History Film / NightOfTheLivingDead1990

* TheTeam: The film plays with the traditional roles:
** TheLeader: Ben takes charge but it's implied taking charge is all he can actually do to stop himself from going mad. He frequently dismisses other ideas and insists everyone stick to his plans. [[spoiler: Which it turns out, weren't good ideas at all, though he truly meant well by them.]]
** TheLancer: Cooper is equally as stubborn as Ben and, instead of offering reasonable alternatives, insists that ''his'' way is the right one. The two of them pick fights simply because their egos won't allow them not to and other characters call them out on it.
** TheSmartGuy: Barbara. Initially falls to pieces but is able to eventually think clearly. She remains solid-minded while everyone else slowly goes mad. She suggests a plan that, if they had followed it, [[spoiler: they wouldn't have died]]. In this version it's her [[spoiler: who is the sole survivor]].
** TheBigGuy: Tom. He's probably the straightest example, being fleshed out as a local country boy who can handle a gun and is able to fix up the house. He ends up doubling as TheFace, often mediating between Ben and Cooper's rows.
** TheLoad: Judy Rose takes over Barbara's original role as the ScreamingWoman instead of being calm and reasonable simply because she's a woman. However she reacts realistically to what's going on and becomes a little more proactive (going outside to get the gas pump keys, insisting that she drive the truck).
** TeamMom: Helen mostly mothers her own daughter but is dominated by her husband. However she eventually resists him in the name of doing what's best for her daughter.

** Johnny's and Barbara's mother. In the original it's their father's grave and their dialogue confirms that their mother is still alive. In this version it's their mother's grave but no confirmation on whether or not their father is still alive.

** Zig-zzagged with Ben. [[spoiler: The film eliminates Ben punching Barbara after she slapped him in the original film, and while he's initially short with her and frustrated over her hysteria, he finally backs down, realizes that he's not helping her, and takes a more subdued approach, which ultimately works. However, his ego in this film leads him to make some questionable decisions and leads him to have even more clashes with Cooper, and because of Barbara's change from being TheLoad of the original film to the ActionGirl of the remake, she also contributes beneficial ideas, some of which Ben rejects, again, seemingly from ego. Chiefly, Barbara's suggestion they just leave the house, as no matter what steps they take, the house will not be entirely safe either on the ground floor or in the basement. She's not entirely correct about the basement not being safe enough but the ground floor certainly isn't. In the end, her idea is proven right and his plan ends in complete failure.]]

** In the original film, Ben single-handedly manages to board up every room in the house. The remake ratchets up the tension by having Ben, Barbara, Tom, and Judy Rose all taking part in boarding up the house in real time, and doing so while infighting and battling zombies that take advantage of the hurried nature the characters are using to board the windows up, be it half-hammered nails or just not enough nails in some instances.
** [[spoiler: Ben shoots Cooper, who dies before Helen and gets eaten by his daughter in the original because Cooper was fighting Ben over control of the gun, and then Sarah attacks her mother when she comes after Cooper. In the remake, Cooper unknowingly sends Helen to her death at the mouth of the zombiefied Sarah before Ben even gets back to the house, and it's Barbara who Cooper fights for control of the gun, eventually succeeding in getting it away from her.]]
** [[spoiler: While Ben does shoot Cooper, it's only after Cooper shot him to prevent him from shooting zombified daughter Sarah. Worse, the two men exchange shots more than once, resulting in Ben sustaining a mortal wound when Cooper shoots him for a second time. Also, while they're skirmishing, it's Barbara who puts Sarah down. She doesn't get shot at all in the original film. Cooper also tries to shoot Barbara after she puts Sarah Down, and is thankfully saved by Ben.]]

** Cooper is a *far* bigger JerkAss in this film than he was in the original.

** ChekovsGun: Subverted. [[spoiler: The keys to the gas pump are top priority, as Ben has a functional vehicle but it's out of gas, and the farm's gas pump is locked. A major subplot is the search for the keys so they can unlock the pump. They finally take the key ring from Uncle Rege's corpse, but when they go to the gas pump, none of the keys on the ring are for the pump. Then the truck, Tom, and Judy Rose get blown up from Tom's rash decision to shoot the padlock on the pump with his shotgun. Ben later finds the keys marked for the gas pump in the basement, after he's mortally wounded and trapped down there, and long after they'd have actually been useful. Ben can't help but have a big laugh over the stupidity of it all.]]

* DangerousWindows: Even with the windows boarded up, zombies still manage to grab characters through them.
* DarkerAndEdgier: Played with; the remake is much more violent and profanity-laced compared to the original, but the tone is largely the same.

** The biggest example of this trope goes to Barbara. In the original she barely escaped the cemetery zombie and spends most of the movie either catatonic or hysterical, not serving much of a purpose until being ultimately eaten alive at the climax. Here, she defends herself against multiple zombies, kills several of them herself, puts much more effort into helping board up the house, and figures out the zombies are so slow they can be easily walked past. Out of all the people seeking shelter in the farmhouse, [[spoiler: this time she is the only survivor]].

* TheGlassesGottaGo: After Barbara is attacked by the first zombie, she loses her glasses. Strangely she doesn't seem affected by this for the rest of the film, unless she was just using them for driving and forgot to take them off.
* HalfemptyTwoshot: Something does lunge into the frame, but from the wrong side.

** [[spoiler: While Ben does shoot Cooper, it's only after Cooper shot him to prevent him from shooting zombified daughter Sarah. Worse, the two men exchange shots more than once, resulting in Ben sustaining a moral wound when Cooper shoots him for a second time. Also, while they're skirmishing, it's Barbara who puts Sarah down. She doesn't get shot at all in the original film. Cooper also tries to shoot Barbara after she puts Sarah Down, and is thankfully saved by Ben.]]

The first remake of ''Film/NightOfTheLivingDead1968'', directed by Creator/TomSavini.

* BottomlessMagazines: Completely averted. The film plays the ammo capacity completely straight. Cooper shoots the survivor's main weapon, the rifle, completely empty once. Before that, Barbara asks Tom what the capacity is of the rifle and can be seen reloading the rifle twice. Cooper is also seen reloading the rifle after he empties it.