Night of the Living Dead

Night of the Living Dead
Directed by	George A. Romero
Written by	George A. Romero John A. Russo
Produced by	Karl Hardman Russell Streiner
Starring	Duane Jones Judith O'Dea Karl Hardman Marilyn Eastman Keith Wayne Judith Ridley Bill Cardille Kyra Schon
Cinematography	George A. Romero
Edited by	George A. Romero John A. Russo
Music by	William Loose Fred Steiner (stock recording)
Production companies	Image Ten Laurel Group Market Square Productions
Distributed by	The Walter Reade Organization
Release date	October 1, 1968 (1968-10-01)
Running time	95 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$114,000
Box office	$42 million ($256,147,434 as of 2009)

Night of the Living Dead is a 1968 American horror movie. It was directed by George A. Romero. The movie stars Duane Jones, Judith O'Dea and Karl Hardman. It premiered on October 1, 1968. It was completed on a US$114,000 budget. The movie was a financial success, grossing $12 million domestically and $18 million worldwide.

Night of the Living Dead was heavily criticized because of it explicit content. It eventually got critical acclaim. It was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Film Registry as a movie deemed "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant.^[1] The movie is in the public domain due to an error by the distributor.^[1][2]

The story follows characters Ben (Duane Jones), Barbra (Judith O'Dea) and five others trapped in a farmhouse in Pennsylvania which is attacked by "living dead" monsters. These monsters became known in popular culture as zombies. Night of the Living Dead was the basis of five Living Dead movies (1978–2010). They were also directed by Romero. Many remakes have also been made.^[1]

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2} J.C. Maçek III (2012-06-15). "The Zombification Family Tree: Legacy of the Living Dead". PopMatters.
2. ↑ Boluk, Stephanie; Lenz, Wylie (August 26, 2011). "Introduction: Generation Z, the Age of Apocalypse". In Boluk, Stephanie; Lenz, Wylie (eds.). Generation Zombie: Essays on the Living Dead in Modern Culture. Jefferson, North Carolina, US: McFarland. p. 5. ISBN 978-0-7864-8673-1. Retrieved August 26, 2011.