Night of the Living Dead | 1968 | USA | George A. Romero

A classic amongst contemporary shockers and a paragon of horror cinema in general, George Romero’s trailblazing chiller ushered in a new subgenre of horror film and lay the groundwork for what has become one of the most enduring icons of pop culture: the flesh-eating zombie. While visiting a cemetery, Barbra and her brother Johnny are accosted by a pale, soulless man who kills Johnny and pursues the terrified girl until she takes refuge at an abandoned farmhouse. Finding a plethora of other survivors inside, the strangers are forced to board up the house as they combat the ever-increasing hordes of strange assailants, the unravelling truth of the creatures’ origin… and their own inherent distrust of each other. Establishing all of the tropes and rules of every successive piece of zombie fiction, Romero’s effect on the film world can’t be understated with this still-shocking and nihilistic black-and-white nightmare. In spite of the film’s age, the pervasive reputation of the film’s explicit violence as well as a coldly bleak ending got this one netted as a nasty.