NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD 1990: Tom Savini’s Forgotten Remake is a Zombie Gem

A look at Tom Savini and George Romero's 1990 remake of Night of the Living Dead, a horror gem that's been largely forgotten, analyzing the history behind the remake, how it compares to Romero's original, what was done to set it apart, and its legacy in the shadow of one of the pillars of modern horror.
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#zombies
#georgeromero
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[@MattDraper]

What are your favorite zombie movies?

[@jonathanmulondo9206]

Dawn of the Dead Original and Remake, 28 Days Later, 28 Weeks Later, Day of the Dead, Land of the Dead, Brain Dead, I Am A Hero, Versus, Train to Busan, One Cut of the Dead, Return of the Living Dead 1, 2, and 3 And The Omega Man.

[@hanolodo]

Return of the Living Dead(1,2, and 3) Night of the Creeps, Frankenstein, 28 Days Later, Train to Busan, Land of the Dead, Dance of the Dead, Dawn of the Dead(Original), The Fog, Resident Evil, Resident Evil Apocalypse, and Day of the Dead.

[@owensreviews625]

For the classic zombie movie, can’t go wrong with the original Dawn of the Dead from 1978. For modern zombie films, I’m kinda partial to Shawn of the Dead and Zombieland.

[@danielbaguley2483]

Will forever be the original Night of the Living Dead. I first saw it when I was 8 years old and it terrified me, but it gave me a lifelong obsession for zombies.

[@superlymoderate]

Zombi 2, Fido, Dead Next Door, the original Dead trilogy, the remakes of Night and Dawn, Train to Busan, Return, the first Resident Evil, Shawn of the Dead, Dead Snow. Would Re-Animator count?

[@pjarmitage8003]

I met Tony Todd in 2021 and told him that this movie was the first time I saw a black hero like this growing up and that he was an icon for me. He said that at the time, his son had just been born, and he had the choice between this role and another that would have had him be a villain. He said he wanted his son to be able to see him as the hero, so he chose this role. What a legend.

[@joemazza2583]

Guy is such a good actor

[@jonathanmulondo9206]

The 1990 remake is very underrated. Tony Todd is a national treasure and one of horror greatest icons. You need to do a retrospective on Candyman

[@hanolodo]

the 1990 remake is freakin awesome!!! Candyman is a great film but it's sequels weren't that good. The remake wasn't too bad though

[@jonathanmulondo9206]

@@hanolodo the Candyman remake could've been better

[@MattDraper]

Oh absolutely! It's closer to the top of my massive list of horror retros.

[@jonathanmulondo9206]

@@MattDraper Candyman would be perfect for a Halloween Special

[@michaelgartner4454]

One of the best remakes of horror ever

[@StellarAvenger]

If I'm honest, this is one of the scariest zombie movies ever. Tom Savini's makeup effects work is top notch.

[@ms.carriage6867]

This is another example of how you do a remake right. The improvements in the Barbara character were so good and wasn't used to over shadow Tony Todds character. They were a very compelling pair of protagonists. The bit in the ending where she shoots Cooper dead was very justified imo

[@Dr-Sex]

I think another thing that made the remake so good was the fact that everyone could've survived if they all just stayed in the basement, even after 50+ zombies were trying to get in ben was safe, save for the gunshot wound.

[@kylev938]

Sure they could've went to the basement, but Cooper stood in the way of that, they couldn't get along..

[@vsgfilmgroup]

Yeah, that was a winner. "You came back!" *BLAM*

[@vsgfilmgroup]

@@kylev938 Boarding up the upstairs was what brought all the zombies to the farmhouse. All that construction noise pulled them in like ringing a dinner bell. They needed to go upstairs to the second floor. Just block off the stairwell, or rip up a couple steps, and they're golden.

[@bradfulton616]

My mother signed me out from school to see it in the 3rd grade. I was really into special effects. Years later I worked in Hollywood as a photographer and Tony Todd and I became very close friends. He’s one of the best people alive and his acting is top notch. If you ever get to see his one man show Jack Johnson it’s so powerful and you can feel his energy . Love your videos btw

[@enigma7784]

Wow that's awesome

[@mindscramble8248]

I was fortunate enough to meet Tony Todd at Pavilions once at Melrose and Vine, he was totally cool! 😎

[@FanaticMitchell1]

Cool

[@nolantruesdale3770]

This IS my night of the living dead. I watch it all the time!

[@bensneb360]

It’s a shame Tom Savini doesn’t direct more horror movies, he’s pretty good at it

[@onetallpheeesh]

Why would he? So other people can control what he is allowed to show?

