So your teenagers think “Paranormal Activity” is a low-budget hit?
You can play the always- popular “in my day” game with them by mentioning that George Romero made “Night of the Living Dead” for a whopping $119,000 in 1968. It went on to gross $30 million and become easily one of the five most important horror movies of all time. So there, punks! Now get off the couch and go shovel the sidewalk!
But really, you should tell the kids about “Night of the Living Dead” because you’ll want to sit down and watch with them and give yourselves a good scare for Halloween weekend.
Romero’s “Night” is terrifying, melancholy, satisfying, engrossing and thought-provoking. Some family websites warn it’s only for 16-plus teenagers, but given the slasher- gore absorbed by most 13- year-olds these days, “Night” is a zombie-fest that most young teens can enjoy.
The noir black-and-white filming makes it all the spookier. We meet a brother and sister driving through a graveyard, visiting dear departed Dad. That tall guy stumbling crazily in the distance seems funny at first, until he gets closer and closer and closer and decides Johnny should be lunch.
Surviving sister Barbra holes up in a modest home nearby with resourceful Ben and some obnoxious weaklings. They’re surrounded by these inexplicable zombies, whose presence becomes clearer through a taut series of news reports.
“Night of the Living Dead” can be entertaining as pure horror, but any kids who like a bit of 1960s history can deepen their experience. Many cultural critics saw African-American protagonist Ben as a symbol of doomed black leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. or Malcolm X. Romero was the first to bring horror into mundane American settings, allowing other commentators to believe he was critiquing consumptive capitalism and suburban lifestyles.
Just remember: Romero solidified the rule that it takes a head shot to stop a zombie.
“Night of the Living Dead”
Rating: Not rated, with scenes of gore that are disturbing but less graphic than many modern slasher films.
Best suited for: Families with teenagers seeking a multigenerational thrill for Halloween.
