The Night of the Living Dead

After meeting by chance, Ben (Duane Jones) and Barbara (Judith O’Dea) take shelter in a deserted farmhouse where they find themselves besieged by flesh-eating undead who have risen from their graves. After joining forces with another group of fugitives, they try to survive the night and the ever fiercer attacks of the living dead while dealing with the growing tension within the group. At the same time, the radio is airing disturbing reports about the rapidly spreading threat.

The Night of the Living Dead is the finest American low-budget horror film and one of the biggest hits in the history of independent cinema. It is the directorial debut of George A. Romero, creator of socially engaged horror films, the flagship work of the left-leaning hippie generation of Hollywood film-makers, who were critical of the American society of the late 1960s with its social and racial divides. It was one of the first American films in which an African-American actor played a lead role, and whose creators openly criticised uneducated gun-slinging white rednecks proud of their small-town ignorance. The film was lashed by conservative journalists and moralists, while Reader’s Digest warned its readers that it might encourage cannibalism. Despite such opinions, The Night of the Living Dead became a cult movie, one of the last great hits of American drive-in cinema.
Tomasz Kolankiewicz

This screening will be presented together with Solaris by Andrei Tarkovsky.

• Director — George A. Romero
• Writers — John A. Russo, George A. Romero
• Genre — horror
• Production — USA
• Year of production — 1968