Seeing this almost forty years after it debuted, it’s hard to imagine that this was once a terror-inducing film. However, it is still filled with tension and uncertainty. (The characters in the film fight each other as well as the zombies outside.)

The film is undercut by the theme of “necessary brutality.” In order to fend off the zombies one must destroy the zombie’s head. But there are several scenes in the film where brutality spills over into the non-zombie interactions. This is the most interesting aspect of the film to me.

Also, the best line is when the reporter was talking to the police chief and he asks, “Are they [the zombies] slow moving?”

The chief replies, “Yes. They’re dead. They’re…really messed up.” The understatement and deadpan humor in that scene were hilarious!