Night of the Living Dead (1990) Trailer Analysis

Night of the Living Dead (1990) Trailer
The trailer begins first showing the only production company associated with the film, “Columbia Pictures”. We are then shown the first shot outdoors in a grave yard during the day, the music is fast paced. This trailer has a narrator over the music, which is uncommon nowadays. The trailer doesn’t use suspense but instead surprises the audience by showing a zombie attack a female character in the daylight. The music gets faster after this, and over the music we can hear a news reporter talking about the outbreak. Halfway through the trailer we are no longer seeing the scenes in the daylight but instead either inside or outside in the dark. The title of the film is shown to the audience in small segments towards the end in between shots, and then we are shown the title on its own “Night of the Living Dead”. We are also told the name of the writer just as the title is shown.

Most of the shots in this trailer are mid-shots, and there is a lot of colour in the shots. The audience can easily differentiate between the villains and victims within the trailer, this is because the victims all wear light colours which makes them stand out, especially in the second half of the trailer. The infected all wear dark colours, some are dressed in black suits and others are just in darker outfits. Darker colours are more relatable to evil, and lighter colours are relatable to innocence.

No actor’s names are shown at any point during the trailer, which suggests that there are no “big-name” actors used in the film. The shots towards the end get faster and the flashing text follows the music’s pace. The final shot is of a female screaming, which leaves a lot to be asked by the audience. Has a zombie broken into her house? Has she just been bitten? Is she afraid?