The Alamo Drafthouse is presenting a free screening of the 1968 George Romero classic "Night of the Living Dead" Thursday, January 22 in conjunction with Texas Tech's Film Genres: Horror And The Fantastic Course.

With "The Walking Dead" starting up again here February 8, it's a great time to check out where the modern day zombie genre originated. Few would argue that George Romero kicked it all off with his low-budget, black and white film "Night of the Living Dead."

Texas Tech assistant professor Dr. Allison Whitney will be the presenter of tonight's showing.

Some might wonder why this is part of a college course. Well, the film was ultimately more about racial tensions, distrust of the government and paranoia than anything else. And guess what? Those three topics are STILL in the news almost daily!

It was also one of the first movies to have a black man in the lead role of a hero; the other lead was a woman, which was also not very common. The film showed how we might react to each other when put in extraordinary circumstances, and much like the modern day "The Walking Dead," the living humans tended to be just as dangerous as the undead ones.

It was also filmed in black and white with very little blood, but the horror and fright is still very strong. I'm sure some of the millennial generation will find it a bit slow, but for those interested in seeing how the zombie craze was started AND get a powerful message about the human condition, "Night of the Living Dead" is a film worth watching.

Call (806) 368-8887 for show times.

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