The zombie movie craze was brought into the mainstream by the master of the subgenre George A. Romero's 1968 masterpiece, Night of the Living Dead. The movie was a groundbreaking horror film that pushed boundaries, established the rules of the genre, and remains effective to this day.
Romero revisited his breakout film with the 1990 remake which was directed by Tom Savini. Though the film was not a success commercially or critically upon its release, it has since been recognized as a worthy remake. And while the 1990 version is very faithful to the original, it does differ in some interesting ways.
The Graveyard
The opening scene of the original has become an iconic horror movie moment. Barbara and her brother Johnny are in the cemetery visiting a grave. Their dialogue about Johnny's disregard for the dead and his teasing of his sister help to foreshadow the rest of the film.
The remake begins with a similar scene albeit with one notable change. In the original, Johnny remarks that they are visiting their father's grave who they barely knew. In the remake, it is their mother's grave who was a controlling woman. The change seems to add to Barbara's character development in the remake.
The Gore
When Night of the Living Dead came out in 1968, it shocked many viewers. It was one of the first films to depict gruesome murder on screen. It was even condemned by many critics for its excessive violence.
By today's horror film standards, the original film is quite tame. With Tom Savini, a makeup artist known for his talent with gore, serving as director of the remake, it's not surprising the film is a lot more graphic this time around.
Johnny's Death And Return
The horror in the movie doesn't take long to kick off as Barbara and Johnny are quickly accosted by one of the undead. As Johnny attempts to fight him off, they fall to the ground and Johnny seems to be knocked unconscious causing Barbara to run. Near the end of the film, Barbara sees Johnny, now a zombie, among the horde.
The opening attack is quite similar in the remake, but Johnny's end is more explicit. As Johnny struggles with the zombie, he falls smashes his head on a gravestone in gruesome fashion. Similarly, he is later found by Barbara as an executed zombie in a pile of others.
The House
Much of the story in both versions of the film takes place in a single setting of a farmhouse. It provides a great location as the heroes try to board up every opening while the army of the living dead close in.
One small change between the two versions is how Tom and Judy came to the house. In the original, the teenage couple sought refuge after hearing the emergency broadcast. In the remake, the house belongs to Tom's uncle who died the day before. Though a small difference, it adds the nice moment of Ben hiding the body of Tom's brother so Tom doesn't have to see it.
Barbara
In both versions of the movie, Barbara begins as the protagonist. After being separated from Johnny, she runs from the increasing number of living dead until she makes it to the farmhouse. However, in the original, she sort of takes a backseat for the rest of the movie as she is in shock.
The remake turns Barbara into a much more independent character. Though she is initially in shock, she quickly gets over it and becomes a real badass. Interestingly enough, this was originally how George A. Romero envisioned the character.
Harry And Helen Cooper
Another group of survivors that hideout in the house are the Coopers. Along with their sick daughter, Harry and Helen Cooper are a middle-aged couple who were hiding in the basement. In both versions, they don't seem like a very happy couple, although to very different degrees.
In both films, Harry is a very controlling man, trying to force Helen to stay in the basement with him. However, while Helen is annoyed with her husband in the original, she downright dislikes him in the remake and he is much more abusive to her.
Ben Vs Cooper
Along with all the zombies outside, the tensions inside the house provide their own threats. From the moment they meet, Ben and Cooper hate each other and become very combative. This boils over in violent ways in bother instances.
In the original, Cooper refuses to let Ben back in the house, and once he is back inside, Ben shoots him in a shocking moment. In the remake, Ben tries to kill Cooper's daughter who has become a zombie but Cooper shoots Ben, and the two exchange several shots.
Cooper's Death
Although he is certainly not likable in the original film, Cooper is made to be an even bigger jerk in the remake, even trying to kill Barbara and Ben at various points. This actually makes the character even more entertaining and results in a pretty memorable demise.
In the original, Cooper dies after being shot by Ben and is eaten by his daughter. In the remake, Cooper manages to survive the ordeal and assumes Barbara returned to rescue him. Instead, Barbara coldly shoots him in the head.
Ben's Death
The ending of the original film is one of the most shocking conclusions in horror movie history. After the house is overrun by zombies, Ben, the only survivor, barricades himself in the basement. He manages to survive until morning when a militia comes through, killing all the zombies. Ben emerges, thinking it is safe but is mistaken for a zombie and shot dead.
In the remake, Ben is shot by Cooper and makes his way to the basement to hide out. Barbara is the sole survivor who returns with the militia in the morning and finds Ben as a zombie.
The Aftermath
The original film ends in an interesting way with the local militia taking care of the zombies in a pretty relaxed way. Despite the chaos of the entire movie up until that point, the situation seems to be under control.
The remake takes this idea even further for a very interesting finale. We see the eradication of the zombies has turned into some sort of blue-collar pasttime. The militia is hanging zombies from trees, using them for target practice, and forcing them to fight each other while drinking beer. It prompts the line from Barbara, " They're us. We're them, and they're us."