George A. Romero's
Night of the Living Dead
is a cult classic that has resonated with audiences and independent filmmakers ever since its release in 1968. It redefined horror cinema and launched the modern zombie genre that continues with films and series like
28 Days Later, Shaun of the
Dead
and
The Walking Dead
.
Ben Hervey's illuminating study of the movie traces
Night's
influences, from Powell and Pressburger to fifties horror comics, and provides the first history of its reception. Hervey argues that the film broke cultural barriers, fêted at New York's Museum of Modern Art while it was still packing 42nd Street grindhouses. Scene-by-scene analysis meshes with detailed historical contexts, showing why
Night
was a new kind of horror film: the expression of a generation who didn't want their world to returban to normal.