in the cemetery works incredibly well, as does the eventual escape in the car to stumble upon the house gives this a series of solid opening scenes. The mission to board up the house before they can fully break through is quite enjoyable as it gives this some suspense with the zombies breaking in just when they seem to believe a section is fortified as well as getting the heart of the racial tensions exposed in great detail which runs rampant throughout the first half. The high-energy finale, with the tensions inside having boiled over into a series of gunfights between the last survivors in the house and the series of zombie swarms coming into the unprotected house. The zombies here are certainly far better-looking than in the original. Decayed and rotting just a tad, with the slightest amount of facial scars and wounds that give them a little edge over the zombies in the original. The Cemetery Zombie at the beginning is the best of the redesigned zombies from the original, and a rather hideously realized Autopsy Zombie looks really spectacular and it comes across beautifully in a great gag.That being said, there are a few problems with the film. The biggest one is the zombies themselves are just too slow to be threatening. Usually, the shuffling kind of zombies are what you should expect to find, but these are taken to the extreme, and at one point, one remarks that they are slow enough to walk around without getting bit yet no one takes it seriously. The lack of gore in this one is an issue as well and can be a curse as well as a blessing. This isn't something for the gorehounds out there as we do get a couple neat gags here but this is nowhere near what it could've been. The last big issue is that the gag at the end is pretty confusing. Not only are we never told what the probable cause was that lead to the creatures, nor are we told that it comes from bites which makes that fate a direct contradiction from zombie lore and is what holds this one down.Rated R: Graphic Violence, Language and Brief Nudity.

Remakes of any kind have always been a tricky proposition, especially in horror. The first reaction of many when it comes to such things is often instant condemnation, and for good reason: the overwhelming majority of remakes/revisions fall flat on their face when compared to the original work that inspired them. Occasionally, however, there comes along a remake/revision that not only pays great homage to the original, but can stand on its own feet as an excellent film. The 1990 version of "Night of the Living Dead" proves this without exception. Produced by the late, great original "Night of the Living Dead" director George Romero, and directed by special effects guru and constant Romero collaborator Tom Savini, it follows the same basic plot of the original film, but also adds a few new things in the mix as well.If you saw the original film, you know the plot: Barbara and her prankster brother Johnnie are at the cemetery to lay flowers on their mother's grave when Johnnie, sensing Barbara's fear and unease concerning graveyards, taunts her with the infamous phrase, "They're coming to get you, Barbara." Little does he know, he's about to proved correct when the living dead attack. Barbara escapes, makes it to a farmhouse where she meets up with another survivor on the run, Ben, and who together end meet a group of survivors holed up in the cellar. The big difference between this and the original is 1990's Barbara is no weakling, as she can fight and shoot a gun just as good as any man. Patricia Tallman showcases this with ease in her role as Barbara, and leaves us no doubt she is more than capable of taking care of herself. In the role of Ben, Tony Todd excels as the average man caught up in something he can't comprehend, and who must also deal with the shenanigans of one of the survivors in the cellar, Cooper, played by Tom Towles. You can fill the hatred and animosity between the two as they bicker and fight over anything from whether to stay up above or in the cellar or even over a damn TV, all while being surrounded by zombies trying to break in, thus proving the point man's hatred and petty differences will destroy us faster than any army of the dead! As an added plus, we get to see the zombies in color in all their gruesome best as done by Tom Savini, who ,speaking of, does an absolute amazing job as a first time director who was fortunate enough to have a bigger budget to work with. I simply love this version, and truth be told I've probably seen this more times than the original if nothing because of the fact my dad thinks this is the better version. While I myself wouldn't go that far, I would say 1990's version of "Night of the Living Dead" gives us a chance to see the classic story in a more polished manner, while still paying homage to the original. All of this leads up to an ending that shows, I think, man can be far crueler than any walking dead stiff. Watch and see for yourself!

The starting was so damned annoying with her screaming and stupid actions. She's so damned stupid argh. And are the zombies made of rubber?? She kept hitting a zombie with a poker and it bounced like a balloon. And wth why is everyone screaming their heads off all the time ???? be quieter you nutjobsI dunno how I got through the movie haha. Needed a zombie fix I guess.also that said, it was entertaining enough, if you switch your brain off for a while.

Now, it has to be said that I generally don't condone remakes, unless they are done for a point. Especially in today's world where such classics as PSYCHO and THE HAUNTING are being remade for money and nothing else, it seems a bit greedy and unoriginal that we have to seek inspiration from films 40 years old. Of course, there are a few exceptions where the remakes actually surpass the original film (THE FLY, THE BLOB, and INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS to name but three). NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD doesn't surpass the original, far from it, but it is a pleasing, entertaining film if you don't compare it too harshly with the 1968 classic (or indeed, haven't seen it!).There are numerous differences between the two films. Romero's original had important social commentary, while the 1990 version lacks that and thus appears to have the moral messages overemphasised. The newer version is also in colour, in order to appeal more to today's audiences. I have no problem with this at all. The look of the film is very good, with the colours adding to the overall glossy feel (which doesn't necessarily have to be a bad thing). I did see the film in a widescreen version which may explain the reason I like the look of it so much. Director Tom Savini (famous in the early '80s for his gory special effects work) includes numerous stylistic touches in his film to differentiate it from the original (such as the severed hand shot). It may not be as powerful as the '60s classic but it's quite entertaining. There are a lot of shock scenes involving the zombies, as to be expected, but also by contrast we have generally atmospheric build ups too.The film benefits from having a relatively unknown cast of more than competent actors. Patricia Tallman plays Barbara firstly as the snivelling wreck we know from the original, but then as a gun-toting killer, more in line with Sigourney Weaver's portrayal of Ripley from ALIENS than anybody else. This is something of a welcome, if clichéd change. Tony Todd, best known to audiences as the frightening hook-handed villain from the CANDYMAN films, is actually excellent in his role of the young drifter and admirably fills the shoes left by Duane Jones. He brings a genuine warmth to his tragic character, who is doing what he believes his right, and we can sympathise with him because of this. Tom Towles is also notable as the manic Harry, and is totally obnoxious. He overacts a lot here and it's great fun to watch the shouting matches between him and Todd.Surprisingly, although the film is violent it is actually quite tame compared to other zombie offerings (notably DAY OF THE DEAD). In fact there is little gore in the film, which comes as something of a surprise and a bit of a disappointment. I was looking forward to some more of the excess gore we have come to expect from Tom Savini but not this time around. This film is nowhere near as horrific or powerful as Romero's original - which may have you asking what the point is. It is, though, a fleshed-out, entertaining zombie romp, which is nicely filmed, has a good cast, and has enough action scenes in it to keep the boredom from setting in. My only complaint would be the comedic scenes at the beginning of the film, especially as regards the zombies, but these disappear as the film takes a more downbeat tone as it nears the finale. Not to everybody's taste, and criticised by horror fans, some of whom consider it a sacrilege, I find it very watchable and a mildly successful 1990s remake. I would ignore the many detractors of this film and instead give it a go. Who knows, you might even like it...