‘Night of the Living Dead’: Stephen King Deems This Scene is The Scariest in Horror History

The careers of two legendary figures in horror, who profoundly influenced the genre, began just years apart. Stephen King, renowned for his countless novels and film adaptations starting with ‘’Carrie’ in 1974, and George A. Romero, whose career began in the early 1960s in Pittsburgh before revolutionizing horror with ‘Night of the Living Dead’ in 1968, shaped the landscape of fear in cinema.

King has praised a particular scene from Romero’s film as the most terrifying in horror history, emphasizing its impact on subsequent filmmakers. In 2008, King critiqued Hollywood’s approach to horror in an article for Entertainment Weekly titled ‘Why Hollywood Can’t Do Horror,’ highlighting a period when the genre struggled creatively. 

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He contrasted big-budget productions with smaller, more effective films like Bryan Bertino’s ‘The Strangers,’ which resonated through simplicity rather than spectacle. King’s perspective underscores the effectiveness of low-budget horror in creating raw, immersive experiences that resonate deeply with audiences.

He argues that horror thrives on intimacy and the unknown, elements often diluted in big-budget productions driven by financial expectations. Romero’s ‘Night of the Living Dead,’ shot in stark black-and-white with a non-star cast, exemplifies this approach by focusing on atmosphere and psychological depth over Hollywood glamour. 

– Farheen Ali