Night Of The Living Dead (1990)
Ho-Hum “reinterpretation” that, for a movie made for purely financial reasons, could have really been a whole hell of a lot worse. Original director George Romero turns the reigns over to FX maestro Tom Savini, who keeps the story basically the same (people stuck in house with zombies wanting to eat em’ ) but keeps things fresh with some nice subtle changes in terms of plot and characterization. Genre fans should notice many a familiar face amongst the cast, notably Tom (Henry: Portrait Of A Serial Killer”) Towles, Tony (Candy-Man) Todd, and last but not least, Bill (Chainsaw 2’s Chop-Top) Moseley. However, it’s actress Patricia Tallman as the “new” Barbara for the nineties, as Tallman’s character is a complete zombie-killing machine, shooting heads first and asking questions later. Director Savini shows some nice touches behind the camera, and the Optic Nerve FX is fairly nifty as well, delivering some pretty cool looking zombies and one or two nearly moist moments of gore. Savini was contracted to deliver an R-rated feature, so don’t expect the gonzo amounts of unrated gore found in “Dawn” and “Day”. Overall, this 1990 version “NOTLD” is something to catch on cable, though it’s nothing you’ll want to own and watch every couple months or so. Zombie fans will probably have a bit of fun here, all others however…maybe not.