And so we are to the Big One...
The Final Oscar Award of the ceremony, and it is
The Best Horror Film Ever Made. The nominees for this much-valued and hugely respected Award are...
Alien
Behind The Mask - The Rise Of Leslie Veron
Dawn of the Dead
Halloween (original)
Night of the Living Dead
The Exorcist
The Raven
And the winner...is a movie which has been hailed often as being THE milestone in horror. A goal set so highly that any other movie hasnt crossed it yet. Many have come close to its greatness, but NONE go beyond it.
Ladies And Gentlemen...The Best In Horror There is...
NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD
Quote:
Originally Posted by stygianwitch
I’m going to be totally shameless and quote __V__ here, he sums up beautifully why
Night of the Living Dead wins this award
1 - Re-invention of the low budget horror movie genre by George Romero. (Halloween was low-budget too, but came MUCH later)
2 - Casting unknowns. (which is actually a strong point of the movie, because each unknown had brilliant acting skills, which went into creating the overall effect of this groundbreaking milestone...you dont find a single recognisable face in the movie, which only adds to the sheer terror...just watch the verbal skirmishes between Duane Jones and Karl Hardman, and Judith O'Dea as Barbara...prissy, egoistic, frail and fragile...all in 30 minutes...brilliant indeed!)
3 - Each moment of the movie is dipped in reality. (never done before, and seemed chillingly real...if you thought it was bad seeing monsters and killers go after people, just think of what would happen if PEOPLE went after PEOPLE...it could be your neighbor, your best friend, your relative...what would YOU feel THEN?)
4 - The opening scene in b/w when the car unwinds through the long path into the cemetery. (The most creepiest beginning ever seen in a horror movie till then...admit it, YOU squirmed in your seat watching that too)
5 - Racial undertones perfectly depicted as a prejudice. (Remember the black man fighting off the zombies AND his fellow survivors? Master touch of Romero...especially when he is the only one surviving the night, but doesn't survive the morning after...because he's shot by a WHITE vigilante group...a very subtle nuance by Romero upon the societal feelings in those times)
6 - The breathtaking cinematography. (Shot in near-dark conditions, with very average lighting...Romero manages to capture the essence of NotLD perfectly...its the story of one night, and one night only...yet THAT one night is an experience in jaw-dropping horror...the shadowing, the darkness suddenly expelled by fires, the beams...marvellous!)
7 - The unbelievable ending. (Just when everything is about to get right...when the lone survivor has survived through the night, and knows help has come for him...and he will leave this place alive and kicking...he is shot...and that ONE shot brings the audiences back to reality with a WHIPLASH! Racist angle spread again in all its glory!)
I think all of this should be sufficient to convince the critics of NotLD. It is GROUND-BREAKING, in more ways than one. Hence it has been hailed as a MILESTONE in horror, not only by me, but by MANY before me and after me.
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