In spite of the critical response that railed against its graphic violence, the film was a major hit. Cast and crew were recruited from among the production team’s family and friends, and expenses were spared on props: Chocolate syrup was used for blood and consumed flesh consisted of roasted ham – donated by one of the actors who also owned a chain of butcher shops. Made on a budget of just $114,000, Romero’s film was low key.
Director George Romero breathed life into his reanimated corpses, infusing them with the shambling, flesh-eating mores that characterise zombies today. But Night of the Living Dead redefined the genre. Zombies had been depicted in movies before, as versions of mythological creatures described in Haitian folklore. In October 1968, Night of the Living Dead opened on screens across America. “Slow and steady in their approach, weak, clumsy, often absurd, the zombie relentlessly closes in, unstoppable, intractable.” - Simon Pegg.
