It’s rare that you can trace an entire sub-genre back to one film, as it’s often many of them that collectively spawn a certain trend. But when it comes to modern day zombies, Night of the Living Dead is unquestionably the movie that created them – and that makes George Romero the man who started it all.
Originally released in 1968, the black & white classic launched Romero’s career and turned zombies from mindless slaves into terrifying movie monsters, making it unquestionably the most influential horror movie ever made. The Walking Dead, in so many words, would not exist without Night of the Living Dead.
Due to the film slipping into the public domain many years ago, countless filmmakers have been free to put their own spins on the film over the years, and so too has Romero’s movie been re-released onto DVD and Blu-ray countless times by fans and companies eager for their hunk of the proverbial pie.
Now, nearly 50 years later, a never-before-seen sequence is about to be restored.
As discussed on the Monster Kid Classic Horror Forum, George Romero was on hand at the Monster Mania horror convention in Maryland earlier this month, and during a panel discussion about his films, he dropped the huge announcement that a once-lost 16mm work print has finally been found.
The work print, which turned up when elements were being gathered for a brand new restoration of the film – reportedly being overseen by Martin Scorsese – contains roughly 9-minutes of footage that has never before been released. It was cut from the film not by Romero, but rather by the original distributor.
“This was a scene that takes place at the jump cut in the basement, including the largest zombie scene in the film,” describes a fan who attended the Q&A.
More on this one as we learn it!
