Where ghouls stalked the night

Oct. 29—EVANS CITY, Butler County — Some tombstones are new, sharply chiseled and still standing upright, while others are older and sunken into the ground, their names almost worn away — but unlike other cemeteries, the dead once walked among the tombstones of Evans City Cemetery.

Or at least, actors pretending to be the living dead, since the Evans City Cemetery was the site of the opening scenes for the 1968 film "Night of the Living Dead" directed by George Romero.

Rick Reifenstein, president of the Evans City Historical Society, said the film has since helped create the zombie genre, which has shambled across multiple movies, video games, shows and books in the modern day.

"In those days, there was no genre like it — it was the first of its kind," Reifenstein said.

However, not only did no one at the time of filming have any idea how influential "Night of the Living Dead" would become, there wasn't much local excitement about the movie being filmed in Evans City at all.

"There were quite a few residents who were included as extras, but nobody thought it was anything significant," Reifenstein said. "It seemed like a little two-bit film made by people that nobody had heard of."

Reifenstein, who moved to Evans City sometime after the film's release, said he wasn't sure why the small town was chosen for "Night of the Living Dead," but thought it may have had to do with many of the film crew being from the Pittsburgh area.

Evans City did offer a cemetery the film crew could use, and one shot in particular prominently features a tombstone for the Kramer family, which one of the main characters clutched to as her brother was attacked by one of the living dead — the now-popular term "zombie" is never actually used in the film.

The crew also made use of a dilapidated house in town, which the film's main characters fortify against the living dead and where much of the film takes place.

"They already intended to tear the house down before the movie, so it was torn down sometime after," Reifenstein said.

Aside from the cast of living dead and main characters, including the lead played by Black actor Duane Jones, there is a Mercer County connection to the cast through a side character who only briefly appears twice — area native Bill Cardille.

Credited in the film by his nickname Bill "Chilly Billy" Cardille, Cardille's family originally lived in Farrell, but later moved to Sharon when he was about five, according to an October 2013 article of "Life and Times," a lifestyle magaxine once published by The Herald.

Cardille went on to spend more than 60 years in the broadcasting industry, but he is particularly well-known as the host of "Chiller Theatre," a Pittsburgh TV program that aired horror and science fiction movies from 1963 through 1984.

"Chilly Billy," as Cardille was known on "Chiller Theatre," introduced the films along with a cast of similarly-themed characters including Donna "Terminal Stare" Rae and Steve "Stefan the Castle Prankster" Luncinski.

In the film "Night of the Living Dead," Cardille appears as a TV news reporter covering an armed posse as it seeks out and destroys any living dead it comes across.

Aside from Cardille's news coverage, a news channel viewed by the main characters displays a list of safe locations for people fleeing the living dead.

Although most of the safe havens focus on Pittsburgh and the surrounding area, a few of the locations listed — including Beaver Falls in Beaver County and Harrisville in Butler County — are closer to Mercer County

Reifenstein himself never took part in the filming of "Night of the Living Dead," he worked at a film lab in the Pittsburgh neighborhood of Oakland and later had a chance to meet many of the crew who worked on the film.

However, even though the film's significance and the zombie genre in general continued to grow over the years, Evans City itself did not capitalize on its local connection to the living dead for about 40 years.

That changed when Reifenstein became reacquainted with two people involved with "Night of the Living Dead," Jack Russo and Gary Streiner. Gary's brother Russell Streiner was also involved with the film.

After discussing the film's significance, plans were made to create a "Living Dead Fest" in 2008 to finally recognize Evans City's role in the film's production and bring some attention to the small town.

However, the festival received some initial resistance from local officials at first over concerns regarding potential unruly crowds descending on the small town, Reifenstein said.

"I think they were worried about the kind of people that would show up, but they couldn't have been more wrong," Reifenstein said.

The initial "Living Dead Fest" wasn't a huge affair, since it was largely paid for out-of-pocket by organizers, although it featured a screening of the film in a local park.

The festival proved to be a hit with fans of horror, zombie, film and "Night of the Living Dead," and it has only grown over the years, with the festival now encompassing a weekend's worth of activities. The latest festival earlier this month featured "Living Dead All Stars," with actors and actresses from multiple zombie films.

Since "thousands" of people regularly attend the festivals, organizers eventually had to move to the Steamfitters Event Center in nearby Harmony due to the lack of a venue large enough or sufficient hotels within Evans City, Reifenstein said.

However, Evans City remains a popular destination for fans, many of whom dress appropriately with zombie-makeup and ragged clothing, as they come from as far away as Canada and Australia to visit scenes from the movie or historic displays in town.

Despite their appearance, Reifenstein said fans of the film have always been interested yet respectful at the festivals and Evans City, as many local business owners and residents have attested to over the years.

In one significant act of generosity, the fans were able to crowdfund needed repairs to a chapel at the Evans City Cemetery. The chapel, which was seen in the film, had degraded to the point it was nearly torn down, but the repairs have since made the building even "better than before."

A scale replica of the chapel has since been added to the model train layout at the Carnegie Science Center in Pittsburgh.

"As strange as some of them may look, they really are the best people," Reifenstein said of the fans.

"I had a restaurant owner tell me what great people they were, how they make friends here and stay in touch — it makes Evans City the best place it can be."

More local information can be found at the "Evans City Historical Society" