Shockingly, my sister, who is both three years younger than me and more used to recent films, enjoyed the film more than I did. They did recognise the effects as dated, and agreed that the font was awkward, but that wasn’t enough of a harm to break the movie. Unlike me, they also think it is worth watching outside of just an historical context.

Alongside Willow, Sam liked the movie more than he expected he would. He recognized that it is not great by modern standards, but considered it excellent for the time. Sam enjoyed the difference in expectations, and a film which is not aware of modern tropes, allowing it to be more ernest, and allowing him to be surprised by what the film did. He, like the rest of us, found reading the fonts to be difficult at several points.

Surprisingly, the film was enjoyed more by people used to newer, less horror focused, movies. It is worth emphasizing that I also enjoyed my first viewing. They recognized the dated elements of the films, but while watching with other people, were able to enjoy the film as a whole. I believe Dracula (1958) may be a better choice for some, with audio and a more modern style. Overall, this film is worth watching once, with a few interested friends.

Willow and I had similar takes on this film. She enjoyed the plot, specifically noting the twists and turns, as well as an interesting motive. In terms of the queer aspect, they got Gay/Bi vibes from Norman, but were literate enough to understand that the crossdressing is not a wish to transition but rather a reaction to trauma. She did not recognize the impact this film has had on transphobia, but did recognize other cultural impacts, like the shower scene, and the name “Loomis”. She did not comment on the cinematography, not knowing the history. Overall, despite a low knowledge of the innovations in filmmaking, she still loved the plot and recognized the impact of Psycho.

Sam found this film to be good, but he was more critical than we were. He described the film as a “stepping stone”.  A major reason for this was what he considered to be unintuitive motivations and unclear plot points. He absolutely did enjoy the film, comparing it to a Ford Focus, being good, but not particularly advanced. Overall, despite being harsher than Willow or me, he still clearly liked the film, but found it to be somewhat primitive, especially for something almost 40 years more modern than the previous one.

This film is generally agreed to be better than the previous film mentioned. We all enjoyed the general craft, with neither of the others having mentioned any issues. Sam had some issues understanding the plot, but both Willow and I understood and enjoyed it. Overall, it is hard not to recommend this film to the general audience, although if you are certain that you can handle heavier violence and sex, I would recommend Halloween or Scream before this.

Night of the Living Dead, directed by George Romero and written by John Russo, is the film which introduced the modern concept of zombies to the popular canon (if you are interested in earlier concepts of zombies, look into Haitian folklore), despite not once using the term which was only retroactively applied to the film. The film did not just pioneer zombies, it pushed forward gore, representation, and discussions of institutional racism. It is famous for a copyright mistake causing its initial release to become public domain and leading it to be used in many contexts which led to its fame skyrocketing. The film is very important, but after so many other zombie movies, does it still hold up?

Yes. I highly recommend this film, with its only notable flaw being somewhat awkward pacing. I consider this not just a must watch for those who care about horror, or even film buffs, but for anyone comfortable with the subject matter. It is tense, legitimately creepy, with good performances, and its visuals hold up, although not quite as well as Psycho (although that may have been just the release we watched). The beginning and ending are highlights, both being absolutely incredible. This film is great, and it is absolutely worth the time, especially since it is very easy to find ways to watch it.

As with Psycho, Sam was the most critical of us. Unlike Psycho, Sam did not particularly like this film. He described it as simultaneously memorable and forgettable, pointing out the first scene as memorable, with the middle being a particular slump, while the other things he remembered, he didn’t particularly like. He found Barbara’s screaming to be annoying, and noted Cooper’s hatred of Ben as being particularly racist, but did not see any particular criticism of that element, instead seeing him as just there. While he was far from disliking the film, he didn’t particularly like it either.

Although one of us was quite down on the film, the rest of us quite enjoyed it. I am more hesitant to recommend this film than I am Psycho, but it is very easy to find. I believe that the film is still worth watching; however, Dawn of the Dead is generally a better film, as well as having far higher production values. On the whole, two of us still loved this movie, so I still do recommend it, I just believe another option is worth pointing out if you want something more modern.

These films are clearly still worth watching. Despite some issues, they still hold up, are quite enjoyable, and are evidently influential to modern film, horror or otherwise. Even to general audiences, these films are excellent. Take a moment, and go watch these films. Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror and Night of the Living Dead can be watched for free on Youtube or anywhere else, while Psycho is a bit more difficult to find.