After a sixteen-year hiatus, the original Night of the Living Dead series will continue with Twilight of the Dead. George A. Romero, the franchise creator, began developing this final movie before his passing in 2017. The movie re-entered development in 2021 and is expected to start production this year. Viewers interested in catching up with the franchise before Twilight of the Dead arrives can use our guide to find out where and how to watch the Night of the Living Dead franchise in order.
The franchise started in 1968 with the cult classic Night of the Living Dead, directed by Romero and co-written by Romero and John Russo. The horror film follows Ben (Duane Jones) and Barbara (Judith O’Dea), two strangers thrust together in rural Pennsylvania as they struggle to survive an outbreak across the U.S. of reanimated, cannibalistic corpses. At a time when violence and gore were still taboo in film, the groundbreaking film’s popularity helped launch the splatter subgenre. Additionally, it is credited with introducing the modern concept of zombies as independent creatures driven by cannibalistic urges.
The Night of the Living Dead spawned two franchises. Creative differences led Romero and Russo to split, with Romero continuing the Night of the Living Dead universe and Russo writing a book that inspired the separate Return of the Living Dead franchise. In 1978, Night of the Living Dead received a standalone sequel, Dawn of the Dead. The film centers on two former SWAT members, Roger (Scott Reiniger) and Peter (Ken Foree), who join Peter (Ken Foree) and his girlfriend Fran (Gaylen Ross) and fight for survival as the zombie outbreak collapses society. The film earned critical acclaim for its brutal, gory premise and satirical exploration of consumerism.
The following two standalone sequels, Day of the Dead and Land of the Dead, explore the worsening zombie apocalypse. In Day of the Dead, scientists Dr. Sarah Bowman (Lori Cardille) and Dr. Matthew Logan (Richard Liberty) research the cause of the zombie outbreak and whether zombies can be domesticated. In Land of the Dead, tyrannical leader Paul Kaufman (Dennis Hopper) creates a feudal society soon threatened by evolving zombies. Both films were as gory and sharp as ever as Romero delved into philosophy and politics, probing class struggles, tyranny, and what it means to be human.
The final two films, Diary of the Dead and Survival of the Dead, take viewers back to the beginning of the outbreak. Diary of the Dead utilizes the found footage format and follows a group of film students shooting a documentary during the zombie outbreak. Meanwhile, Survival of the Dead follows National Guard Sergeant "Nicotine" Crockett (Alan van Sprang), who discovers an island where two powerful families feud over what should be done with their infected loved ones. Diary of the Dead received positive reviews from critics, but reception waned with Survival of the Dead, which was criticized for failing to explore new territory.
Dissatisfied with the ending of Survival of the Dead, Romero began developing Twilight of the Dead, which will reportedly explore the world's final fate once humanity reaches near extinction.
How to watch Night of the Living Dead movies in order
Viewers can watch the Night of the Living Dead movies in release date order or chronological order.
The release date order is:
- Night of the Living Dead (1968)
- Dawn of the Dead (1978)
- Day of the Dead (1985)
- Land of the Dead (2005)
- Diary of the Dead (2007)
- Survival of the Dead (2009)
The chronological order is:
- Night of the Living Dead
- Diary of the Dead
- Survival of the Dead
- Dawn of the Dead
- Day of the Dead
- Land of the Dead
Viewers also have the option to watch the Return of the Living Dead movies, although it’s a separate continuity unrelated to Romero’s films.
The release date watch order for this franchise is:
- The Return of the Living Dead
- Return of the Living Dead Part II
- Return of the Living Dead III
- Return of the Living Dead: Necropolis
- Return of the Living Dead: Rave to the Grave
Where watch every Night of the Living Dead movie streaming online
Check out our list below for where to watch every Night of the Living Dead and Return of the Living Dead movie online in the U.S. The list is in release date order and includes the numerous remakes and adaptations of Romero’s series.
