An exceptional, tense, and superbly-edited horror film. Although not my favorite in Romero’s zombie canon (see: next entry), this film possesses strengths the later films in the series lack, namely strategic characterizations (Romero’s survivalists endow and evenly represent ethnic minorities) and claustrophobic settings. Romero’s female leads, unfortunately, are usually submissive and expendable, but this chauvinist tendency evolves; by the time we get to Day, a female is the most commanding survivalist. In Night, although the lead female (Barbara, estranged from her brother in the opening scene) spends the entire film in shock, her death is immensely dire: her brother, now zombified, enters her shelter. She enters his arms, recognizing her sibling and not the savage enemy he has become, and is torn apart. Being as many characters in this series are capable of eschewing any emotional attachment to a loved one once he becomes undead, this is a significant action.
by Rumsey Taylor | Source: Platinum Disc Corporation DVD
26 Jun 2005 2:54 PM | Submit Comment