Redefining the genre: Local filmmaker talks about Romero classic ‘Night of the Living Dead’
Its budget was small, but its impact was big.
Fifty-four years after “Night of the Living Dead” was released, the George A. Romero classic continues to endure.
“Culturally, besides adding a whole new ‘monster’ into the pantheon of creatures, it was always George’s approach that the real monsters of the piece were the living humans who couldn’t get along with each other enough to solve the threat that they were under,” said Jeff Monahan, an actor, writer and director from Connellsville who’s worked with Romero.
“That’s so relevant today with all of the troubles in the world we have now … not so much because of the problems themselves, which are significant, but because people often can’t put aside their prejudices and narrow-minded thinking long enough to do anything constructive,” he said.
Filmed in and around Pittsburgh and released in 1968, “Night of the Living Dead” follows seven people barricaded in a rural farmhouse in Western Pennsylvania as it is under assault by an ever-growing group of zombies. Until then, Monahan said, movie zombies were “Voodoo automatons,” and the film redefined them as “living-dead flesh eaters.”
Even though the antagonists in the film were never referred to as “zombies,” the movie spawned a subgenre of horror that’s influenced literally hundreds of movies and television shows, said Monahan.
And he should know. The actor, writer and director has appeared in movies like “Lone Star” and “Last Flag Flying,” and television shows like “Outsiders” and most recently, “Spree” on Freevee.
Monahan worked as an actor in several of Romero’s films, including “Day of the Dead” (where he played a zombie), “The Dark Half” (which was partially filmed in Washington County) and the 2020 thriller “Bruiser.” Monahan also collaborated with Romero on the television series “George A. Romero Presents Deadtime Stories,” and worked as a screenwriter on several of Romero’s later scripts.
In all, Romero directed 17 movies and co-wrote “Night of the Living Dead,” which continues to hold up to the blockbusters of today, Monahan said.
“Besides being very technically proficient as a film, creating suspense and making us care about the characters, it talks about human emotions and issues, and that’s always something drama deals with because it’s always present in our lives,” Monahan said.
He added that the team behind “Night of the Living Dead,” which also included co-writer John Russo and producer/actor Russ Streiner, wanted to make a good movie on the small budget they had.
“George told me that nowadays people talk about the technical things like cameras that can do this or that, but he said he often didn’t even know what some of that meant, like when a cameraman would tell him that new cameras can make the black background blacker,” Monahan said. “He said that as long as you have a good story, the audience will care about that and not need the bells and whistles that often put form over content.”
According to the Internet Movie Database (IMDb), the film’s budget was about $114,000 (equivalent to about $941,800 in 2022). Its gross: $30 million (equivalent to $247.8 million in 2022), making it one of the most profitable independent movies ever made.
Beyond the movie’s contributions to cinema, it has also made an impact on Southwestern Pennsylvania. Monahan said there’s a certain pride that filmmakers in Pittsburgh have about working in the birthplace of a little independent movie that made history in horror.
“I think it gives us all confidence that if a little movie shot around here can have such a universal and long-lasting impact, then anything’s possible,” Monahan said.
He recalled Romero, who died in 2017, as a “great guy” who regularly did the unexpected.
“My fondest memory of him was when we recited the opening monologue of ‘Richard III’ together from his balcony in Toronto,” Monahan said. “He was full of surprises.”
Those who’d like to see “Night of the Living Dead” on the big screen will have the opportunity to do so locally on Friday, Oct. 21.
At 2 and 7 p.m., the movie will be shown at the State Theatre Center for the Arts in Uniontown as part of its Classic Film Series.
Tickets can be purchased at the theater and are $5 and $3 for seniors and students.
For more information, visit statetheatre.info/.