Night of the Living Dead - Reanimated

Director - Mike Schneider
Starring - S. William Hinzman (FleshEater), Judith O'Dea (Ed Gein: D.D.S.), and Duane Jones (Th Dead of Night)
Release Date - 1968/2009
Genre - Horror
Tagline - Art is dead...yeah it's all messed up"
Format - DVD (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     Night of the Living Dead is easily my favorite film and one of the most influential horror films of all time.  This is something I will argue until the day I die.  George A. Romero single-handedly changed the way we see zombies in film when he took the undead beasts from the hands of voodoo priests and practitioners and put them in the cemetery where they can  have all the flesh they can eat.  This forever changed the way we see the zombie sub-genre.  Back in 2009 director Mike Schneider paid tribute to this classic film when he gathered numerous artists and animators from all over the world to re-tell Night of the Living Dead scene for scene using their various talents while using the original dialogue and audio.  Th film was then picked up by Wild Eye and was sent to me for review.  I love the classic so much that I was reluctant to check it out but I overcame my fear and gave it a watch.
     The film once again follows Barbara and her brother Johnny as they visit Evan's City Cemetery to visit the grave of someone they "barely remember."  However, while paying their respects they are attacked by a man that is shambling around the graveyard.  Johnny is tackled and hits his head on a tombstone.  Barbara flees in the car until she hits a tree and the undead man breaks the window with a rock.  She runs from the car to a nearby farmhouse where she is soon followed by a black man named Ben.  The two, by two I mean Ben because Barbara is hysterical, decides to board up the windows.  The sounds of them hammering draws the attention of a group of survivors seeking shelter in the basement.  They come up to see what the cause is and meet everyone. They then try to collectively come up with a plan to survive.  However, an older man and Ben seems to constantly butt heads due to their difference of opinion and race which leads to the hime becoming overrun by the undead.
     As I said earlier, Night of the Living Dead is one of the most important and influential horror films to ever be released.  It not only changed an entire sub-genre forever, but it also took on a political stance in the horror genre which was rarely done at the time and with an African American as the lead.  The film, which is historical in several ways, has went on to inspire other cinematic achievements almost 50 years later.  The film inspired this rendition of the film featuring the work of so many artists, animators, and all around fans of this classic film.  To my knowledge, this is the only film like it which makes it historical in it's own way.  Though the film did use the original audio and dialogue, I will go about this review a little differently.  The film features illustrations, stop-motion, claymation, computer animated, doodles, and so many more varying in quality.  Some are absolutely awe inspiring and at times you catch yourself dropping your jaw by the talent behind such artistic beauty.  However, the good also comes with the bad.  We are also given some very crude and abstract doodles and other forms of art that baffles my mind that they made it into a film that could have such an impact on the Night of the Living Dead legacy.  There is also the way in which the film cut using the different art pieces.  I would have preferred to see each segment drawn out a little longer before cutting to the next piece.  Most of these are on for such a short time that it really takes away from the enjoyment.  That is my only real beef with the film but it does take away from the fun this film could have.  Overall, Night of the Living Dead - Reanimated is nowhere near as important as the original film but is important nonetheless.  The film has some amazing art and pays a huge amount of respect to a true horror classic.  Fans of the original really needs to check this one out and add it to their collection!