Flatpack Cinema presents Night of the Living Dead, Dudley Castle - review with pictures
Hundreds of horror fans flocked to the grounds of Dudley Castle last night for the first of two outdoor film screenings.
Returning to the picturesque attraction for a third time, Flatpack Cinema are set to host two nights of horrific entertainment, with last night's event containing a screening of iconic George A. Romero film Night of the Living Dead.
Read more: Flatpack Cinema presents The Lost Boys, Dudley Castle - review with pictures
After first watching dance-inspired undead flick We Together and comedic survival short When The Zombies Come, the crowd gathered their camping chairs and picnic blankets to enjoy the feature film ahead.
Starring Judith O'Dea, Duane Jones and Karl Hardman; the genre-defining film follows a group of strangers as they battle to survive the night as the dead rise from their graves and hunt the living.
The film is widely credited to be the first zombie movie to link the shuffling undead to consumerism and consumer culture, and thus redefined the entire horror subgenre.
It inspired five subsequent films since its release in 1968, and two remakes.
Every bloodcurdling scream, starting gunshot, splash of blood and spine-tingling moan was made to see even more horrific in the ominous and imposing surroundings of Dudley Castle.
The iconic landmark was bathed in red light, with projections of moving eyeballs, scuttling spiders and anatomical diagrams adorning the brick walls to plunge the audience into the cold and eerie setting of the film.
As the sun set and shadows were cast around the grounds, I frequently found myself looking over my shoulder as if I would find a zombie creeping up on me at any moment.
The setting in which we viewed the film worked perfectly with the narrative within, and ensured that we were engrossed in the horror at all times.
Once the credits began to roll, the audience stood to their feet and applauded the event organisers following an exhilarating evening of classic cinema.
An experience like no other: Flatpack Cinema sent chills down my spine once more with an electrifying live screening of Night of the Living Dead in the awe-inspiring setting of Dudley Castle.
Flatpack return to the attraction tonight for a screening of The Lost Boys.
