Night Of The Living Dead. Back In Theaters Tomorrow!

In celebration of its 50th anniversary, George A. Romero's genre-defining masterpiece, Night of the Living Dead, is returning to theaters across the country for two glorious nights! A new, full 4K restoration is sure to bring the undead ghouls to life like never before...

I had heard about this a couple of months ago and have had the dates circled on the calendar ever since. And it's finally here! I'm so stoked to go check this out tomorrow night!

Get over to Fathom Events to check out all the info on the film's showings. Times, participating theater locations and ticket purchase. What else do you need!? But be quick, because it's in theaters for two nights only: Wednesday, October 24th and Thursday, October 25th.

If you miss it, you'll have to wait for the almost-guaranteed 4K Blu-Ray release later on!

  

Night of the Living Dead Turns 50!

Photo courtesy of the Official Night of the Living Dead Facebook page

50 years ago today, in a small theater in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, film history was made. A little-known, small, independent film premier took place that would change the horror genre forever.

Happy 50th birthday to George A. Romero's zombie masterpiece, Night of the Living Dead. A tale of the undead returning to life to devour the flesh of the living. A film that would come to define the modern zombie genre, spawning a multitude of sequels and copycats, all while delivering a subtle, yet biting social commentary. Especially for its time in 1968.

And don't forget to mark your calendars for October 24 and 25, when an all-new 4K restoration of the film hits theaters across the globe! It's a two-night event that should not be missed! To see a fully restored version of this mandatory classic on the big screen would be a full-sized treat for the Halloween season.

  

Night Of The Living Dead 50th Anniversary Event

Mark your calendars for October 24 and 25! George A. Romero's 1968 iconic zombie masterpiece, Night of the Living Dead, is returning to theaters across the world! With a new, full 4K restoration!

From Fathom Events:
Celebrate 50 years of Living Dead by seeing the completely restored and remastered version of Night of the Living Dead in theaters. The iconic film that started the zombie genre and shaped modern horror movies as we know and love them today. Directed by horror legend, George A. Romero, the film is a great story of independent cinema: a midnight hit turned box-office smash that became one of the most influential films of all time.

A deceptively simple tale of a group of strangers trapped in a farmhouse who find themselves fending off a horde of recently dead, flesh-eating ghouls. Romero's claustrophobic vision of a late-1960s America literally tearing itself apart rewrote the rules of the horror genre, combined gruesome gore with acute social commentary, and quietly broke ground by casting a black actor (Duane Jones) in its lead role.

For this special 50th anniversary event, audiences can see the stunning restoration of Night of the Living Dead, a product of the original filmmakers' collaborating with the Museum of Modern Art and the George Lucas Family Foundation to restore the film from the original camera negative. The remastered version is more visually striking and terrifying than ever.

If you haven't seen this film in theaters, you haven't truly seen Night of the Living Dead as it was intended: in a dark theater, on the big screen.

You know I'm all over this and I've already got the plans set with the rest of the AARGH crew for this mandatory event. But get your tickets now, because this one is sure to sell out!

Get tickets to your local theater showings at Fathom Events.

  

The Misfits - Night of the Living Dead

Another amazing Misfits ep that I'd probably have to trade a body part for in order to acquire an original copy of on vinyl, but it's worth it! This particular video is pretty awful, but the audio quality is very good.

R-A-T-T-F-I-N-K Rat Fink!!

Rest In Peace, George Romero

Sad news today from the world of horror. The godfather of the modern day zombie film, director George Romero passed away today at age 77.

Time to sit back and toast him with a viewing of his 1968 masterpiece...

You can read more about Romero's passing here.


Rest in peace, George.

Night of the Living Dead at Cinema Wasteland

This past weekend I had the chance to go check out the biannual Cinema Wasteland horror convention in Cleveland, Ohio. The highlight of this show was the 50th anniversary of the George Romero zombie classic, Night of the Living Dead. I scored a few odds and ends from the multitude of vendors, but I made sure to add these two particular pieces to my collection. I'm sure they both thought I was some total weirdo, but a huge thanks to Judith O'Dea and Kyra Schon for the personalization!

They're coming to get you, Barbara...

Fifty years later, and they were both going strong! Here's to fifty more, ladies!

The next Cinema Wasteland convention is scheduled for September 29 - October 1. I can't wait to see what they have on tap for the fall show. See everyone there!

 

Evans City Cemetery - Evans City, Pennsylvania

I made it back to Highbury HQ just in time to roll out a very special Cemetery Sundays edition. Usually, Cemetery Sundays is reserved for the month of October, when I roam the grounds of a local cemetery, documenting and sharing photographs of the old and beautiful tombstones. But I found myself near Pittsburgh and had some extra time, so I decided to check out one of the cemeteries that had been on the top of my list: Evans City Cemetery.

What is so special about this cemetery and what was it that put it at the top of my list? Ask any fellow horror geek and they'll tell you! It isn't often that you can visit a place that is part of horror film history. A place that started a revolution!

See, Evans City Cemetery was one of the locations for the filming of George Romero's zombie-genre defining classic from 1968, Night of the Living Dead!

If you'd like some music to go along with this post, I still have the film's soundtrack, ripped directly from the original vinyl (complete with "vintage" pops and cracks!) available for free here.

Many of the tombstones and other features that were used in the opening scenes of the film are still standing some 46 years later...



Upon entering the grounds, you'll find the original chapel (which is currently being renovated after falling into disrepair) where Johnny and Barbara parked to visit their father's grave.

 (Strange that George Romero isn't credited on the plaque as one of the directors!)

On the side of the building was an entryway, although I was not feeling adventurous on this day.

I also found the tombstones where Johnny and Barbara paid their respects, shortly before things take a turn for the worse...

"They're coming to get you, Barbara."

And I'm happy to see that after many people have visited and photographed this particular tombstone, it is still clean and vandalism-free.

And finally, when poor Johnny meets his end at the hands of the cemetery ghoul, his head is smashed against the Father Clyde Lewis Myers tombstone.

And while it is really, really cool to see the horror nostalgia of the grounds, it would be a mistake to not go and see some of the interesting and wonderfully weathered old stones throughout the rest of the cemetery...