A Brief History

1968 was a historical year for horror films, and it was all thanks to horror movie icon, George A. Romero. The legacy that Romero left behind is an important one to know. With the help from screenwriter John A. Russo, he created zombies as we now know them. As a result, he invented an entirely new subgenre in the process. Through his new production company, Image Ten Productions, Night of the Living Dead was born.

Originally, Romero and his team had a budget of $6000, each contributing $600 from their own pockets. However, they found help from outside investors, boosting their final budget to $114,000. Once the final product hit theaters, the film grossed over $30 million during its initial release.

Besides being an indie movie success, Romero also ignored major societal norms at the time. By casting Duane Jones, a man of color, he faced risking possible controversy. Nevertheless, Romero hired him based off of his performance during the audition. In fact, Romero was so impressed by Jones’ audition, he rewrote the entire character outline. Instead of being a remedial man who was a truck driver, Ben evolved into a man of intelligence and class.

Since the 60s were still a mild time for horror, gore wasn’t as prevalent. Still, that didn’t stop Romero from using explicit gore in his films. This didn’t sit well with audiences that viewed Night of the Living Dead. Many left the theaters disturbed, while many unsuspecting children became scarred for life. In fact, he received many criticisms beyond the gore factor. Some critics at the time were upset by his lack of compliance towards the industry. When audiences wanted a happy ending, he gave them the exact opposite.

Knowing such a paramount location was less than half a day’s drive away, I recruited some of my closest friends. Together we drove eight hours to re-create the magic.

Location, Location, Location

Evans City, PA; the birthplace of Night of the Living Dead, is a tiny town located just 40 minutes outside of Pittsburgh. Only having an estimated 1700 residents, this place is a horror wonderland for aspiring indie filmmakers and cinephiles alike. Within this borough hides the origin of where the magic of the undead happened 50 years ago: Evans City Cemetery. 

Connecting in Unexpected Places

The spine-chilling theme music played faintly in the background of the car when we drove through the ordinary, unfamiliar, countryside. What was unfamiliar, soon transformed into the film’s iconic opening scene before our very eyes. The anticipation that we had, slowly washed away as our creative realities set in. It wasn’t until we made our way up the slope, officially entering the cemetery, that the moment became apparent.

To our surprise that day, we weren’t the only people visiting for zombie reminiscence. Amongst the five of us, there were already four small groups of people. As astonished as we were to see them, they became speechless once they saw Johnny, Barbara, and the lone cemetery zombie standing before them in the flesh.

Knowing we were going to be there all day, we wanted to respect everyone else’s time there. We chose to explore the rest of the cemetery in the meantime. Wandering further away from the main tourist attraction, we realized one of the families from earlier had followed us. When we stopped, they stopped. When we walked, they walked. The more we looked over our shoulders, the more awkward and uncomfortable they became.

Eventually, the popular locale had dissipated, thus we decided to go back to our starting location. The family of shadows lingered, not far behind. When they caught up, they finally found the courage to speak to us. Much to my relief at the time, they weren’t stalkers. The family simply wanted to take photos with my friends.

After I snapped a photo of the awkward family of four, we chatted with them a little longer. Like us, the parents were drawn to the dark and dreadful. While we wanted to relive the movie’s history, they wanted to share the knowledge with their children firsthand. Despite our similarities, they were more on brand with the Addams Family than we were. Before we parted ways, the mother shared one of her fondest family memories with us.

“Last week we took Alex to the gravesite of a man that shot himself in the head a few weeks ago. We thought it was interesting that they both shared the same name. After all, it’s not everyday you get to visit your own grave.”

After hearing that, we politely said our goodbyes and began filming.

A One in a Million Chance

A few hours into the filming process, before the sunburn set in, we bumped into another couple. The girlfriend was a storyboard artist, and the boyfriend was a VFX supervisor in the entertainment industry. Of all the people we met that day, he was the most in awe. It turns out, the weekend we were there happened to be his birthday.

As a surprise, his girlfriend booked two plane tickets from NYC to Pittsburgh. Since Romero was one of his favorite directors, she secretly planned a George A. Romero exploration tour. He was so blown away by our serendipitous moment, that it took some persuading on our end to convince him we weren’t paid actors. After some laughs, he asked if he could take some photos of my friends on his film camera. Turns out Steve was a multi-talented guy.

The Reenactment

Although I knew this venture would be no easy feat, I still didn’t expect filmmaking to be so difficult. For a 10 minute scene, it took seven hours to film. Maybe it was because we’re amateurs, but now I understand why films take months (if not longer) to make. The process started off rough, but eventually became easier. Once visitors left and there were no eyes left on my friends, the acting became less uncomfortable for them. In fact, I think they might’ve even had fun.

Sunkissed cheeks, sweat, and five hungry people later, we were excited to leave. To tell you the truth, the entire creative process is all a blur to me now. I do however remember, craving a cherry slushie from the 7/11 that was five minutes away. I was so in the zone, especially since we were on a time constraint, that nothing else mattered. I just wanted to get it done. It wasn’t until we were finished, did I then stop to appreciate the moment.

Despite the insanity, completing such an ambitious task was the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done.

[If you’re curious to see our finished work, click here for the full reenactment.]

Visiting

Unless you plan on reenacting the entire beginning scene of Night of the Living Dead, you won't need much time here. The cemetery itself isn’t very large. All the film locations in the cemetery are in the front row, right next to each other.

In between the short bursts of free time, I noticed tombstones glistening in the sunlight from coins left behind by previous visitors. It’s always heartwarming to see the appreciation people have for George Romero and his work.

I wasn't quite sure what the symbolism meant, but I looked it up on my phone while I was there. According to Snopes, it is a way people express love and affection towards the deceased. Once I found the meaning behind the coins, I placed some down as well. It’s interesting that even in death, people can find stardom in the afterlife.

This experience was a surreal one. If you love zombies, or simply just film itself, do yourself a favor and come visit this overlooked piece of movie history. You won't regret. Who knows, you might even make unsuspecting friends in costume.

If you do get a chance to visit, please stop by the Living Dead Museum in Evans City. Unfortunately, we ran out of time and didn’t get a chance to visit. If you do make a pitstop there, tell me about your experiences.

Extras

Here are some photos from the trip. Enjoy!