George A. Romero's feature film debut is that influential horror classic whose contribution to its genre as well as pop-culture is so immense that cinema will forever be indebted to it. Night of the Living Dead marks the birth of a new sub-genre of horror and is one of the first films to employ the storyline of zombie apocalypse.

Over the years since its release, this seminal classic has garnered a strong cult following and there's no denying that its influence remains as effective as before but for me, Night of the Living Dead turned out to be a rather average at best experience considering that it hasn't aged very well and what was once scary now comes off as comical.

Set in an unspecified time, the story takes place in an abandoned farmhouse where a small number of people stack up to hide from the flesh-eating corpses that have mysteriously reanimated. As the dead people surrounding the house escalate in number, the attempt to survive the night begins to look less promising for the people inside.

Shot on a shoestring budget, making fine use of black-n-white photography and featuring an odd set of characters, the film violates many taboos over the course of its runtime and Romero's direction makes sure that the presentation is also as explicit as its content. The performances by its amateur cast has few standouts but it's the characteristics given to the ghouls (now referred as zombies) that leaves the most lasting impression.

On an overall scale, Night of the Living Dead adds a whole new chapter to the world of horror and has inspired countless number of zombie stories, some of which even transcended their genre. The film may not be as frightening today as it was during its time of release but it still retains an ability to shock & disgust its viewers to an extent with its explicit, graphic & uncompromising content. Definitely worth a shot.