Night of the Living Dead (1990 film)
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Night of the Living Dead is the 1990 remake of George A. Romero's 1968 classic, Night of the Living Dead, and was directed by Tom Savini. Romero rewrote the original 1968 screenplay that he had co-authored with John A. Russo.
Plot
A group of embattled humans fend off hordes of walking dead in a secluded farmouse in Western Pennsylvania. The people, themselves, prove to be their undoing in the end.
The story follows the same essential story of the original Night of the Living Dead, but with slight alterations. Barbra (Tallman), originally a screaming female horror stereotype, is stronger in this version and the only surviving person of the farm house. The film was handled by the same team as the original, with the exception that directing duties were handled by famed special make-up effects artist Tom Savini, who originally signed up with hopes of doing the make-up effects as he was not able to for the original film.
Cast
- Tony Todd...Ben
- Patricia Tallman...Barbra
- Tom Towles...Harry Cooper
- McKee Anderson...Helen Cooper
- William Butler...Tom
- Katie Finneran...Judy Rose
- Bill Moseley...Johnnie
Reactions
Fans generally considered this remake to be an excellent addition to Romero's Dead films, and was very well received. The main detractors of the film were critics, who seemed to look past the film itself and merely derided the notion of remaking such a classic film. Although it did poorly at the box office, it found a larger audience on home video and DVD.Behind the scenes
- Romero did the radio voiceover that Ben is listening to towards the film's end.
- To avoid an X rating, Savini had to cut several scenes from the film, some of which can be seen on the DVD. Savini sometimes shows the entirety of the cut scenes at conventions.
- Laurence Fishburne, Ving Rhames, and Eriq La Salle were all considered for the role of Ben. Subsequently, Rhames would go on to play the male lead in the remake of Dawn of the Dead.
- Tom wears an "Iron City Beer" shirt, the same brand that can be seen in the original Dawn of the Dead.
- Original cast members Bill Cardille and Russ Streiner make cameo appearances.
- Romero served as producer for the remake, with the primary reason being that he could help gain some control of the rights to the original film, which had fallen into the public domain.
Trivia
- A plaque outside the front door of the farmhouse reads "M. Celeste." Director Tom Savini stated on the DVD's commentary that this is a reference to the Mary Celeste. Further details include scenes of still smoldering cigars in ashtrays and food still cooking on the stoves, but the residents missing.
External links
| The Living Dead films |
|---|
| Official Romero directed films |
| Night of the Living Dead • Dawn of the Dead • Day of the Dead • Land of the Dead |
| Unofficial sequel/spin-offs |
| Italian Zombi series: Zombi 2 • Zombi 3 • Zombi 4 (aka Oltre la Morte or After Death) |
| Other: • Children of the Living Dead |
| Remakes |
| Night of the Living Dead (1990) • Dawn of the Dead (2004) • Night of the Living Dead 3-D • Day of the Dead (2007) |
| Return of the Living Dead series |
| Return of the Living Dead • Return of the Living Dead Part II • Return of the Living Dead 3 • ' • ' |
| Spoofs/parodies |
| Night of the Living Bread • Shaun of the Dead |
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