MovieChat Forums > Night of the Living Dead (1968) Discussion > Disappointed by the ending (Spoilers, ob...

Disappointed by the ending (Spoilers, obviously)

posted 11 years ago by Web_Head91
27 replies | jump to latest

I'm a newcomer to the zombie genre. I decided to watch this because I've really become interested in the genre lately, and I know that this is a classic. I was thoroughly enjoying it up until about, oh, the final ten seconds of the film.

What are people's thoughts on Ben dying? My problem was not that he died, but it was HOW he died. He had taken out zombies, fortified the house, and survived the night even though that guy (what's his name? Harry?) locked him out of the house and refused to help reinforce the barricade. Ben makes it through all that, and then...he's shot by the National Guard. Why didn't he duck down and shout, "Don't shoot!" or something like that? The guy was pointing a gun at him for a long time.

I would have been a bit more happy with the ending if Ben looked more like a zombie. Maybe it's just because it's a very old film with poor lighting, but he didn't look very zombie-like to me. If he had been all bloodied up and was perhaps looking closer to death, it would have been more plausible. But he seemed fine to me. It really brought the whole film down, in my opinion.

Oh, and on an unrelated note: What's this I'm seeing on the forums about people thinking Harry was the hero, and Ben the villain? What the hell? What movie were some people watching? Harry was a coward who's main concern was being proven right, even if it meant people dying. Some hero...

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I find it kind of ironic that your scripture stick has dried blood on it.

[–] stratcat46 10 years ago

It's been a while since I've seen this movie (though it's one of my favorites)....but if I remember correctly; when going to the basement Ben was bit in the arm by Karen Cooper - so he probably was going to die anyway. HOWEVER, I agree it was sad that he got shot, I always thought they saw movement and shot thinking it was a zombie; they acted before thinking that maybe someone had somehow survived.

Harry was a jerk and a coward, HOWEVER, in the end he may have been correct. Had everyone boarded up in the basement until help came, they may have all survived - minus Karen who would of had to of been shot at some point which may have caused a whole other issue with Harry.

[–] SilverCreedWolf 10 years ago

Ben did NOT get bitten by Karen after she made her way out of the basement. She attempted it, but he threw her down on the couch and went into the basement himself.

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[–] stratcat46 10 years ago

I know in the book (yes there is a book) she did bite him. He locked himself in the basement and kept thinking and wondering about a cure.

[–] Poisoned_Dragon1964 9 years ago

I know in the book (yes there is a book) she did bite him. He locked himself in the basement and kept thinking and wondering about a cure.

The novel is from 1980, and like the novelization of Dawn of the Dead (1978), it takes some liberties with the storyline, departing somewhat from the film. In the film, Karen Cooper comes close to biting Ben, but does not actually make mouth-to-arm contact with him; Ben holds her back until he is able to escape into the cellar, closing the door against her.
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[–] [deleted] 7 years ago

No he wasn't bitten.

[–] RaxR1991 10 years ago

I agree. I dont have a problem with a downer ending if it is done right, but in this case, Ben not saying or shouting anything to make the posse aware that he was not a zombie was a major plot convenience, especially after him being the rational one throughout the entire movie. It reminded me of the ending in The Mist, which was rushed, and thus felt less believable, spoiling an otherwise great movie.
I really enjoyed the movie right until the last 3rd which felt quite sloppy, especially the ending, when compared to the first hour which was well acted and overall made sense. On the other hand, Im not into zombies, so that might have made it easier for me to look at the movie more critically.

"Fighting for peace is like screwing for virginity." - George Carlin

[–] 10 years ago

[deleted]

[–] balthazar_bee 10 years ago

I'm glad Ben didn't shout at the posse; it's a perfect ending as is.

Ben cautiously emerges to look out the window, the audience sighs with relief, "Get him, right between the eyes," <bang>, "Good shot," etc., roll credits.

The conclusion to this film couldn't be more stark if it tried. If they decide to remake it yet again, no doubt Ben will have some sort of dramatic slo-mo run towards the posse as a thunderous orchestra drives home the gravity of the situation.

Less is definitely more here.

[–] RaxR1991 10 years ago

The sherif spoke loud and clear enough for Ben to hear him and the time it took the sherif to say "Get him, right between the eyes," was long enough for Ben to not only realise what is going to happen, but also to say something or, at least, take cover.
The idea of the ending is ok, but the execution is bad.