[@robertdochter277]

This is up there with The Blob (1988), The Thing (1982), & The Fly (1986) as one of the vest horror remakes ever.

[@HankMeyer]

One of the greatest remakes of all time, one of the best zombie films of all time, one of the best written zombie stories of all time, one of the best female leads in a horror film, and extremely underrated. The way Savini emphasizes the existential horror of mortality through realistic effects makeup is masterful. Death is shambling toward all of us slowly. It consumes our loved ones as it approaches. The closer it gets, the more hopeless it makes you feel. I have never seen a movie that communicates this kind of horror better than this movie does.

[@bjarczyk]

I have felt exactly the same about this extremely underrated film ever since I saw it when I was 7.

[@buffriku9998]

Had this on VHS when I was a kid and it scared the hell out of me, couldn’t even finish it till I was eleven. Good times.

[@adamjenks9613]

I’ll stand by this one film forever. I do love the original Night of the Living Dead , I love Dawn and Day of the Dead as well and as a trilogy. I grew up watching the 1990 remake. I’ve seen it more times than I care to count. Is it perfect? Maybe not, but for me, it is perfection.

[@miggypeso909]

I absolutely love this movie. It’s one of those films you see as a an 8 year old on Cinemax or rent from a local video store on a Friday night that ends up staying with you forever.

[@Gambit2483]

This, Lady in White, and The Exorcist were the scariest movies of my childhood in the 90s.

[@reddchan]

Love this movie, always felt like the original Resident Evil was heavily inspired by this movie in particular among many other things

[@IvanSanchez-ft3mp]

I feel the same way!

[@newtypepunk9967]

I agree even some of the house in the film looks exactly like part of the mansion, the whole vibe of the movie reminds me of RE1, I feel like capcom really watched this movie a lot.

[@jackelrikuroso3945]

Is because it was. Shinji Mikame said it himself, same with RE2 and the ALIENS and The Thing and RE3 with Terminator.

[@benderbendingrodriguez420]

Finally someone giving this underappreciated gem some light

[@JonTheGiantChicken]

This is my all time favorite zombie movie! It doesn't get nearly enough credit and attention. Tony Todd and Patricia Tallman are amazing!

[@Enshohma]

Being a Monstervision kid, both the original run of monthly movie marathons and the Joe Bob Briggs era, this 1990s remake was my first experience with the George Romero legacy and decades before I even saw the original film too!

[@doktor_ghul]

I don't know if it's possible any longer, but I'd be into seeing a restored, uncut version of Savini's NOTLD. If the gore effects still exist, and could be restored to the film...well, it could be a revelation. Fuck the MPAA. Besides, any zombie film that includes Skipp and Spector, and Gahan Wilson, as zombies deserves a restoration and a revival.

[@XER606]

My mother being a huge zombie-fan, actually let me watch the Romero Dead trilogy growing up as well as it's remakes, and I've always enjoyed the remake of Night a fair bit more and have a lot of fondness for it being one of my earliest zombie flicks, the original is a master piece that essentially created the zombies we know and love, but the remake feels like the more refined version of the story, at least for me

[@TheJooshIsLoose]

This was a really solid movie and still holds up pretty well

[@vsgfilmgroup]

What I loved about the remake is how fundamentally different it was. Barbara was actually worthwhile. And turning Cooper from a mildly-helpful curmudgeon into an active impediment / antagonist was a huge change. That scene with Cooper's daughter crossing the living room in zombie form while Cooper himself COVERS THE ZOMBIE from a stairwell was total brilliance.

[@senormarston]

One of the first Zombie movies I remember watching, loved it. Miss those kind of zombie entertainment productions

[@shanelorrison5224]

This was the first zombie movie I ever watched. I really liked this version.

[@NotIfICU1st_]

Instant thumbs up. Favorite remake

[@stonekidman2306]

Loved this so much. I never saw original night, but enjoyed dawn and day as a kid, then saw remake of night growing up and it seemed perfect. I agree strongly characterized female, she seemed legit and tough, and even then with the noted ripley and Sarah Connor, Barbara stood out. She wasn’t even overpowered by todays standards, she went thru a traumatic experience, learned to use a gun and defend herself, then used the stress to stay focused, like demonstrating that zombies were dead. This was a beautiful video.

[@Soxfandan]

Who forgot it? It’s been one of my favorite for 30 years.

[@user-ze3tq9hf9i]

I love this movie and I still see it as one of the best remakes ever made.

