Q: How does the film use the genre of horror to reflect on the realities of late 1960s US society? 

A: The film is revolutionary in several rights, some of this revolutionary aspect comes from the critiques on 1960 society. Duane Jones being cast as the main protagonist of the film was revolutionary in the fact that it was the first Horror movie to have a black man in a real protagonist role; in fact it was the first in film in general. George Romero, the director, wanted to convey the fear felt in the sixties through his film. This was a time of dramatic cultural shifts and new territory being explored in History. The Cold War and in particular the Space Race may have influenced the story for the causation of the cannibalistic impulses which came from the destruction of a satellite probe to Venus which had a dangerous amount of radiation. The very next year, the U.S. would land on the moon. Overall, Romero and this film created an interesting genre and critique on 1960’s society.