t oNight of the Living Dead '90
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I know what you're thinking: screw the re-make, the original
was the best. Well, as this may indeed be true, credit must still be given to Tom Savini
for the remarkable job he did in making George A Romero's classic zombie thriller a
success over 20 years later. Night of the Living Dead '90, in my opinion, is somewhat a
way of exposing people to the story who may not have watched it in it's original black and
white format. I know for me, every time I whip out one of the films in the original Dead
Trilogy, I get heckles from whoever happens to be in the room. Naturally they're not the
highest calibre films compared to those made in this decade, what with all the special
effects and all, so most people just can't get past the antiquity to notice that they're
watching truly great and terrifying film history. Savini keeps closely to the original plot, simply replacing the actors and modernizing the whole thing. And if you loved the original Night of the Living Dead's gutsy femme fatale, you'll love her all over again in this re-make. Patricial Tallman as Barbara proves that all women of Horror aren't shrinking violets and is very convincing as a woman caught in the middle of "pure Hell on Earth" determined to make it out alive. |
| Something that was truly a bonus for me was getting to see
one of my all-time favourite maniacs in the opening scene. Bill Moseley, who brilliantly
played Chop Top in one of my favourite flicks of all time, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2,
appears in this film as Barbara's brother Johnnie (without all the ghastly makeup of
course ;). Sadly, he doesn't really last too long, and Barbara is left to defend herself
against the onslaught of the Living Dead. And what better place to have all this occur
than in a cemetary? She narrowly escapes, heading to a seemingly abandoned farmhouse where
she meets up with Ben, a man who is also on the run from the terrifying "plague"
that seems to be taking over the world. Ben (Tony Todd, you may remember him as the Candyman) and Barbara team up to fight off the creatures as they try to retain refuge in the house. Soon however, they discover they are not alone...Somebody's lurking in the cellar. The owners of the house and some neighbours with a desperately ill daughter had taken to the locked basement after young Tommy's "dead" uncle tried to attack him. Finally, they venture upstairs to join forces with Ben and Barbara, boarding up windows in a last ditch effort to remain safe and sound. |
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However, there is one person who refuses to help in their
efforts to secure the house. Mr. Cooper, the neighbour with the sick daughter is
determined to remain in the cellar, despite Ben's efforts to convince him that a room with
no alternate exit isn't such a great place to be under the circumstances. Cooper remains
stubborn and once again barricades himself, his wife and his dying child downstairs while
the others fight like mad to stay alive. Eventually, it becomes apparent that they cannot stay in the house when the zombies outside increase in numbers and are able to break through the windows, so Barbara leaves on her own, to try to get help. She comes across a band of rednecks, who take her to their "camp" complete with beer tents, music and captured zombies as entertainment. It is only then that Barbara begins to truly understand the situation: the Horror and the humanity of it, all at the same time. |
| All things considered, Night of the Living Dead '90 is truly
a testament to the brilliant work of Romero, and in my humble opinion doesn't tarnish the
nostalgia of te original film and the Trilogy, but rather brings it back to life. Seeing
this movie made me pull out the classics to enjoy all over again (even though I watch them
regularly anyway). Finally, a relatively recent Horror film to watch and love! It may be difficult to locate this film in video stores, as the re-make didn't really go over too well. I was lucky enough to find a cupy for sale in a used video/music store. And I'm proud to say it was a downright STEAL at 6 bucks!!!!! Imagine my surprise. I was a happy girl to say the least. Buy the original NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (colourized or non) from:
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