[@kylev938]

This is my first zombie movie I ever saw, probably in 1991 or 1992, as a little kid. I saw it at a friends house, had to walk home in the dark to an empty house. My mom was working the 3rd night shift.. I've never been more scared in my life!! I love this remake, it's what started my love for this genre ❤️

[@kailshrouf2470]

I absolutely love the original film but this remake is my favorite Zombie film of all time and I always enjoy seeing it get the love it deserves. Great video! 🤘

[@NickPiers]

Thank you for this. As much as I love and appreciate the original, the remake was absolutely amazing. It deserves more love.

[@sl00tym4g3]

this is my favorite horror remake after the thing, it's honestly one of my favorite movies in the genre and really honors the original while being it's own things. great cast, great effects. love it!

[@pkakira88]

This remake is actually my first intoructions to zombies overall. I have keen memories of this coming on late Saturday night on TNT's Monstervision (hosted by Joe Bob Briggs), being scared shitless as a kid and hiding behind the couch or briefly changing channels just to come back after a minute or two.

[@DeepPoeticSociety]

Same!!! I remember watching MonsterVision late at night in the 90's. Man, those were good times

[@scottieman2]

Saw this at a midnight showing. Love it. Really good remake.

[@01What10]

One of my favorite films growing up. This is the film that made me a lifelong fan of Tony Todd. (Began seeking out his work after this.) This film has never gotten the credit it deserves. So I am glad more people are discovering it and enjoying it. Always thought this had some of the best zombies ever put to film.

[@rickytoddbotelho9555]

Great movie. One of my favorites ❤

[@jonathanmack5474]

Loved it so much I purchased a copy when it first came out on VHS.

[@kdcj800]

It’s a shame this one isn’t as popular, I’ve been collecting DVDs, and I found the 90s version watched it and loved it !

[@batesBeckham]

This was the first zombie movie I ever watched. It came on TNT monster vision on a Saturday night in the late 90s. I was maybe 10. I remember my step brother and I laughing before it started about how zombies were the least scary "monster" out there while making our popcorn and bagel bites thinking we were going to laugh at it. I will never forget that night. This movie scared the living shit out of me. I have no idea why, as I had seen plenty of horror movies including the exorcist at 7yrs old. This movie will always be my biggest fear. It made me obsessed with zombies, I watched every single zombie movie ever made after that but NEVER watched this one again. Im still afraid of it. Im sure as an adult whos 35 and fought in Iraq and Afghanistan, I will not view it the same way as when I was 10. But I refuse to watch it again to get a different perspective and shall allow it to remain king of the horror movies in my mind.

[@consistentlystupid4726]

I saw this version as a kid before I ever saw the original. It was probably the first zombie movie I had seen so it will always hold a special place in my heart and if I ever had to pick one to watch the 1990's version would probably win every time.

[@marygillette4938]

I was so very fortunate to view this movie along with two friends in a otherwise empty theater when it was first released, At a late night screening no less. Me being a huge horror fan it is one of my fondest memories

[@m3m437]

This is my favorite zombie movie, hands down. I can't even count the times I've watched it.

[@Plamindandbodywurks]

Been a fan of this movie since seeing it as a teenager. Very underrated indeed...

[@RybatGrimes]

I love this remake so much, it desperately needs a new release either on Blu-ray or 4K. I would die to see the original gory cut restored and released!

[@karl_alan]

I really dug this remake. I think Todd and Savini both did great work here. Thanks for expanding my knowledge...I never knew some of the behind the scenes stuff here.

[@CoinOpTV]

They need to release the 1990 version uncut - need to see all those heads getting blown apart!

[@Nazorath]

Growing up this was one of my favorite zombie movies, it use to come on basic cable all the time. Such a great movie!

[@yoshewab1639]

I think this movie made me obsessed with horror as a little kid. I remember it was on TBS/TNT late at night, and I was watching with my grandma. There’s that jump scare where the zomb pops up in the foreground and it made me scream. My grandma just laughed at me lmao.

[@Jacobcoleyray]

The remake is superb. The way it’s made, the characters, the barn house everything. The victims are much better in the remake too, they all have more of a character to themselves

[@Blondie472]

Tom's remake is totally creepy, and actually quite awesome. Two stumps up!!

[@ArthurSanford3706]

This is one of the best horror remakes ever. Certainly better than all the b-movie 2000's remakes.

[@ethinwhite3454]

What really matters is they are a good written character. Thank you for putting emphasis on that Matt.

