Common Sense Media Review
By Charles Cassady Jr.
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
'60s zombie classic is still intense and gory.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 17+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Night of the Living Dead
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 20 parent reviews
Parents say the movie is generally not as violent as its rating suggests, with most of the horror stemming from tension rather than graphic content, making it suitable for older children who are accustomed to scary films. While some viewers find it contains important social commentary and positive role models, the slow pacing and lack of character development may make it less engaging for younger audiences.
- tame violence
- social themes
- slow pacing
- suitable for teens
- engaging for adults
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
Based on 52 kid reviews
Kids say the movie is not as scary or gory as expected, with many believing it is appropriate for tweens and older due to the low level of blood and violence, especially considering its black-and-white presentation. While some scenes might be disturbing, overall reviews highlight its classic status and influence on the horror genre, suggesting it’s more of an atmospheric film rather than a graphic horror experience.
- not scary
- mild violence
- appropriate for tweens
- classic status
- low gore
- atmospheric tension
Summarized with AI
What's the Story?
NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD begins when a young woman and her brother are attacked in a cemetery by a zombie; the scene then moves to a group of strangers seeking shelter from the ghouls in a remote house. Barricaded inside, they see TV bulletins linking the zombie plague to "radiation" from a Venus space probe contaminating the environment, and they hear the only way to stop a ghoul is to destroy the brain with a well-aimed bullet or cranial blows. The panicked survivors split into two factions, a family called the Coopers, who want to stay barricaded indoors and wait for help, and a more proactive bunch, led by Ben (Duane Jones), an assertive black man, who plan a dash to safety, despite the ghouls massing relentlessly in the dark outside. Spoiler alert: A famously shocking finale indicates that neither of their plans works out.
Is It Any Good?
George A. Romero's cult classic brought a virtually unprecedented level of realistic gore and disturbing grotesquerie to creature-feature fans (many of them children). When it premiered in 1968, critics and commentators were outraged that kids had been exposed to such a nightmare. Though it's unrated by the MPAA, some posters and ads carried an X rating (for gruesome violence, not sex), and that should tell you something. It's still intense today and pushes a lot of buttons, with its well-rendered camera angles, effective jolts, claustrophobia, and fate-worse-than-death zombie vibe.
Beware: The film is in the public domain, which means there are lots of fuzzy-looking, technically inferior copies on the market, computer-"colorized" versions, and spoof editions with completely dubbed-in gag dialogue (even with a bad-joke soundtrack, the imagery is still disturbing).
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about classic horror movies. How does Night of the Living Dead earn a place among the most legendary and groundbreaking of horror movies?
How does the use of black-and-white film make the scary moments seem even creepier? Could it have been just as scary in color? Why or why not?
What are your thoughts on the ending? Intentional or not, how does this ending, and much of the action taking place outside of the farmhouse, seem like a comment on the times in which the movie was made -- the late 1960s? Should movies, generally seen as a form of escapist entertainment, always have happy endings?
Movie Details
- In theaters : October 1, 1968
- On DVD or streaming : May 19, 2008
- Cast : Duane Jones , Judith O'Dea , Karl Hardman
- Director : George A. Romero
- Studio : Continental Distributing
- Genre : Horror
- Run time : 90 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : December 11, 2025
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