Night of the Living Dead (1990) Remake

Quote: Romero said:Zombie movies have been around since the twenties, so there's no way he just invented a subgenre that's actually been around for decades.

The zombie genre as we know it today—the kind of thing that immediately pops into your head whenever someone just writes the word "zombie"—really didn't exist before '68.

Movies like "I Walked with a Zombie" from back in the 40s don't really have anything to do with Romero's zombie movies—you know, those ones with the apocalyptic scale and the mindless flesh-eaters. As far as I can tell, the only movie that really fits that modern zombie genre vibe before Romero's Night of the Living Dead is Hammer's Plague of the Zombies from '66. Or maybe I'm forgetting something, I guess.

Quote: Romero said:I mean, if you really think about it, Faces of Death is more like a documentary than an actual horror movie. Or maybe it's just somewhere in between... I guess it depends on how you look at it.

Come on, don't be naive. 🙄I mean, I guess you could argue that FoD is just as much of a documentary as Blair Witch is.

quietdriver3 said:The zombie genre as we know it today—the one we immediately think of when someone shouts "ZOMBIE"—didn't really exist before '68.

Movies like "I Walked with a Zombie" from back in the 40s aren't even close to Romero's style of zombie movie (you know, those massive apocalyptic scales and mindless, flesh-eating corpses). Honestly, the only film I can think of that actually fits the modern vibe before Romero's Night is Hammer's Plague of the Zombies from '66.

Come on, don't be naive 🙄—FoD is about as much of a documentary as Blair Witch is.

Give man, Bela Lugosi was out there filming zombie movies too! And we're talking about stuff dating all the way back to the thirties. It wasn't just limited to vampires.😉

Faces of Death is basically just a bunch of autopsy clips mixed with some fake elements—all in all, it's mostly a documentary.

Quote: Romero said:Come on, man, Bela Lugosi was making movies about zombies back in the day. We're talking the 1930s. It wasn't all just about vampires. 😉

I mean, come on... the whole mythology of these genres is totally different.

The only thing they really have in common is the word "zombie," and honestly, that's about it. 🙂

Quote: Romero said:FoD is basically just a bunch of autopsy clips mixed with some fake elements; overall, it's mostly a documentary.

Well, from what I've looked into regarding the background of that film, it's actually the exact opposite—it's a pile of fake scenes with actual footage edited in. 🙂

The zombie genre is pretty much as old as horror itself, though it really hit its stride back in the sixties when it started carving out its own niche alongside other subgenres. It just felt right for the vibe of that decade, you know? But honestly, its roots go way deeper—you can trace it all the way back through Roger Corman's work, Hitchcock's influence, and various other classics from years prior.

Now, regarding Faces of Death—it’s one of those weird ones that sits right on the line between a documentary and a horror flick. There aren't any actual actors involved, at least not in the version I caught. It features some guy talking about his job in law enforcement, like a forensic specialist, interspersed with autopsy footage and stuff. Even though there are a ton of sequels out there, I only ever sat through one, and frankly, it wasn't really my thing.

quietdriver3 said:punch 1.

punch 2.

punch 3

knock me out, baby.

np: the streets - stay positive 😉

np. streets of Philadelphia

analogcobra31 said:The zombie genre is basically as old as horror itself, it just really stepped into the spotlight alongside other subgenres back in the sixties. It felt like it fit the vibe of the sixties better, I guess. But the roots go way back into Roger Corman's work, Hitchcock's stuff, and other older movies and genres too.

I mean, George Romero is pretty much the spiritual father of the modern zombie genre. He brought these ideas and motives to those films that are still going strong today, and honestly, everyone still imitates them.

Maybe you could name at least one zombie movie from before Night of the Living Dead that actually has all the elements you see in modern z-films today? (It feels kind of silly to even write out the word 🙄 anymore, haha)

analogcobra31 said:Faces of Death can be seen as either a documentary or a horror film, but there aren't any actors, at least not in the part I watched. There's this guy talking about his job in the police department, like a forensic specialist. You see autopsy footage and stuff. There are tons of sequels, though I only saw one, and I wasn't really a fan.

I don't know about the sequels, I was just talking about the first one.

restlesseagle15 said:Go ahead, knock me out, baby.

I guess I’d just rather get you pregnant.

or die tryin'

restlesseagle15 said:I guess there's something about those Philadelphia streets... just a certain vibe, you know? Maybe it's nothing, but they always felt a bit different to me.

And... here we go again, back to talking about movies. 😁

quietdriver3 said:Look, George Romero is basically the godfather of the modern zombie genre—he laid down all the tropes and motives that we still see being copied left and right today.