"Fighting for peace is like screwing for virginity." - George Carlin

[–] balthazar_bee 10 years ago

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6IDNqHuHmE Skip to 3:30.

Viewing the ending yet again, I have to say I think you're flat wrong on both accounts.

Given his experiences the previous night, Ben had reason to be somewhat suspicious of other humans and was proceeding with caution, yes. However, he was also exhausted, and no doubt comforted by the sounds of gunfire outside -- the return of the status quo.

As for hearing the sheriff, I think you're making quite an assumption. First of all, the time frame between "right between the eyes" and the shot itself is less than a second. But also, because Romero doesn't include shots explicitly from Ben's point of view at the window, nor shots of Ben from the point of view of the sheriff, we really have no way of knowing how far away they are from one another. The sheriff says the line in a soft voice right next to the shooter's ear, with helicopters landing, dogs barking and other gunfire in the background.

It's quite all right to dislike the ending -- I happen to love it -- but the execution is sound.

[–] RaxR1991 10 years ago

I watched the ending again, and I admit I was wrong. I dont know why, but before I rewatched it, I remember the ending to be just like I described in my o.r. to you. That is especially interesting since I remember rewinding that moment a couple of times after the movie ended.
Even though its better than I remember, it still feels a bit sloppy. If the shooter clearly saw the point between Bens eyes, wouldnt he spot that Ben was holding a gun the way he did, and understand that he is alive? And the scene shows Ben not targeting anyone, just pointing the gun forwards, which the shooter must have noticed.
But as I said ok, I like the ending. I just think that the 3rd act doesnt hold up to the first two, which were brilliant.

"Fighting for peace is like screwing for virginity." - George Carlin

[–] balthazar_bee 10 years ago

I just think that the 3rd act doesnt hold up to the first two, which were brilliant.

Fair enough. I have a similar beef with Dawn of the Dead, which I don't think is quite able to live up to the promise of its first hour.

[–] RaxR1991 10 years ago

Fair enough. I have a similar beef with Dawn of the Dead, which I don't think is quite able to live up to the promise of its first hour.

I agree, but even so I think that Dawn of the Dead is overall a more solid movie than the Night, because it is more self aware and has a bit more satire.
"Fighting for peace is like screwing for virginity." - George Carlin

[–] stones78 9 years ago

It's a bad ending.

[–] vrabecj 7 years ago

It had to end this way. Irony in a horror movie. He could have died dozens of times fighting the zombies and he survives the night only to be killed by the zombie-killers.

[–] RaxR1991 10 years ago

Why would they fire at him right away if they spotted a gun in his hand? Wouldnt that make them think he might be a survivor - the kind of a person they are searching for (along with killing the zombies)?

"Fighting for peace is like screwing for virginity." - George Carlin

[–] Cultfilmfeverforever 10 years ago

I believe the ending was intended to be ironic. A lot of movies of the 1970s had "downer" endings. Just when you think it's all over, watch out because you're wrong. I loved Ben and admired what a strong hero that he truly was. I still think the ending is perfect because sometimes the odds are insurmountable. Human nature being what it is, even if Ben had known the grim reality that he was up against, I believe he would have kept right on fighting with the faint hope he still had a chance. The audience was fighting right alongside with him until, in other words, the Alamo was lost.

[–] RaxR1991 10 years ago

As I said before, I dont have a beef with a downer ending if it is done properly, and doesnt look stupid, corny or nihilistic for the sake of shock value.

"Fighting for peace is like screwing for virginity." - George Carlin

[–] jmillerdp 10 years ago

My understanding is that the ending is trying to make a point about racism. In that, the gang of whites comes upon the house, sees a black man, and shoots him in a heartbeat, instead of considering whether he is a zombie or not.

The eerie still-photo closing credits, with the white men and their meat hooks, plunging them into the black man to take him to incineration, punctuates this.

Now, that's my understanding of what Romero was going for. For me, regardless of that, on our hero's side, I don't know why he didn't just say "Don't shoot!" "I'm not a zombie!" or whatever. Also, standing up and approaching the window is highly problematic. Here's a black man alone, with a white group all with guns outside. You would think he would want to be cautious!

