Watch free Night of the Living Dead 1968

A group of strangers barricade themselves inside a farmhouse in rural Pennsylvania while the dead rise and close in from every side. George A. Romero shot it on a tiny budget around Pittsburgh with a cast of unknowns, and it invented the modern zombie film almost by accident: slow, relentless crowds, a siege, and people who turn on each other faster than the monsters do. Duane Jones gives the lead a quiet authority that was rare for a Black actor in a 1968 horror film, and the final scene still lands like a punch. It went out without the copyright notice US law then required, which is why it has been free to watch ever since.

Watch it if you like siege horror, want to see where zombie films began, or have only seen the remakes.

Why is it free?

It entered the US public domain on release because it was published without a valid copyright notice, which US law required at the time.

• Wikipedia: Night of the Living Dead (1968)
• Wikipedia: films in the public domain in the US

Last checked 2026-11-01; re-checked every week. Own rights in this film or this copy? Email hello@movietrailer.channel and we'll take it down while we look into it.

Questions

Is it legal to watch Night of the Living Dead for free?

Yes, in the United States. It entered the US public domain on release because it was published without a valid copyright notice, which US law required at the time. We only play it to visitors in the US because copyright rules differ from country to country.

Where does this copy come from?

It plays from the Internet Archive, a non-profit library that hosts public domain films. We embed the plain original, never a restored, colourised or re-scored version, because those can carry new copyright.

How long is Night of the Living Dead?

1h 36m.