Night of the Living Dead: a Milestone in the Horror Genre

2933 Words12 Pages
Night of The Living Dead was and remains one of the most influential films of the horror genre. It brought back the popularity of horror films and revolutionized the zombie subgenre by trying new approaches in filming, storytelling, characters and conventions. To understand the impact this movie had on later horror films, we must ask the following questions: What is the resonance of Night of The Living Dead in the horror and zombie genres? What makes it a milestone in the history of the genre? Through various fresh approaches to filmmaking and story building, Night of The Living Dead was able to positively surprise audiences and critics with new characteristics, challenging its predecessors’ conventions in spite of its limited budget and setting the standards for horror films to come. This paper will present an analysis focusing on the characteristics that place the film in the horror genre, while relating them to those of former and contemporary critically-acclaimed horror films. The emphasis will be placed on the movie’s storyline, its filming and editing style and its explicitly displayed violence. “Genre” is a french word that can be literally translated to kind or type. A study of a film in relation to its genre focuses on the aspects that place this film in a particular genre and/or the contributions it brought to it. It also includes an analysis of the way these aspects act as an influence on the viewers emotions and responsiveness or as references to other films of the same genre. A study of Night of The Living Dead in relation to the horror genre would have to analyse how, thanks to its brilliant yet simple filming, created a stir in the film industry. In addition to analysing Night of The Living Dead’s contributions to the zombie subgenre and therefore establishing its resonance in the horror genre, many sources will be used to strengthen the arguments

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