Analysis of Night of the Living Dead

To me the definition of a classic is something that stays relavent and enjoyable over time. Though the visuals may show their age, the film is still full of social commentary, about both the time it was made and now. This is ultimately Night of the Living Dead's biggest strength. Watching this film over forty years after it was made, had no effect on what I took away from it.

Harper's essay and the Wikipedia page for this film, both pointed out the various social reflections about the time the film was made. For example, the fact that Ben is killed, even though he is not a "ghoul" resonated with African American audience members, because the assassination of Martin Luther King was fresh in their minds. Along the same lines, the film played on the fears of a race war. The "us versus them" mentality is prevalent throughout the film. The white humans in the film are nervous about how many of "them" are out there, and just how dangerous they might be. This represents white America's fear of African Americans in the late 1960s, and to a certain extent even today.

Harper pointed out that this film also has parallels with Vietnam. "This constant anxiety about catastrophe shows just how concerned America is about radical social change and indicates, he argues, just how concerned America is to preserve the status quo"(paragraph 12). This same idea is still true today. People fear change, that is a simple truth. People are comfortable with what they know and understand, which is why the concept of a zombie apocalypse is so terrifying. Hall's work is also relatable to Night of the Living Dead. His idea of power/knowledge can be seen in the film's use of media. For example, the radio and television control the knowledge, something that the people in the house desperately want. Therefore, the media has all the power. At first, the radio tells them to stay inside and not to leave. However, later in the film when the television says to go to a safe house, they try to leave. This represents the power media has, not just in a catastrophe, but always. We listen to what the television says, because that is where we know to go for our information. This power ultimately tears the group apart, and leads to everyone's death.

Another point Harper and the Wikipedia articles made was the fact that this film has had a huge influence on the horror genre. This is undoubtably true. Both articles listed many films, but one television show neither mentioned was AMC's The Walking Dead. This show is essentially a modern day Night of the Living Dead. If you are not familiar with the show, it revolves around a group of people fighting for survival in a world full of zombies, or "walkers." This show deals very openly with the idea of cannibalism, as did this film. This demonstrates that the fear of cannibalism is still very much a fear that people have. The show is also much more graphic than the film, which shows how integrated violence has become in our culture. When Night of the Living Dead was released its violence was unparalleled. While I watched it I thought it was nothing compared to shows like The Walking Dead.

While I was watching this film, I could not help but jump to an example of my own that relates to almost all the themes in this film. The paranoia that took over the people in this film, ultimately drove the police to shoot Ben, without thinking twice. A prime example that demonstrates this is the Twilight Zone episode "The Monsters are Due on Maple Street." This is the best example of the power of fear I have ever seen. It is less than half an hour and totally worth watching.