[@DefConprime28]

Did you know some people consider the Smurfs to be the first ever zombie-like transferring virus concept? I saw this in wizard magazine. Back in the '60s some b stings a smurf who then turns black and he bites the other Smurfs in their tail and they all turn into like quote unquote zombies of the original. Hey it was wizard magazine

[@Fixxxer07082]

I’ve always loved Night ‘90! As a massive Romero fan, I’m also not afraid to say that I sometimes prefer this one over the original…mostly because it’s “of my own time” (therefore making it easier to relate to and put myself into its world) and there are some moments/zombies that genuinely creep me out. Savini’s workprint version rules as well! …though I’m still scratching my head over the color timing on the film’s initial bluray releases. 🤔🤦🏻‍♂️

[@masterseal0418]

It's a shame Savini doesn't direct movies anymore. He's got talent! Night of the Living Dead 1990 is one of the few horror movie remakes that tried, compared to the likes of Psycho 1998. If you thought the zombies here looked and felt terrifying with their original counterparts from the 60s, think again!

[@thenightman9186]

The music that plays during the end credits of this film still haunts me to this very day. 😨

[@aprox23]

I've always enjoyed the 90s remake, I liked it more than the original. In fact, watching the remake is the reason why I watched the original. I still remember watching it on tnt Monster Vision for the first time.

[@vivsavage13]

The 1990 Remake is one of the better remakes I've ever seen. It's a good version. It's brought more into the present day, yet it still seems to stay true to the original film at the same time.

[@johnpittsii7524]

Thanks for the amazing video Matt ❤

[@lucieb.7991]

Only discovered your channel yesterday. Just binged almost all of your vids. Good stuff. Good stuff.

[@adammassacre1981]

I heard Tony Todd read the script once and memorised the entire thing word for word for his audition. Legend!

[@YolandaAnneBrown95726]

Love the OG, but really loved Savini's spin on it.

[@rig-zag]

I loved this version, it's one of two things to give me nightmares as a kid (Unsolved Mysteries being the other). I was 8 when this came out and an older kid on my school bus convinced me that it was based on a true story. 😂 Yeah, that had me crapping my pants. But its probably what led to my affinity for the zombie genre.

[@Zazzaro703]

The opening theme to Unsolved Mysteries paralyzed many kids like us with fear before the show even started.

[@owensreviews625]

“They’re coming to get you, Barbara”

[@Graves-81_69]

The first “of the Dead” movies I saw was the 1990 remake in 91 or 92 and it started my love of horror movies. The remake will always be my favorite of the series

[@Graves-81_69]

As a kid I would have nightmares about zombies coming for me and I guess out of all the horror scenarios possible, this would be the most desirable since the survival rate would be extremely high

[@nicholasdiaz3731]

Love this movie!

[@cdw3088]

I really liked the remake. It was the first zombie movie I ever saw and it was scary as hell to 8 year old me. Weeks after I saw it, I saw the Thriller video for the first time 😳. Scared the shit out of me as well, but from that point I was a huge zombie fan.

[@JasonSum1979]

i’d say that Night ‘90 is one of the best Remakes ever made (The timing was its true failure) by 1990 Horror in North America was on life support (In many ways it outshines the original) It deserves so much more love & respect for being such a HQ remake (Hopefully the upcoming UHD release of Night ‘90 includes some sort of remaster of the Rated X original cut (The workprint itself should be put on blu-ray/UHD that version of the film is actually scary due to having no soundtrack it’s hard to explain but, the Night ‘90 Workprint is essentially the best cut of the remake

[@RobertHarbitzII]

This is my all time favorite movie!

[@doublebrewski1855]

I genuinely liked the remake. First time I saw it was on TV (so it was even more toned down and edited) but the fun part was that it was followed by a short film parody called, "Night of the Living Bread" where the survivors taped sandwich bags to the windows instead of boards and nails. They also fought them with toasters. It was about 10 minutes long. Worth a watch if you can find it.

[@ferox965]

It's on some of the DVD reissues.

[@phillipmetsch7413]

This is one of my favorites. Tony Todd was amazing in this film. Both ending for him were a punch in the gut

[@Nono-hk3is]

Thanks Matt!

[@guilherme5094]

I watched this one when i was kid, before the original, I still love this movie.

[@theSHELFables]

I really love this movie. It and the original Dawn got so much play in my VCR as a kid. The characters are so real to me. Tony Todd does such an amazing job, esp his monologue about Evans City near the start. The movie also has a pretty incredible score. It's so uncomfortable in the best kind of way. If you haven't seen it, I think you should check out Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things. I think you could make a pretty great video about that one.

[@milesthehousecollection4153]

always adored this remake , the makeup effects where all organic and hand crafted. i just wish they altered the story at the end and let Barbera and ben run off into the night and survive instead of turning ben into a zombie.

