The film that changed it all, that took horror out of the realm of creaky castles and mad science and into the harsh light of the modern day. - Time Out
Written in three days and filmed on a shoe string budget, Night of the Living Dead was a $30 million smash when it premiered in 1968, becoming the first indie film to hit major box office success. The movie has earned critical acclaim and remains a cult classic. Still extremely popular today, it’s the Internet Archive's most downloaded film with over 3 million downloads.
With Night of the Living Dead, writer/director George Romero invented our modern conception of the zombie, a horror movie game changer. It also took on cultural significance as the first horror movie to star an African American actor as its hero. Night of the Living Dead returned to movie theaters across the US in 2018 in celebration of its 50th anniversary. Never copyrighted, the movie is one of of the most famous titles in the Public Domain.
With Night of the Living Dead, writer/director George Romero invented our modern conception of the zombie, a horror movie game changer. It also took on cultural significance as the first horror movie to star an African American actor as its hero. Night of the Living Dead returned to movie theaters across the US in 2018 in celebration of its 50th anniversary. Never copyrighted, the movie is one of of the most famous titles in the Public Domain.
- Selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Film Registry, deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”
- AFI’s 100 Years…100 Thrills: 100 Most Thrilling American Films of All Time
- 97% on Rotten Tomatoes (Higher rating than The Shining or The Exorcist)
- The New York Times’ Best 1000 Movies Ever
- The Rolling Stone’s 100 Maverick Movies
- Empire Magazine’s 500 Greatest Movies of All Time
- Time Out’s 100 Greatest Horror Films