Night of the Living Dead (original b&w)

From the Box: "Seven people secluded in a Pennsyvania farmhouse face relentless attacks by reanimated corpses seeked to eat their flesh. The group, which includes a married couple and their daughter, a pair of young lovers, and an African-American man, try to keep their sanity as the living dead try endlessly to enter the house. The only way to stop the zombies is to burn them or issue a severe blow to their heads. Radio news reports tell of the plague taking over the eastern United States, while the ever-decreasing band of survivors rapidly loses ground in the battle to both keep peace with one another and stay alive."

What You Get: The edition's package which I have sums it up way too much, and chances are even if you've never seen this movie you know the deal. Survivors inside house, zombies wanting in (to feast on flesh). Tame by today's standards, this movie was INSANE when it came out.

Origin of Zombies: A satellite returning from Venus brings back radiation. NASA blows it up, and results in the dead rising.

Zombie Traits: Dead appearance, slow walking, flesh eating, killed by head shots and fire.

Unzombie Traits: Use of weapons; some move with more of a purpose than others, some can actually stagger-run; fear of fire.

The "Heroes": Like the box says, but also with Barbra, the poor girl who is in shock for the majority of the picture.

Zombie Killing Weapons of Choice: Rifles, fire, tire-iron

The Goals: Hide on farm until help arrives, try to get to official safe-haven (couple gets blown up in their only vehicle), go back to hiding. Eventually police arrive, organize, and go on a zombie killing spree.

End Result: Couple blows up in pick up while filling up, black guy shoots married guy to death, their kid kills and eats the wife, Barbra gets eaten by her own brother, and the black guy gets shot in the head by the cops.But for the rest of the world order is restored. The end.

Zombie Rating: I know, it set many of the rules, but I just don't think zombies should fear fire or use weapons that much

Notes: This is the original walking dead zombie flick and should be treated with proper respect, for from George Romero's classic came all others. Question though: if it takes place at night, how come all (live?) television reports are in broad daylight? Clearly the movie really pushed focus on the ultra taboo of cannibalism, something that doesn't carry the same shock value today.

Zombie Movie Rating: 10/10