Come on, just name me one single zombie movie made before Night of the Living Dead that actually hits all the beats found in today's z-films (honestly, it feels silly even typing out that word 🙄)

I'm not really talking about sequels, I mean the standalone originals

It’s impossible to call it a "new" genre when the ideas are just pulled from older zombie movies, using Hitchcock's suspense and claustrophobic vibes, or Roger Corman's special effects, and so on... It's more like an evolution of existing genres.

Italian films had their own unique trajectory long before Maria, and honestly, those Italian horror flicks had a very distinct style even before they started imitating their own local productions.
They are handled WAY differently than American movies.

Faces of Death
And the other sequels are just like that too...

Quote: Romero said:I mean, you can't really call it a brand new genre when all the ideas are just being recycled from older zombie movies. It’s all there—that sense of suspense and that claustrophobic atmosphere you get from Hitchcock's work, mixed with those practical effects style from Roger Corman, and so on. It's basically just the genesis of all the genres we have now.

Man, you’re talking about abstraction here, but I guess you could say the Lumiere brothers basically invented every single genre too, just because everyone uses a camera to make movies now.

I guess I’m mostly talking about the actual plot stuff... you know, the whole mythology behind the zombie. Like that constant hunger for human flesh, those raw animal instincts, or that mysterious plague or contagion that starts everything. And then there's the whole thing where they only die if you destroy the brain, plus all those crazy apocalyptic consequences that follow. Just the core elements of the genre, I suppose.

Haha, honestly, everything you just listed was better articulated in every five-cent American comic book back during the Cold War era.

And don't even get me started on the movies...

The whole concept—both the idea and how it's executed—isn't exactly groundbreaking or original, let's be real. It’s about as old as the horror genre itself.

Maybe take a slightly closer look at the film archives.

No, look, maybe just throw a title my way so I can actually believe you🙂

I honestly can't think of anything even remotely like that

Honestly, the Italians basically ripped off Romero on a massive scale, if you just look at how Dario Argento reimagined Dawn of the Dead for the international market...

quietdriver3 said:Nah, look, just give me one title so I can actually believe you 🙂

I honestly can't think of anything even remotely similar

I’d love to keep arguing with you, but... NOLD '68 is one of my absolute favorites too—and not just because it's a "bear horror" flick. 🙂 I'm not going against those movies, no matter how much you try to push me.

🙂

As for that last comment, sure, maybe Argento remade some American film once, but let's not forget that Americans just did a remake of his Suspiria which should be hitting theaters pretty soon.

Ethan Perez97 said:I mean, those Italian directors basically took huge inspiration from Romero. Just look at what Dario Argento did with Dawn of the Dead for the international market.

well, his version is honestly kind of a mess,

I feel bad for anyone who only saw that one, because they’d probably think the whole movie is just a joke or total garbage (that was unfortunately the version that aired on local public TV a few years back)

analogcobra31 said:I’d love to keep arguing, but... NOLD 68' is one of my favorites too, and not just for the creature features. I won't go against those movies, no matter how much people try to chat me out of it.

🙏

analogcobra31 said:Regarding the comment below, Argento might have remade an American film, but we have to remember that Americans just remade his Suspiria, which should be hitting theaters soon.

my point was just that almost every zombie movie made after '68 follows Romero's blueprint, especially after '78 and Dawn of the Dead 😉

I don't really buy the idea that they're all cut from the same cloth, but hey, whatever. I've sat through his whole filmography—the remakes, Return of the Living Dead, and everything else—but there's also a huge pile of horror flicks out there that don't look anything like his style yet still have plenty of good qualities. If you'd actually seen them, you'd get what I mean. Besides, movies are totally subjective—what one person loves, someone else might just hate. There aren't any objective scoring systems like you'd find in sports.

Alright, that’s it for me. I'm logging off.

😁 🙂

Haha, I just remembered one! "DEAD ALIVE" is an absolute classic! It doesn't exactly follow the standard formula, but let me tell you, the movie is a total riot!

quietdriver3 said:and here we go again, back to talking about the movie... 😁

what kind of movie? that's just some song you're thinking of 👍

restlesseagle15 said:What kind of movie? That's just a song to you...👍

a song about a movie

🙄

😍 God, I love you—it’s just not real

No need, seriously

i'd rather knock you up,

You have no idea what you'd actually do with me. Whether you'd knock me up or... well, let's just say it ends up being the same thing 🙄🙄

I believe what quietdriver3 is getting at is that Romero's Night of the Living Dead serves as a true stylistic turning point for the horror genre. It stands in stark contrast to most films from that era, lacking those overly stylized sets and dramatic lighting. Instead, it adopts a gritty, documentary-style approach—using on-location shooting and treating radio broadcasts and newspapers as central characters. Thematically, one can see influences stretching far beyond standard horror, much like the work of John Ford in films such as Stagecoach or Broken Arrow.

Please refrain from further comments.