George Romero changed horror with Night of the Living Dead. Revisit the 1968 zombie classic, its unsettling style, and where to watch it free.
By James Brizuela
| Published
The world would be a lot different without zombie movies. None is more influential than the George Romero classic Night of the Living Dead. As of October 5, 2026, the film is streaming free on Tubi, and fans can now see where the zombie genre was forever changed.
George Romero directed, photographed, and edited Night of the Living Dead. Released in 1968, it started everyone’s fascination with the dead being reborn and essentially trying to eat everyone. The film was independently made for a budget that ranged from $114,000 to $125,000. It would go on to make a staggering $30 million at the box office.
Night of the Living Dead holds a 95% critic rating and 87% audience approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes as of October 5, 2026. Those are some huge numbers for a film that was released nearly 60 years ago.
It spawned a long-running franchise and inspired a remake of Night of the Living Dead, which was produced by Romero and directed by famed FX artist Tom Savini. The remake was released in 1990.
Night of the Living Dead follows Barbara and Johnny as they head to a cemetery in rural Pennsylvania to visit their father’s grave. While there, they are attacked by a strange man, who kills Johnny. Barbara flees to a farm, where she finds the corpse of a half-eaten person. The strange man is leading a group of ghouls, and Barbara heads inside the farmhouse with a man named Ben, who boards up the windows and doors.
They then find a group of people running from these same creatures, as they have all taken shelter in this home. Harry Cooper and Tom talk of their run-ins with these flesh-eating ghouls, and Harry and his wife, Helen, speak about their car being overturned. Their daughter, Karen, has been bitten by one of these creatures and is massively ill.
The group of strangers is now forced to band together to stop the ghouls from entering the home and eating them all. Although the movie is now decades old, we still don’t want to ruin it for those who have not seen it, so check it out.
Part of what makes Night of the Living Dead so unnerving is how little its survivors understand the monsters outside. In an essay hosted by the Library of Congress, writer Jim Trombetta notes that the characters call their attackers things or ghouls rather than zombies. He also points to the documentary feel of the black-and-white photography. The film makes its nightmare feel immediate, with frightened people trying to describe something they have never seen before.
For now, fans can watch how the modern zombie genre took shape, as Night of the Living Dead is streaming free right now. Without this film, we wouldn’t have 28 Days Later, Army of the Dead, World War Z, or any number of basic spin-offs that were started by Romero’s genius. If you have never seen it, go check out the greatest zombie film ever made on Tubi, for free.
