8 Horror Movies That Broke All The Rules
2. Violence, Zombies, And Diversity - Night Of The Living Dead
One of the fundamental pieces in the modern zombie genre, Night Of The Living Dead broke all the rules when it first released - defining a generation of violence, gore, and outright body-feasting madness with its humble 1968 release. People just really didn't like seeing people eating silly putty and animal organs on screen back then.
Absolutely panned by critics who found it senseless nonsense, Night Of The Living Dead got called all sorts by an outraged public who weren't fond of it's undead appeal. Described as a "pornography of violence" and an "unrelieved orgy of sadism" in a review by Variety, it obviously took a bit of getting used to for it to now have the widespread acclaim that it's gathered in the years since.
Night Of The Living Dead was also one of the earliest movies to put a black man in a lead role without bringing racial themes into its script, having Duane Jones portray Ben in effortlessly brilliant style. George A. Romero paved the way not only for the undead, but diversity in a duel pronged attack on the film industry - leaving his Living Dead series as one of the most influential horror movie collections to have ever graced the screen.