Zombie Apocalypse at age 50: How the "night of the undead" has spawned a culture of zombies
Zombie Apocalypse at age 50: How the "night of the undead" has spawned a culture of zombies
CLEVELAND, Ohio – George A. Romero did not think that his seemingly insignificant little nibbling in the flesh of horror would spread like a virus.
"Did we know we were giving birth to the zombie apocalypse?" Said Judith O 'Dea, who starred in the lead role of Romero's famed wife in her pioneering film, "Night of the Living Dead ". "Small budget and a tight schedule to think about anything."
O'Dea had to learn how to load a movie into the camera to speed up the shots. The other actors doubled the makeup staff. The undead wardrobe consisted of dusty mellow hands spread out from people's attics.
And yet, 50 years later, "Night of the Living Dead" is one of the most influential films of all time.
Story of John Petkovic, The Plain Dealer
Fathom Events / With an O Productions.
The 1968 horror film about seven people trapped on a farm threatened by slow and slow meat eaters spawned a new wave of horror. This turned a Haitian folk myth into a traditional pop phenomenon. And, in the process, it changed the way we celebrate Halloween.
Egads, zombies!
Fathom Events / With an O Productions.
Just as you can not kill a zombie easily, "The Night of the Living Dead" has lived again and again, reaching even better status each year. He is back in the national halls to celebrate his 50th birthday with two consecutive days on October 24th and 25th.
(Go to fathomevents.com/events/night-the-living-dead-50th-anniversary for theaters and hours in the area.)
George A. Romero's "Dawn of the Dead" © 1978, New Amsterdam Entertainment, Inc./The MKR Group, all rights reserved, Photo credit: Katherine Kolbert
This week also marks the return of another classic Romero – "Dawn of the Dead" – in theaters. The 1978 zombie classic celebrates its 40th anniversary by performing a one-week 3D race at the Capitol Theater in Gordon Square, Cleveland.
