A Night of the Living Dead

Director - Chad Zuver (New Blood Rising)
Starring - Mark Klein (The Dead Will Rise 2), Melissa Zahs, and Rebekka Daniel (New Blood Rising)
Release Date - 2014
Genre - Horror
Format - Streaming (online screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     One of the most influential indie horror films to ever grace celluloid is George A. Romero's classic Night of the Living Dead.  The film was released in 1968 and forever changed horror and the way we see zombies in cinema. The film is phenomenal and truly stands the test of time.  The film has seen so many parodies, sequels, and remakes over the years.  However, 2014 seems to be a fruitful year for NotLD with two remakes scheduled to be released and both are indie production taking root in Ohio.  The first remake is coming to use from Shattered Image Films and director Chad Zuver who was kind enough to shoot me a review copy.  Thanks!
     This reincarnation of the classic tale follows a father, his two daughters, and the boyfriend of one of his daughters as they travel to a cemetery out in the country to pay respects to their late mother and wife. She tragically passed away and now the family is torn apart dealing with her death.  While in the cemetery one of the young girls is attacked by a man and her boyfriend intervenes only to be murdered by the man as he rips his throat out with his teeth.  She rushes to her father where she find him and her sister.  They all race to the car where another fiend is waiting and nabs one of his daughters.  They flee and soon find a man wielding a pistol and fighting for his life against the undead.  The three head off where they find a home to seek refuge in.  Once inside things turn heated as tension comes to a boil.  The father and man have a hard time seeing eye to eye and fight about what they need to do to survive.  If the undead don't kill them then they may kill each other.
     I don't mind remakes and sequels unlike most of my horror brethren.  Most bitch and complain when someone mentions one of the two but I get excited as hell.  These tend to be a continuation of my favorite stories or the same stories told in new light. However, I am at the point where I feel there is just too damn many Night of the Living Dead remakes.  Night of the Living Dead is easily one of my favorite movies and I respect any film that is a remake or a parody of it but I am at the point where I am getting a little bored with them.  That doesn't mean the films are bad, not all of them anyway, but they are all telling the same story and most do it in a boring manner.  The acting in this one is indie grade.  They all show heart and talent but they truly lack on screen experience.  Also, some of the scenes featuring the two male stars fighting were hard to watch.  One of the men constantly yells and it very annoying.  This ruined the scenes and made them almost impossible to watch.  The story for this one is a modern re-telling of the classic with bits and pieces of the original story tossed in for good measure.  I actually liked the layout of this story when compared to the other remakes with the exception of the Savini remake in 1990.  If this was executed better it would have been one hell of a story.  Finally, the special effects and on screen kills we get are a bit of a disappointment.  The special effects are bad and I mean bad in an indie sense.  The camera angles and cheap effects are this films real downfall.  Overall, A Night of the Living Dead is a heartfelt remake that just can't capture the flare that made the original so damn enjoyable.  The film is beautifully shot but the story is slow and the special effects are lacking.  Fans of the original should check it out but your typical movie going fan may not care for it.