[@bubbytumby8509]

This movie did everything better than the original for me. Better acting, better zombies, better music, better sets. Better lighting. Literally everything better in my opinion. Better ending.

[@kimodogyt7431]

THANK YOU!!!

[@sammylane21]

Odd sounds and odd close ups are what make this film still the original so damn creepy to this day.

[@alienmoosestudios]

Thanks for sharing this entertaining video. I love the remake, truly underrated.

[@caronte008]

Always liked it better than the original.

[@yoshi5I4]

I love this version I almost see it more as a companion piece to the original Night of the Living Dead more than a remake like the same night maybe many hundreds of miles from each other very similar stories play out with two vastly differing outcomes

[@jamesstewart7736]

I was 16 in 1990 and this film made a lasting impression on me. I would love to see it again sometime.

[@JulesA-C]

I remember this and thought the make up was really really good. I created this really scarry atmosphere where you did believe this was actually happening. I loved it. 😊

[@MichaelTaylorArt]

This one is easily in my top-3 zombie movies

[@edwardsanchez3708]

I saw the original when I was about 4 years old late one night and it scared the crap out of me. I was visiting relatives out of town with my mom and when it was time to go to bed there was a street light outside of the bedroom window and the curtain was thin enogh to see vaguely through it outside. I kept staring at the curtain all scared expecting a zombie to walk by the window at any moment outside lol. I saw the renake when I was 10 at the theater with my dad. I love the remake and for some reason the atmosphere of the remake is really really creepy to me.

[@kennethd4958]

I love the remake. Such an improvement over the original while still paying its respect. I love how at first it seems Ben is the level headed one compared to Harry... but by the end they both are just too stubborn for their own good. I remember that VHS cover in rental stores when I was younger.. I saw it before the original and it remains one of my favorite zombie movies just behind Return of the Living Dead.

[@jorgelorenzo9056]

first zombie film i've ever watched and still my favourite. love it.

[@rogeriomiranda779]

Best zombie movie ever. Passage to Normal is such a kickass theme and it really hits it right giving this movie one of the best closing credits sequences ever.

[@newtypepunk9967]

I used to watch this movie all the time on sci-fi channel in the 90's. Yes its very under rated, I thought the sound track was great too. I feel like RE1 used this version the most for it's ideas and weapons etc. I also liked what they did with Barbra, you're right she became Sarah Corner/ Ripley. It's just a good zombie movie for sure.

[@DefConprime28]

Barbara in this movie is what Marvel wished Captain Marvel could have been

[@chbuddah86]

I actually saw Savini's Dead first because it was always on Monster Vision on TNT. Then I got a DVD of the 30th Anniversary Extended Edition with the added opening...THEN I finally saw the original lol.

[@bjarczyk]

Best zombie movie of all time. I don’t understand how anyone could dislike it except out of pure snobbery. The zombies look like actual dead people walking around compared to the countless films with cgi or overdone makeup. This film was able to accomplish so much with a simple story.

[@ohdannyboy4727]

That laughin in the basement is a fantasic scene.

[@superlymoderate]

I don't know, I think this version does replace the original for me. While I love the original and what it has done for the genre, this is the version I watch when the mood strikes me, and I think the remake holds up better for modern audiences.

[@terribled]

The original is still my favorite zombie movie, if not horror movie in general, but this version was a late night cable staple. Used to love finding out this was showing on a Saturday night. On another note, Horror Show has some great tracks. Neon Madusa being my favorite, but Good in Red was a banger live.

[@tranquileyes]

I caught this late one night by accident, like a lot of formative horror movies I've found in my life. I think we've been sorely neglected. Tom Savini should've directed way more. Tales from the Darkside was some of my early horror training.

[@johnfrusciante6548]

One of my favorites!

[@stepheng1523]

This was my first zombie movie

[@jeremyhyler]

Found it streaming on tubi not long ago, hadn’t seen it since VHS and wow it looked great and was a fun watch and my wife liked it too. Good effects performances and cinematography. Overlooked for sure but a good watch and well, short!

[@robhuggins]

1990 Night of the Living Dead and 1978 Dawn of the Dead are two of my first and favorites of AAAAAALLLLLLLL the Dead Anthology Movies....

[@johngrayatkinson1214]

This is One of the Best Zombie movies ever made I remember watching this in the theater when I was 9 or 10. Easier times then. It also is also one of if not the first to have the Modern Rotting Zombie look Edit: Yes I know RETURN OF LIVING DEAD , and the Fulci films have Rotting Zombies, but not like these. Savinis look was very New and Unique at the time.