Night of the Living Dead Literary Elements

Night of the Living Dead Literary Elements

Director

George A. Romero

Leading Actors/Actresses

Duane Jones and Karl Hardman

Supporting Actors/Actresses

Judith O'Dea, Marilyn Eastman, Keith Wayne, and Judith Ridley

Genre

Horror

Language

English

Awards

The film was not nominated for any significant awards when it was released.

Date of Release

October 1st, 1968

Producer

Russell W. Streiner and Karl Hardman

Setting and Context

Pennsylvania, the 1960's

Narrator and Point of View

The film is told through the point of view of humans who have not yet been turned into zombies

Tone and Mood

Solemn, Sad, Scary, Mysterious, Strange, Violent, Transgressive, Revelatory, Paranoid, Claustrophobic, Deadly, and Paranormal

Protagonist and Antagonist

Humans/Zombies

Major Conflict

The major conflict of the film is that between the humans fight to survive between a seemingly endless onslaught of the undead (zombies).

Climax

The climax of the film happens when the zombies finally break through the barricades in the house and they struggle to fend them off.

Foreshadowing

When Ben says "the cellar is a trap" he is foreshadowing his eventual death in the cellar

Understatement

The sheer number of undead/zombies in the world is understated throughout the film. Presumably, the characters think that the zombies near them are an isolated incident.

Innovations in Filming or Lighting or Camera Techniques

Night of the Living Dead is remarkably well-shot and well-made considering its tiny budget but it was not innovative in filming or lighting or camera techniques.

Allusions

To history, culture and cultural movements, geography, the Bible (the end of days come with zombies), mythology, religion, science, technology, other films (particularly films from Alfred Hitchcock), the social sciences, and mysticism.

Paradox

Ben promises to never go in the cellar, yet he locks himself in the cellar towards the end of the film.

Parallelism

There are no noteworthy instances of parallelism in Night of the Living Dead.

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