Night of the Living Dead (1990)

hyped garbage

I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

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...

Romero heads his series into the nineties with an updated remake to his cult classic night of the living dead.The story is pretty much the same with a few new twists thrown in like Barbara (Patricia Tallman) is now a xena warrior princess instead of the meek helpless character from the previous film who breaks up arguments, shoving zombies out of her way and bringing in the Calvary. Tony Todd does an excellent job as Ben and makes him his own.Now set in color losing the old fashion Hollywood style feel and reveals the rubbery texture used for the makeup. Johnny hitting his head on the headstone and Barbara breaking the iron over the farmer zombie's head are obviously dummies. The camera angles hung to far on the moon and cuts back to the same image throughout as if to allow the audience a bathroom break.Another flaw was the revelation they could walk past the zombies the whole time neutralizing the threat and made the whole 80 minutes a waste of time. It makes the characters look stupid and feel inferior to the originals who came before them.I don't know what happens to George Romero and Tom Savini but both lacked the creativity and skull that made them a brand.While some will appreciate the new changes, it was an epic fail for me and undone the greatness that is the original night of the living dead.

Night Of The Living Dead is a terrific and memorable remake that combines great direction,a wonderful cast,a good score and great special make-up effects. And while the Night Of The Living Dead remake isn't a good as the original it is a well-done and worthy remake of the original classic from Tom Savini and George A. Romero.Set in Pennsylvania,Night Of The Living Dead tells the story of a group of strangers including Ben(Tony Todd),Barbara(Patricia Tallman),Harry Cooper(Tom Towles)and his wife Helen(McKee Anderson)Tom(William Butler)and his girlfriend Judy Rose(Katie Finnerman)who are holed up in a farmhouse and have to fight off Zombies who want to eat their flesh.Night Of The Living Dead(or Night Of The Living Dead 90)is a wonderful Horror remake that was the directorial debut of Special Effects master Tom Savini and with a screenplay by George A. Romero(the director of the original film). Remaking a classic landmark film like Night Of The Living Dead(1968)is no easy task but I think Savini,Romero and company have made a film that is one of the better Zombie films and remakes around. One of the reasons Night Of The Living Dead 90 is a great remake and Zombie movie is that while it's the same story as the original with the same setting,characters and some of the dialog but is updated and works not only as a remake of the original film but as an homage as well. While NOTLD 90 lacks the genuine scares and Black and White documentary style atmosphere of the original it some moments of suspense and atmosphere that hangs over the movie throughout. This film doesn't have a lot of the social commentary like the first film or any of Romero's other Zombie films(like Dawn Of The Dead in 1978 or in Day OfThe Dead in 1985)it does tackles that same themes as the original such as tension among the human characters and pulling in different directions showing how things fall apart in drastic situations which will always be relevant. The Action scenes in NOTLD 90 are simple but effective with a lot of shotgun action that is done with great timing and editing. The blood and gore in the movie is fine and memorable although compared to the gore in DAWN and DAY the blood and gore is pretty light(which was because of the MPAA which gave NOTLD an X rating and the movie had to cut some of the gore out although an unrated version of this has been released). While the main characters are the same as the original with Ben being the headstrong leader,Cooper being a jerk,Tom and Judy being a scared young couple and Helen having problems with Harry the biggest character change is with the character Barbara. Where as Barbara in the original and was pretty weak and was always screaming,the Barbara in this film is strong and tough always shooting and fighting the zombies and holding her own when things start to fall apart which almost like Ellen Ripley in the Alien franchise. Strong female characters have been a long staple in the Horror genre and the character Barbara in this film is apart of that fantastic tradition. The Zombies are still the slow walking dead creatures they were in the original film coming from every corner and wanting to feast on the living and attack in packs. Although NOTLD is not a Horror-Comedy and is very serious there are some moments in the movie that are over the top and make me laugh whether it's Ben and Cooper's bickering or moments that are just unintentionally funny. The ending of Night Of The Living Dead is great because it's an ironic twist on the original's ending and offers a powerful message about human beings and society's own destruction. An amazing conclusion.The cast is great. Tony Todd is excellent and intense as Ben,with Todd bringing depth and power to the role. Patricia Tallman is terrific as Barbara,with Tallman being tough and fierce. Tom Towles is fantastic as Harry Cooper,a jerk who wants to do things his way. McKee Anderson is wonderful as Helen Cooper,Harry's wife. William Butler and Katie Finnerman do fine jobs as Tom and Judy Rose,a young couple. Bill Mosley is amusing in his small role as Johnny,Barbara's brother. Heather Mazur(Sarah Cooper)and David Butler(Hondo)give good performances as well.The direction by Tom Savini is great for his directorial debut,with Savini using a style that is simple but effective with good angles and wide shot giving the movie nice lighting and atmosphere. Good direction,Savini.The score by Paul McCollough is good and is filled with enough tension to match the movie's tone. Fine score,McCollough.The Special and Practical Make-up effects are outstanding,effective and work for the movie. Great effects.In final word,if you love Zombie films or Horror films in general,I highly suggest you see Night Of The Living Dead 90,a terrific and memorable remake that's not as good as the original but still an entertaining Zombie movie. 9.5/10.