George A. Romero Night of the Living Dead It featured many frightening scenes that still exist today, including one that terrified even Stephen King. While the Night of the Living Dead universe has expanded into a franchise with many films and subfranchises, the original 1968 film has an impressive legacy. It was the first horror film to feature reanimated corpses as “zombies” we know today, and now there are countless horror films inspired by Night of the Living Dead. Despite advances in special effects and modern zombie films are generally bloodier, the original film is still scary.
Of all the possible experts on the horror genre, Stephen King would probably be at the top of the list. He was described as “The King of Terror“, and there have been more than 50 film adaptations of Stephen King's novels. Taking that into account, the legendary author must be hard to scare. When he described a Night of the Living Dead scene like “the scariest sequence I can remember”, the scene must be really scary. King's scariest books can turn everyday events into nightmare fuel, and the scene in question is equally simple.
Night Of The Living Dead Has The Scariest Scene Ever, According To Stephen King
The Night of the Living Dead scene was groundbreaking for its time.
In an article for Weekly entertainmentStephen King talked about big and small budget horror films, saying that in his opinion the most terrifying sequel was in Night of the Living Dead. The scene takes place at the beginning of the film, and the heroine, Barbara, is chased to her car by a zombie, who bangs on the window before picking up a rock and breaking it. King said: “The first time I saw this (and twice after), the scene reduced me to jelly.“The scene contained no special effects other than corpse makeup, but viewers had never seen anything like it before.
The scene contains several common horror tropes, including a chase and being trapped in a car. That said, adding a never-before-seen creature made the experience unique for audiences at the time. Night of the Living DeadThe introduction of zombies was innovativebut there were none of the flashy effects that accompany many modern horror films. Stephen King is famous for being a fan of low-budget horror films, feeling that big-budget effects can harmhorror. It's no surprise that he thought this scene was so effective.
Stephen King made great comments about Hollywood horror films
Stephen King later collaborated with Night Of The Living Dead director George A. Romero
Some of the scariest moments in horror films were incredibly cheap to produce, proving that a high budget doesn't always guarantee great results. Stephen King knows this very well and bases many of his stories on simple premises and being trapped. Whose it involves a family trapped in a car by a rabid dog. Geraldo's game shows a woman handcuffed to a bed with her dead husband beside her. Misery is about a writer held hostage by an obsessed fan. King stated that “Great films require great explanations, which are often tiresome, and great backstories, which are often complicated..”
When doing Night of the Living DeadGeorge A. Romero was inspired by the comic books he read as a childwhich often featured bloody deaths, but were artistically drawn. King was, in turn, inspired by Romero and his approach to the horror genre, which King describes as “an intimate experience.” In 1982, King collaborated with Romero on his horror anthology freak show in a movie. freak show it even included a cameo from Stephen King and received positive reviews. The collaboration between two horror icons might not have happened if it weren't for Night of the Living Dead.
Source: Weekly entertainment
George A. Romero's Night of the Living Dead did more than just invent the modern zombie, it revolutionized the horror genre. Following a small group of humans who hide out in an isolated farmhouse when the dead begin to resurrect and crave human flesh, Night of the Living Dead examines the relationship between humanity and paranoia in times of crisis.
- Release date
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October 4, 1968
- Cast
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Judith O'Dea, Kyra Schon, Duane Jones, Marilyn Eastman, Karl Hardman
- Director
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Jorge A. Romero