10 Movie Messages Everybody Misunderstood

7. Miscommunication Will Destroy Humanity (Not Racism) - Night Of The Living Dead

What Everybody Thinks

George A. Romero's legendary 1968 zombie classic memorably concludes with black protagonist Ben (Duane Jones) being mistaken for a zombie and shot dead by a gun-totting posse.

In the five decades since the film's release, it's been commonly ascribed as Romero's deliciously ironic social commentary on the period, particularly the racial tensions of the 1960s.

With the assassinations of both Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X fresh in the public's mind when the film hit cinemas, it's at least easy to appreciate why Night of the Living Dead is held up as a scathing critique of race relations in late-60s America.

The Real Message

As tight and meaningful as that reading of the film might seem, Romero himself admitted in interviews that he never considered Ben's race when casting the part, and the final scene wasn't written as an intentional commentary on racism.

As such, it's easy to observe how Night of the Living Dead really serves as a broader commentary on the inevitability of humanity destroying itself through a lack of communication and co-operation.

Ben could've announced himself to the rednecks, and the rednecks probably should've appreciated that Ben wasn't a zombie - he was holding a rifle, after all - but when the apocalypse looms, people get incredibly stupid.

This isn't to deny that Romero's film has taken on a life of its own beyond the meaning he intended, but in straight-up factual terms, the film is a broader parable about humanity's self-destructive tendencies rather than a pointed skewing of racism.