Villain(s)  Zombies

Actor(s):  Judith O'Dea, Duane Jones, Marilyn Eastman, Karl Hardman

Brief Description  Night of the Living Dead (1968) is a landmark independent black-and-white horror film directed, photographed, and edited by George A. Romero. Produced on a shoestring budget of just $114,000, the film essentially invented the modern zombie archetype and revolutionized the horror genre by shifting from gothic monsters to visceral, apocalyptic dread.

Plot:
Siblings Barbra (Judith O'Dea) and Johnny (Russell Streiner) visit their father's grave in an isolated cemetery. They are suddenly ambushed by a pale, shambling man. Johnny is killed in the struggle, and a terrified Barbra flees to a nearby farmhouse. Barbra is joined by Ben (Duane Jones), a resourceful traveler who arrives in search of fuel. While Barbra sinks into a catatonic state from shock, Ben takes charge—boarding up windows and doors to keep the gathering crowd of ghouls at bay. The duo discovers that five other people have been hiding in the cellar: the argumentative Harry Cooper (Karl Hardman), his wife Helen (Marilyn Eastman), their sick daughter Karen (Kyra Schon), and a young local couple, Tom (Keith Wayne) and Judy (Judith Ridley).

The narrative's primary tension shifts between the monsters outside and the power struggle inside. Harry demands that everyone lock themselves in the cellar, while Ben insists on holding the main floor to maintain an escape route. After hearing radio reports that the outbreak is widespread across the Northeast and that the "ghouls" can only be killed by a blow or shot to the head, the group attempts an escape. They try to refuel Ben's truck, but a tragic mishap causes the vehicle to explode, instantly killing Tom and Judy. The ghouls outside promptly descend upon and consume their remains. The horde breaches the farmhouse.

Ben shoots Harry during a final dispute, and Harry stumbles into the cellar to die next to his daughter. Helen discovers that Karen has succumbed to her illness, reanimated, and is cannibalizing her father's body. Karen brutally stabs Helen to death with a masonry trowel. Barbra is dragged into the horde when she spots her reanimated brother Johnny. Ben, the sole survivor, retreats to the cellar and manages to hold off the monsters until morning. At dawn, a local volunteer posse arrives to clear out the remaining ghouls. Hearing their footsteps, Ben peeks out a window, only to be mistaken for a zombie and shot dead on sight. His body is unceremoniously thrown onto a burning pile of corpses.