There are dozens—yes, dozens, plural—of movies spun off from Night of the Living Dead. Chances are good you were aware of at least one or two. Even non-Zombie fans are familiar with titles like Dawn of the Dead and Return of the Living Dead. Much less known, however, are the obscure entries in the Living Dead family, like Zombi 2 or Children of the Living Dead.
Night of the Living Dead has a canon like no other movie, and it’s all because of an unrelated 1964 film no one has heard of called The Flesh Eaters. Originally, George Romero was going to release Night of the Living Dead under the name Night of the Flesh Eaters—prints of the film bearing that title were already created and ready to go. However, a last-minute legal threat from the creators of The Flesh Eaters caused the title to be changed to the now iconic Night of the Living Dead.
Unfortunately, the prints bearing the film’s new name were put together so quickly that someone forgot to add copyright notices to the opening titles and the end credits. As a result, the film has, since its original 1969 release, been in the public domain. Because of this, anyone who wants to can make a low-budget remake or sequel to the original film.
Are you starting to get the idea?
