The document provides an opening analysis of the 1968 horror film "Night of the Living Dead". The summary is as follows: The film begins with an establishing shot of a car driving down a rural road without any opening credits or logos. The musical score builds tension as the car approaches the camera. The title card is then shown with the word "Night" only outlined. The film is noticeably shot during the daytime despite its title. It introduces the main characters Johnny and Barbara visiting their mother's grave. Johnny is obnoxious while Barbara wants to pay respects. Strange radio issues hint that something is amiss. Johnny criticizes the church and teases Barbara about zombies before one attacks and kills Johnny. Barbara then

1. Tom Millett
Night of the Living Dead Opening Analysis
The filmstarts withanestablishingshotinsteadof perhapsaproductionlogoorintroductionto
signal whohasbeenresponsible forthe makingof thisfilm.Incontext,thisiscouldbe due toit
beingcreated inthe late 1950s where theydidn’thave the technologyavailable tomake extravagant
productiontitles.Eventuallythe filmfollowsthe conventionof manyfilmsbyrevealingthe
productioncompanybehindthe filmatthe beginningbyfadinginsome white textthatsays‘An
Image TenProduction.’ The shotitself lastsfor41 secondsandshowsa car drivingdownthe rural
road until itpassesthe camera.The musical score inthisopeningsequence isimportantforraising
tensionwithinthe audience asthe score intensifiesasthe car getscloserandclosertowardsthe
camera.
The nextshotis anotherstaticestablishingshotshowingthe carto be still goingdownthe rural road
but itis travellingawayfromthe camera insteadof towardsitnow.The title card of the film, ‘Night
of the livingdead’ispresentedinaninterestedway.The word‘Night’onlyshowsthe outline of the
wordinsteadof it beingfilledinlikethe restof the wordsinthe title card. Thisisprobablydone the
representdarknessthat mayappearwithinthe film’snarrative,literallyandsymbolically.Itisalso
worthnotingthat despite the filmbeinginblackandwhite;he filmisnoticeablyfilmedindaytime.
Thismay be done to deliberatelyjuxtapose againstthe film’stitle which hasconnotationsof gothic
literature withwordssuchas‘night’and‘dead.’The filmisfollowingthe conventionof manyhorror
filmswhichisthatthe filmsstartswitha positive openingscene forthe openingscene before they
become a part of the gothicdecline whichputstheminahorrificsituation. Similarshotsare
repeatedthroughoutthe openingsequenceafterwards.The textwill varyintermsof contentand
worksas the openingcreditsforthe film.The openingcreditsincludethe screenplay,soundeffects,
and directingwithinthe film.The score buildsuptensionwithinthe filmascreatesa sense of
impendingdoomforwhoeverispresentwithinthe car.Italsocreatesa sense of mysterywithinthe
film.Whoare the people inthe car?Where are theygoing?Thiscouldmake the audience feel

2. Tom Millett
uneasyas theyare unsure as to whatis exactlygoingon.
It isrevealed thatthe car is visitingagraveyard.Thiswouldlinkinwiththe usage of the adjective
‘dead’withinthe title.The audience atthis pointcouldstartingpiecingtogetherwhatisgoingto
happenwithinthe film’snarrative.
The audience isintroducedtotwocharacters,JohnnyandBarbara. The firstof themshowing
Barbara beingmore prominentinthe shotsuggeststhatshe will be the mainprotagonistwithinthe
narrative.Itis revealedthereare goingtoput some flowersontheirmother’sgrave.Johnnyis
presentedasobnoxiousandseeminglywantingtogetthe ordeal overwhereasBarbarawantsto
stay soshe can payrespectsto hermother.It ishintedthatsomethingisamissatthe graveyarddue
to Johnny’sradioturningonrandomlyinhiscar. The radio claimsitishavingdifficultiesandthen

3. Tom Millett
cuts out again.Thisgivesthe audience asense of dreadasit seemsasif somethingmaygowrong for
the two charactersas other people are alsohavingproblems.
Whenpayingrespectstotheirmother,Johnnygoesonto criticise the churchsayingthathe doesn’t
see the pointof goinganymore.InGothic andHorror literature,characterswhogoagainstreligion
endup dyingor facinga consequence fortheiractions.Thiscanbe seenasforeshadowingthe fate
of Johnny.Johnnythengoesontotease Barbara abouthow he scaredher ina graveyardwhenthey
were youngerbypretendingtobe a zombie.He keepssaying“there comingforyouBarbara!” Thisis
seenasa piece of dramaticironyas there actuallyisa zombie comingforbothof themin the
distance.Neitherof themseemtorealise thisandmistake himforanormal person.

4. Tom Millett
The zombie kills Johnnyinastruggle bysmashinghisheadof a grave.It isquite an ironicdeath
consideringhislackof respectforthe deadwhile inthe graveyard.The score at thispointbecomes
much more dramaticin comparisontoitstensionpreviously.
The filmthenplaysouta chase sequence betweenthe zombieandBarbarawithBarbara tryingto
drive Johnny’scaraway despite nothavingthe keys.The zombieendsupsmashingthe backwindow
of the car whenBarbara is hidinginitwhichforcesherto remove the brakessothe car can
temporarilyroll downhill.The factthe zombie smashedthe carwindow showsthathe iscapable of
viciousviolence,whichwillcause the audience tobe afraidof himandwhat he may potentiallydoto
Barbara.

5. Tom Millett
ThiscausesBarbara to crash the car andrun througha forest.The actinginthisscene reflectsthe
genuine senseof fearandtensionwithinthe film, whichcanmake the audience feel uneasy.Barbara
eventuallyfindsahouse tohide despitethe zombienotfarfromthe house itself.Thisisusedastime
to letthe tensionslide againbefore itgoesupagainlaterinthe film.