“They’re coming to get you… Barbara, there’s one of them now!”

The Rio Theatre begins its annual (not to mention terrifying) deep dive into seasonal, Halloween-y goodness with a screening of the late, great George Romero’s landmark 1968 “zombie horror apocalypse” thriller NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD. This film – an archetypical classic of not just the horror “genre,” but any genre – is the cinematic blueprint for so many films of its ilk, following a group of people trying to survive an attack of bloodthirsty zombies while trapped in a rural Pennsylvania farmhouse.

Shot outside of Pittsburgh at a fraction of the cost of a Hollywood feature by a band of filmmakers determined to make their mark, Romero’s film is one of the great stories of independent cinema: A midnight hit turned box-office smash that became one of the most influential films of all time. A deceptively simple tale of a group of strangers trapped in a farmhouse who find themselves fending off a horde of flesh-eating ghouls newly arisen from their graves, Romero’s claustrophobic vision of a late-sixties America (literally) tearing itself apart rewrote the rules of the horror genre, combined gruesome gore with acute social commentary, and quietly broke ground by casting a black actor (Duane Jones) in the lead role. After decades of poor-quality prints and video transfers, NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD can finally be seen for the immaculately crafted film that it is thanks to a new 4K restoration, scanned from the original camera negative and supervised by Romero himself. Stark, haunting, and more relevant than ever, NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD is back.

“George A. Romero’s debut set the template for the zombie film, and features tight editing, realistic gore, and a sly political undercurrent.” (Rotten Tomatoes)

“If [Romero’s] original vision of the undead looks dulled by today’s standards, his embedded political commentary on racism feels just as sharp.” (Vulture)

“It’s a virulent portrait of an America in flux and decay, from the flag billowing near the graveyard at the start to its disturbing depiction of a lynch-mob mentality. But Night also transcends its period through sheer intensity.” (Total Film)

“The original and the best.” (Empire Magazine)

Thursday, October 8
Doors 9:00 pm | Movie 9:30 pm
Tickets $15 advance HERE | $15 at the door

*Minors OK in the balcony. Must be 19+ w/ID for bar service and main floor seating.
**Rio Theatre Groupons and passes accepted for any single film only. Please redeem at the door.

PLEASE NOTE: All of the Rio Theatre’s screenings are operating at a sharply reduced capacity. We can’t guarantee availability of tickets at the door, so advance tickets for all screening events are strongly recommended. Our online box office can be found at www.riotheatretickets.ca. Online sales for every screening automatically end 1 hour before any given showtime.

NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (George Romero, 1968 / 96 mins / 18A) 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 to remain safe from these flesh eating monsters.