Recommendations of the Editorial team
Barbara survived this “Night of the Living Dead”, which is one difference between the 1990 remake and the original. That being said, Tom Savini’s directorial debut mostly offers a retelling of the Romero masterpiece.
After the chaotic zombie comedies of the 1980s, you have to be prepared to see another film in which very slow undead encircle a house; to a film in which it must once again be explained why the dead are resurrected and eat the living; and the initial denial of this monstrosity.
George A. Romero took over the production himself: Since his original has a public domain status, he wanted to enable his crew (and himself) to finally capitalize on the famous title. As he says, no one deserved anything from the original version.
Savini’s interpretation and new allegories
The accusation of redundancy gnawed heavily Tom Saviniwhich now presents an uncut edition, overseen by himself (plus audio commentary, plus interviews with producer John Russo, among others). The character redesign included more surprises. In the ’68 version, Black Ben is the only one to survive the zombie attack, but is executed by rednecks – a cynical parable about the revolts of the suppressed protest movements.
Now Ben dies from an unnoticed zombie infection, which Savini wants to see as an allegory for the AIDS virus. It is a plausible change to a highly significant ending in the original work.
His film – Savini was a war photographer and self-made make-up artist – also features a frighteningly illuminated zombie girl and a clever variation on the legendary cemetery prologue. It’s tragic that this “night” was dismissed as a Dead on Arrival remake. Tom Savini would leave it at this directing job. (Plaion Pictures)