For the group's side, zombies weren't armed with rifles, while this guy inside the house was. Plus, with all of them armed, the one potential zombie wasn't that much of a threat. So, shooting so quickly doesn't work that well.

That's why it seems that Romero wanting to make a point about race makes the most sense, because there are so many issues otherwise.

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[–] 10 years ago

[deleted]

[–] Poisoned_Dragon1964 9 years ago

Ben wasn't written to be black originally it was just that Duane Jones gave the best audition and was hired

Whether it was planned from the beginning or not, choosing Duane Jones as Ben altered how the film played out; for audiences in 1968 as well as today, there is still something different about a posse of white men shooting a black man. It cannot help but serve as some kind of statement or social commentary, and I think it's disingenuous to pretend that it doesn't.

What Romero decided he wanted to say about posses and white vigilante groups is made more explicit in Dawn of the Dead (1978), where one gets a closer look at the sorts of people who comprised such groups.

§« The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters. »§

[–] iroquois_pliskin00 7 years ago

Agreed.

[–] deathtopixies3 10 years ago

1968 and previous years were pretty violent to put it lightly. I think Ben's death is just there without any special attention to show how easily heroes can die and how that's just life. It's straight forward, showing how easily people die after everything they've fought for and lived for. Pretty dark.

[–] CardinalsBaseball 9 years ago

What are people's thoughts on Ben dying? My problem was not that he died, but it was HOW he died. He had taken out zombies, fortified the house, and survived the night even though that guy (what's his name? Harry?) locked him out of the house and refused to help reinforce the barricade. Ben makes it through all that, and then...he's shot by the National Guard. Why didn't he duck down and shout, "Don't shoot!" or something like that? The guy was pointing a gun at him for a long time.

When Ben saw the posse coming toward the farm house, he was relieved and thought he was saved. He looked down and wasn't watching the posse. Obviously, it never occurred to him that he would be mistook for a zombie. Ben dying the way he did was an important element of the film. It's irony. Changing the ending would have greatly diminished it's impact.

I would have been a bit more happy with the ending if Ben looked more like a zombie. Maybe it's just because it's a very old film with poor lighting, but he didn't look very zombie-like to me. If he had been all bloodied up and was perhaps looking closer to death, it would have been more plausible. But he seemed fine to me. It really brought the whole film down, in my opinion.

The posse had been hunting down and shooting zombies for over a day. It's safe to assume that they hadn't come across a survivor in some time, if at all. They assumed every person they came across was another zombie, particularly a lone figure standing in a farm house that had obviously been invaded.

Oh, and on an unrelated note: What's this I'm seeing on the forums about people thinking Harry was the hero, and Ben the villain? What the hell? What movie were some people watching? Harry was a coward who's main concern was being proven right, even if it meant people dying. Some hero...

Neither was a hero or villain. Ben was the protagonist of the film. The audience empathized with him for this reason, even when he was wrong. Ben was more likable than Cooper; but it's another irony of the film was that he was wrong about hiding in the cellar and Cooper was right. Ben ended up surviving by hiding in the cellar after everyone else was killed. The film manipulates the audience to side with Ben because he is more likable. But the fact was, he was wrong.

[–] blkbusbabe 9 years ago

Like it or not, that ending is why we're still talking about this movie in 2015.

[–] rockmail 8 years ago

Holy Christ no. You want to remove the most dramatic horrifying aspect of the ending? Do you work for Disney or something.

It's supposed to be ABSOLUTELY HORRIFYING that Ben was absolutely a civilian in EVERY WAY, fought to survive all night, and then was accidentally killed.

Shocking, horrifying, disappointing (in his lost effort) is EXACTLY what the ending was supposed to be and why the movie is considered a low budget indie classic of all time.

No. Your "happy" Ben was shot because he looked like a zombie ending would suck.

Or even worse your "Don't Shoot" ending. Holy garbage, great concept to TOTALLY GUT the entire screenplay. Yikes, please don't try writing any horror movie scripts in the near future until you understand the concept of DRAMA.

[–] lm362 7 years ago

I think having Ben die showed the carelessness and panic of the authorities and really showed how authorities should not be acting. I did not like the ending either and wish Romero would have then or still would do an alternative ending for Ben. Even though the actor who played Ben has passed away, I feel it could still be done.

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