Night of the Living Dead

Makeup wizard Tom Savini’s color remake of George A. Romero’s 1968 classic follows the original almost shot-for-shot, so quality comparisons are somewhat pointless. The film was clearly made for younger viewers who refuse to watch black-and-white films, no matter how good they may be. The result is passable, but the very fact that the original was made 22 years before makes this version seem almost dated in its restraint. By the time of its release, Romero had already geometrically raised the gore quotient with Dawn of the Dead (1978) and Day of the Dead (1985), so Savini’s starting back at square one further lessened the impact of this pointless retread. If this version has anything to offer, it is Patricia Tallman’s engaging lead performance as a gun-toting independent woman, one of this film’s few elements not lifted wholesale from Romero.