Why Night Of The Living Dead’s 1990 Remake Drastically Changed Barbara

When writing a remake of Night of the Living Dead, zombie master George A. Romero made big changes to female lead Barbara, and for good reason. There’s no real argument to be made that Night of the Living Dead isn’t a horror classic, and a prime example of the genre at its best, even over 50 years after its 1968 release. Despite being made on a very small budget, it’s well-written, well-paced, and well-acted, not to mention the fact that it effectively created the zombie sub-genre.

Night of the Living Dead is so good that it’s still often cited as the best zombie movie ever, with its closest competition being Romero’s own sequel Dawn of the Dead. The ending is also sadly just as socially resonant today as it was in 1968, even if Romero insists he didn’t intend it to make a statement on the real-life horrors of racism. Of course, while Night of the Living Dead is one of the most popular independent movies ever made, Romero didn’t see much profit from it, due to a copyright error that launched it into the public domain.

Trying to finally gain financially from his hit was the primary reason Romero decided to remake Night of the Living Dead in 1990, rewriting his own script and handing over the directorial reigns to his frequent collaborator Tom Savini. The remake is very similar, but one big change involves the character of Barbara, and here’s why it was made.

Why Night Of The Living Dead’s Remake Drastically Changed Barbara

While Night of the Living Dead is a legendary horror movie, one aspect many have taken issue with is Judith O’Dea’s Barbara, or more specifically, how Romero wrote the character. She’s meek from the get go, and quickly becomes so traumatized that she spends much of the film in an almost catatonic state. At best she’s a damsel in distress, and at worst she’s a burden on Ben (Duane Jones). Romero heard these criticisms, and when writing the 1990 remake, set out to make Barbara a better character.

Barbara, as played by Patricia Tallman in Night of the Living Dead 1990, starts off as a scared survivor, but quickly gets herself together, and before long she’s just as capable at zombie killing as anyone else. She’s portrayed as an equal to Ben (Tony Todd), and perhaps smarter than him even. By the end, she’s become a stone cold badass, opting to shoot Cooper – who survives the night in this version – and pretend he was a zombie to the rescuers who’ve shown up. Romero said publicly that this was all very much on purpose, and was intended as a way to make amends for how flawed Barbara had been the first time around.

About The Author