Criterion of the Month | Night of the Living Dead (1968)
The Popcorn Hour with Matt and James · Matthew Porter and James Porter
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Show Notes
For this month’s Criterion of the Month, Matt and James dig into George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead — the low-budget horror film that changed cinema forever. Released in 1968, Romero’s debut not only created the modern zombie genre but also captured the anxieties of its era, mixing social commentary with raw, unsettling terror. The discussion explores how the film’s stripped-down style, haunting black-and-white imagery, and groundbreaking ending helped it earn a place among the most important independent films ever made. Matt and James reflect on its legacy, its influence on decades of horror that followed, and why the Criterion restoration gives the movie new life while preserving every ounce of its gritty, nightmarish power.