Questions
Who made Night of the Living Dead?
It was directed by George A. Romero, who co-wrote it with John Russo, and it was produced with Russell W. Streiner and Karl Hardman. It was Romero’s feature film directing debut.
When did it come out?
The film was released in 1968. Principal photography took place between July 1967 and January 1968.
How much did it cost to make?
The filmmakers raised roughly $114,000. They started with just $6,000, with production company members each investing about $600 for a share of the profits.
Where was it filmed?
It was shot in rural Butler County, Pennsylvania, near Evans City, about 30 miles north of Pittsburgh. The opening cemetery scene was filmed at Evans City Cemetery on Franklin Road.
Why is the movie called Night of the Living Dead and not something else?
It went through several working titles including Monster Flick, Night of Anubis, and Night of the Flesh Eaters before the distributor changed it to Night of the Living Dead to avoid conflict with a similarly named film.
Is it true the movie is in the public domain?
Yes. When the distributor changed the title, they reportedly deleted the copyright notice from early prints, and U.S. copyright law at the time required that notice, so the film fell into the public domain. This led to hundreds of home video releases over the years.
Does the movie ever use the word zombie?
No. Romero called the flesh-eaters ghouls, not zombies, in the 1968 film and script. The word zombie was applied later, after his cannibalistic undead became the dominant zombie concept in America.
What did they use for blood?
The blood was reportedly Bosco Chocolate Syrup drizzled over the actors. The flesh eaten by the ghouls was reportedly real meat and offal donated by an investor’s butcher shop.
Why was casting Duane Jones such a big deal?
Jones played the hero Ben at a time in 1968 when Black actors rarely played film leads. Romero said Jones simply gave the best audition, and he kept the original script unchanged rather than rewriting the character.
How does the movie end?
Ben survives the night, but when an armed posse arrives in the morning they mistake him for a ghoul and shoot him. His body is thrown onto a bonfire with the other corpses, a bleak ending unusual for horror at the time.
How was it shot?
It was filmed on 35mm black-and-white film, a choice driven by the small budget that ultimately helped the movie’s gritty look. The cast was made up largely of amateurs and locals with no well-known actors.
Did any actors play more than one part?
Yes. Marilyn Eastman played both Helen Cooper and the unnamed bug-eating zombie.
How much money did it make?
The film grossed an estimated $30 million, earning more than 250 times its budget and becoming one of the most profitable film productions ever.
Did it get sequels?
Yes. Romero directed five follow-ups, starting with Dawn of the Dead (1978) and Day of the Dead (1985), plus Land of the Dead, Diary of the Dead, and Survival of the Dead. An official remake directed by Tom Savini arrived in 1990.
What is the film’s legacy?
It helped launch the splatter subgenre and redefined the zombie in popular culture. In 1999 the Library of Congress added it to the National Film Registry.
