A brother and sister drive up a hilly Appalachian road to lay a wreath on their father's grave when they are approached by a seemingly inebriated man. As the two laugh it off, the man attacks the sister and then kills the brother as she flees to a local farmhouse. There she becomes petrified with fear and is barricaded in with several others. Throughout the course of the night, the members of the household listen to news reports and bicker amongst themselves as they try to figure out the best way to counter the mounting attack. Zombie master George Romero's "Night of the Living Dead" set the standard for the genre and was a film he crafted on a shoestring budget with his friends and western Pennsylvania locals. The budget is clear by the look of the film, but what is so remarkable about the movie is its professional direction. Romero is so sure-handed behind the camera as well as being so adept at mounting terrifying sequences. The level of gore and violence, while not repulsive, is also shocking for its time. "Night of the Living Dead" is a chilling film that shows that the best horror films are made with intelligence and craft.
