Night of the Living Dead
Barbra and Johnny visit their father's grave in a remote cemetery when they are suddenly set upon by zombies. Barbra manages to get away and takes refuge in what seems to be an abandoned farm house. She is soon joined by Ben who stopped at the house in need of gas. Beset by the walking dead all around them Ben does his best to secure the doors and windows. The news reports are grim however with creatures returning to life everywhere. Barbra and Ben are surprised when they realize there are 5 people hiding out in the basement: Harry, Helen and Karen Cooper; and a young couple, Tom and Judy. Dissensions sets in almost immediately with Harry Cooper wanting to be in charge. As their situation deteriorates, their chances of surviving the night lessen minute by minute.
Despite its extremely modest budget of $114K, Night of the Living Dead became a commercial juggernaut, earning $30.2M worldwide—a remarkable 26423% return. The film's unique voice resonated with audiences, illustrating how strong storytelling can transcend budget limitations.
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
Night of the Living Dead (1968) exhibits meticulously timed narrative design, characteristic of George A. Romero's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 36 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 5.8, the film takes an unconventional approach to traditional narrative frameworks.
Characters
Cast & narrative archetypes
Ben
Barbra
Harry Cooper
Helen Cooper
Tom
Judy
Karen Cooper
Main Cast & Characters
Ben
Played by Duane Jones
A resourceful and decisive man who takes charge of survival efforts in the farmhouse, attempting to organize the group against the zombie threat.
Barbra
Played by Judith O'Dea
A traumatized woman who witnesses her brother's death and retreats into catatonic shock for much of the crisis.
Harry Cooper
Played by Karl Hardman
A stubborn, paranoid man who constantly clashes with Ben over survival strategy, insisting the cellar is the safest place.
Helen Cooper
Played by Marilyn Eastman
Harry's exhausted wife, trapped between caring for her injured daughter and mediating her husband's conflicts with Ben.
Tom
Played by Keith Wayne
A young man sheltering in the farmhouse who assists Ben and becomes romantically involved with Judy.
Judy
Played by Judith Ridley
Tom's girlfriend, a young woman who tries to help with the survival efforts but makes a fatal error during the escape attempt.
Karen Cooper
Played by Kyra Schon
Harry and Helen's young daughter who was bitten by a zombie and slowly transforms in the cellar.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Barbara and Johnny drive through rural Pennsylvania to visit their father's grave, bickering about the inconvenience. The mundane world of family obligations and sibling squabbles before the nightmare begins.. Of particular interest, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 6 minutes when A strange man attacks Barbara in the cemetery. Johnny tries to fight him off but is killed, leaving Barbara alone and forcing her to flee. The ordinary world is shattered.. At 6% through the film, this Disruption arrives earlier than typical, accelerating the narrative momentum. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 15 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 16% of the runtime. This illustrates the protagonist's commitment to Ben makes the active decision to fortify the farmhouse and defend it rather than flee. He commits to survival through preparation and rational action, establishing the siege narrative., moving from reaction to action.
At 46 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 48% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. The analysis reveals that this crucial beat The group attempts to refuel the truck for escape. The plan fails catastrophically—Tom and Judy are killed in a gas explosion, and the ghouls devour their bodies. False hope of escape is destroyed; they're truly trapped., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 70 minutes (73% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Zombie Karen murders her mother Helen with a trowel, then attacks her father Harry. The undead break into the house. Ben shoots Harry, who dies and reanimates. Barbara is dragged away by the ghouls, including her reanimated brother Johnny. Total collapse., illustrates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 77 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 81% of the runtime. Dawn breaks. Ben hears gunshots and voices outside—a rescue posse has arrived, systematically eliminating the ghouls. Survival seems possible after the long night., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Night of the Living Dead's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs proven narrative structure principles that track dramatic progression. By mapping Night of the Living Dead against these established plot points, we can identify how George A. Romero utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Night of the Living Dead within the horror genre.
George A. Romero's Structural Approach
Among the 8 George A. Romero films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 6.7, demonstrating varied approaches to story architecture. Night of the Living Dead takes a more unconventional approach compared to the director's typical style. For comparative analysis, explore the complete George A. Romero filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional horror films include Thinner, A Nightmare on Elm Street and Mary Reilly. For more George A. Romero analyses, see Dawn of the Dead, Creepshow and Day of the Dead.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Barbara and Johnny drive through rural Pennsylvania to visit their father's grave, bickering about the inconvenience. The mundane world of family obligations and sibling squabbles before the nightmare begins.
Theme
Johnny teases Barbara: "They're coming to get you, Barbara!" A darkly ironic statement of the film's central theme—civilization's fragility and how quickly the familiar becomes threatening.
Worldbuilding
Establishment of the siblings' relationship, the isolated cemetery setting, and the normalcy of their world. Johnny's mockery and Barbara's nervousness set the emotional baseline.
Disruption
A strange man attacks Barbara in the cemetery. Johnny tries to fight him off but is killed, leaving Barbara alone and forcing her to flee. The ordinary world is shattered.
Resistance
Barbara flees to a farmhouse and encounters Ben, who takes charge. They discover more ghouls outside, gather supplies, and Ben begins boarding up the house while Barbara remains catatonic with shock.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Ben makes the active decision to fortify the farmhouse and defend it rather than flee. He commits to survival through preparation and rational action, establishing the siege narrative.
Mirror World
Harry Cooper emerges from the basement with his family. The real conflict is revealed—not just survival against ghouls, but the ideological clash between Ben's rationality and Harry's fear-driven authoritarianism.
Premise
The siege unfolds. Radio and TV broadcasts explain the crisis, the group debates strategies (upstairs vs. basement), and tensions escalate between Ben and Harry. The promise: survival horror and human conflict under pressure.
Midpoint
The group attempts to refuel the truck for escape. The plan fails catastrophically—Tom and Judy are killed in a gas explosion, and the ghouls devour their bodies. False hope of escape is destroyed; they're truly trapped.
Opposition
The ghouls intensify their assault on the house. Ben and Harry's conflict escalates into physical violence. Karen Cooper dies and reanimates. The walls—literal and social—begin to crumble.
Collapse
Zombie Karen murders her mother Helen with a trowel, then attacks her father Harry. The undead break into the house. Ben shoots Harry, who dies and reanimates. Barbara is dragged away by the ghouls, including her reanimated brother Johnny. Total collapse.
Crisis
Ben fights desperately through the chaos, ultimately retreating to the basement—the very place Harry insisted was safest, a bitter irony. Ben barricades himself alone in the dark, surrounded by death.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Dawn breaks. Ben hears gunshots and voices outside—a rescue posse has arrived, systematically eliminating the ghouls. Survival seems possible after the long night.
Synthesis
Ben emerges cautiously to the window to assess the situation. The posse, led by the sheriff, moves through the area with dogs and rifles, treating the ghouls as a pest control problem.
Transformation
A posse member sees Ben's silhouette in the window and shoots him in the head, mistaking him for a ghoul. Ben's body is dragged out with meat hooks and burned on a pyre with the ghouls. The sole survivor is killed by the very救援 he waited for—humanity is the true monster.