Night of the Living Dead Page #3

the killers are eating the flesh

of the people they murdered.

Repeating this latest bulletin just

received moments ago from Cumberland.

Civil defense authorities

have told newsmen

that murder victims show evidence

of having been partially

devoured by their murderers.

Medical examination of victims' bodies

shows conclusively that

the killers are eating the flesh

of the people they kill.

And so this incredible story

becomes more ghastly with each report.

It's difficult to imagine

such a thing actually happening

but these are the reports we have been

receiving and passing on to you,

Reports which have been verified

as completely as is possible

in this confused situation.

- Hold it!

- Don't shoot. We're from town.

A radio!

Radio:
The Butler county sheriff

has verified that reports

of murder victims being partially

eaten by their slayers is true.

How long you guys been down there?

I could've used some help up here.

That's the cellar.

It's the safest place.

You mean you didn't hear the

racket we were making up here?

How were we supposed to know

what was going on?

Could've been those things

for all we knew.

That girl was screaming.

Surely you must know what

a girl screaming sounds like.

Those things don't make any noise.

Anybody would know

somebody needed help.

Look, it's kind of hard to hear

what's going on from down there.

We thought we could hear screams,

but for all we knew,

that could have meant those things

were in the house after her.

- And you wouldn't come up and help?

- Well, if there were more...

The racket sounded like the

place was being ripped apart.

How were we supposed to know

what was going on?

Now wait a minute.

You just got finished saying you

couldn't hear it from down there.

Now you say it sounded like the

place was being ripped apart.

It would be nice if you'd get

your story straight, man.

All right, now you tell me.

I'm not going to take that kind of a

chance when we've got a safe place.

We luck into a safe place,

and you're telling us

we've gotta risk our lives just because

somebody might need help, huh?

- Yeah. Something like that.

- All right, why don't we settle this...

Look, mister!

We came up, ok? We're here.

Now I suggest

we all go back downstairs

before any of those things

find out we're in here.

They can't get in here.

You got the whole place boarded up?

Yeah, most of it.

All but a few spots upstairs.

They won't be hard to fix.

You are insane.

The cellar's the safest place.

I'm telling you,

they can't get in here.

And I'm telling you, those

things turned over our car.

We were damned lucky

to get away at all.

Now you tell me those... things can't

get through this lousy pile of wood?

His wife and kid's downstairs.

The kid's hurt.

Well, I still think

we're better off up here.

We could strengthen

everything up, Mr. Cooper.

With all of us working, we could

fix this place up in no time.

We have everything we need up here.

We can take all that stuff

downstairs with us.

Man, you're really crazy,

you know that?

You got a million windows

up here.

All these windows.

You're gonna...

You're gonna make 'em strong enough

to keep these things out, huh?

I told you, those things

don't have any strength.

I smashed three of them

and pushed another one out the door.

Did you hear me, what I told you?

They turned over our car.

Oh hell,

any good five men can do that.

That's my point...

Only there's not going to be

five, or even ten.

There's gonna be twenty, thirty,

maybe a hundred of those things.

And as soon as they know we're here,

this place

is gonna be crawling with them.

Well, if there're that many, they'll

probably get us wherever we are.

Look, the cellar.

The cellar.

There's only one door, right?

Just one door.

That's all we have to protect.

Tom and I fixed it so it locks

and boards from the inside.

But up here, all these windows,

Why, we'd never know where

they were gonna hit us next.

You got a point, Mr. Cooper.

But down in the cellar,

there's no place to run to.

I mean, if they did get in, there'd be

no back exit. We'd be done for.

We can get out of here

if we have to.

And we got windows

to see what's going on outside.

But down there, with no windows,

if a rescue party did come,

we wouldn't even know it.

But the cellar

is the strongest place.

The cellar is a death trap.

I don't know, Mr. Cooper.

I think he's right.

You know how many's out there?

I don't know,

I figure maybe six or seven.

Look. You two can do

whatever you like.

I'm going back down to the cellar

and you better decide,

'cause I'm gonna board up that door,

and I'm not gonna unlock it

again no matter what happens.

Now wait a minute, Mr. Cooper.

No, I'm not gonna wait! I've made

my decision, now you make yours.

Now wait a minute!

Let's think about this.

We can make it to the cellar

if we have to.

And if we do decide to stay down there,

We'll need some things from up here.

So let's at least

consider this a while.

If you box yourself in the cellar

and those things get in

the house, you've had it.

At least up here,

you have a fighting chance.

Yeah, looks like about

eight or ten of them now.

That's more than there were.

There're a lot out back, too.

Harry?

Harry, what's happening?

It's all right!

Now take it.

We've gotta fix these boards.

You're crazy!

Those things are gonna be at every

window and door in this place!

We've got to get down

into the cellar.

Go down into your damn cellar

and get out of here!

- I'm... I'm taking the girl with me.

- You leave her here.

Keep your hands off her,

and everything else that's up here too.

Because if I stay up here,

I'm fighting for everything up here,

and the radio and the food is

part of what I'm fighting for.

Now if you're going down

in the cellar, get.

The man's insane.

He's insane.

We've... we've got to have food

down there. We've got a right.

- This your house?

- We've got a right.

You going down there with him?

Yes or no? This is your last chance.

No beating around the bush.

Listen, I got a kid down there.

She can't possib...

I couldn't bring her up here.

She can't possibly take

all the racket from those things

smashing through the windows.

Well, you're her father.

If you're stupid enough to go die

in that trap, that's your business.

However, I am not stupid enough

to follow you.

It is tough for the kid

that her old man is so stupid.

Now, get the hell down

in the cellar.

You can be the boss down there.

I'm boss up here.

You bastards!

You know, I won't open

this door again. I mean it.

- Mr. Cooper, with your help...

- With my help.

Let him go, man.

His mind is made up.

Wait a minute.

Judy? Come on up here, honey.

You're gonna let them

get her too, huh?

It's all right, honey.

Go ahead.

If we stick together, man,

we can fix it up real good.

There's lots of places

we can run to up here.

Mr. Cooper?

We'd all be a lot better off

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