Night of the Living Dead (1990)

The unburied dead return to life and seek human victims.

Director:

Tom Savini

Writers:

John A. Russo (earlier screenplay), George A. Romero (earlier screenplay),

Stars:

Tony Todd, Patricia Tallman, Tom Towles

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tony Todd	...	Ben
Patricia Tallman	...	Barbara
Tom Towles	...	Harry Cooper
McKee Anderson	...	Helen Cooper
William Butler	...	Tom
Katie Finneran	...	Judy Rose
Bill Moseley	...	Johnnie (as Bill Mosley)
Heather Mazur	...	Sarah Cooper
David W. Butler	...	Hondo (as David Butler)
Zachary Mott	...	Bulldog
Pat Reese	...	The Mourner
William Cameron	...	The Newsman
Pat Logan	...	Uncle Rege
Berle Ellis	...	The Flaming Zombie
Bill 'Chilly Billy' Cardille	...	T.V. Interviewer

Storyline

In this remake of the original classic film, a group of people are trapped inside a farmhouse as legions of the walking dead try to get inside and use them for food.

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Plot Keywords:

Farmhouse | Remake | Cemetery | Attack | Cult Film | 

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Taglines:

There IS a fate worse than death.

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Genres:

Horror

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 October 1990 (USA)

Also Known As:

La noche de los muertos vivientes

Filming Locations:

West Middletown Cemetery - 4699 Jefferson Ave, Avella, Pennsylvania, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$4,200,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$5,835,247 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

21st Century Film Corporation, Columbia Pictures Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min 88 min (cut)

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Color:

Color (TVC)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Ving Rhames was considered for Ben.

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Goofs

Both in scenes where Barbara is loading the rifle, and where she's wearing the policeman's gun belt across her chest, anytime the head stamp of the bullet is shown you can see that the primer pocket is empty, meaning the rounds are dummies.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Johnnie: They're coming to get you, Barbara!
Barbara: Stop it!
Johnnie: They're coming!
[evil laughter]
Johnnie: They don't like being awaken this way!
Barbara: Why do you have to be so mean?
Johnnie: 'Cause I'm your older brother. Being mean and heartless is part of the job.

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Connections

References The Crazies (1973)
Ben saids to have come from Evans City. Evans City is the setting of The Crazies

User Reviews

Barbara's packing heat this time!!

Makeup FX master Tom Savini took the role of director for this entertaining remake of George Romero's zombie classic.

Strangers must battle armies of zombies when they become isolated in a rural farmhouse.

While this remake rather wisely sticks to the basics of the original film, it does differ at some points. Besides being in color and having much more graphic gore, the heroine is much tougher in this version which ultimately leads to a different conclusion than that of Romero's film. Thankfully these changes don't hamper this solid retelling, as it manages to keep the spirit of the original film. The action is strong, the special FX are great, the direction is slick, and there's a nice slice of spooky atmosphere over it all.

The cast is a strong point as well. Tony Todd puts on a good performance, as does determined heroine Patricia Tallman. Tom Towles also does a good turn as a truly dis-likable refugee. Supporting cast McKee Anderson, William Butler, and Bill Moseley are also effective.

While no horror film will probably ever live up to Romero's classic Night of the Living Dead (1968), this remake certainly doesn't try to. It just serves well as a fun and frightening homage.

*** out of ****