DVD Review: Birth Of The Living Dead

By Brad Henderson

When I was little, one of the first films that I can remember seeing and buying on VHS was Night Of The Living Dead on the Blockbuster Exclusive label. You know the one; the one with the big red label on the side. . . Night Of The Living Dead is one of the most important and influential films that exists. It has impacted not only the film industry but also the world, inspiring many people along the way. First Run Features recently released a documentary based on the events leading up to the making of this important film. Birth Of The Living Dead sheds a lot of light on the making of Night Of The Living Dead including stories of its successes and mishaps.

Making a documentary on any subject is ambitious and pleasing your viewer is the hardest thing to do. Even if your content might not be interesting to everyone, you have to make it appealing and keep the people who are watching compelled so they don’t get bored and turn it off. Sure, some things are more interesting than others, but if a documentary is done well you can keep your audience enthralled the entire time.

Birth Of The Living Dead is one of the more interesting documentaries that I’ve seen in a while. Even if you don’t like horror films or Night Of The Living Dead this documentary is entertaining and informative in every single way. The highlight of this doc is Romero’s interview and his on set stories, including all the obstacles they went through to make the movie. It also gets into the fun times they had and some of the crazy things that happened along the way in addition to details of all the support they had from friends, family, and townsfolk.

One thing I learned that I didn’t already know is that George Romero is a really funny guy. Some of the things that he says and the stories he tells are downright hilarious. I wish we could see his unedited interview because the guy is a great storyteller and extremely charismatic.

In Birth Of The Living Dead the filmmakers tackle everything from the cast, crew, budget, the world of independent films, and even the racial issues that surrounded them. It does have something for everyone even if you are not a fan of either horror or Night Of The Living Dead.

So hunt this documentary down and immerse yourself in the darkness of the dead. You’ll learn a thing or two about one of the masters of horror and how he became a household name (in the horror community).

Birth Of The Living Dead was released on DVD on January 7 by First Run Features.