Night of the Living Dead
1968
***½
Director: George A. Romero
Cast: Duane Jones, Judith O'Dea, Karl Hardman, Marilyn Eastman, Keith Wayne, Judith Ridley, Kyra Schon
In his directorial debut, George A. Romero's locks a group of people in a country house, where they attempt to survive a zombie attack. This low budget black and white horror film made tons of money, influenced a number of directors, and launched an entire subgenre. Romero's gritty, bare-bones filmmaking still seems fresh, but the script he co-wrote with John Russo is skeletal. The entire second act seems to be about two characters arguing whether they should stay upstairs or go down to the cellar. The film has been remade multiple times and Romero directed several sequels (some of which have also been remade).
