Night of the Living Dead (1968)

There is panic throughout the nation as the dead suddenly come back to life. The film follows a group of characters who barricade themselves in an old farmhouse in an attempt the remain safe from these flesh eating monsters. (IMDb)

Painful dialogue and performances and unlikable characters (see the hysterical Barbra and brash Ben who punches her out) amidst dumb drama (see the repetitive cellar debate) and lazy exposition (see the lengthy news reports) are redeemed to a remarkable extent by the delightfully deadly climax (featuring a grotesque zombie feast over a grating soundtrack) and despairing denouement marked by a poignantly unassuming note of dramatic irony dragged out in the unique still-shots ending credits.

6.5/10 (Alright)

The Alligator People (1959)

A woman in a hypnotic state recounts to two doctors the details of a horrific experience from her past life that began with the mysterious and sudden disappearance of her husband. (IMDb)

The sudden husband disappearing act to begin the story here sets a great tone for what could have been an engaging horror-mystery, set within an intriguing psychological study narrative framework. Unfortunately, the answers are revealed much too quickly and stated much too plainly for it to ever really have an impact. Unexceptional performances and laughable makeup and costumes (the atrocious alligator head ruins what could have been a decent ending) do nothing to cover for this poor writing.

5/10 (Poor)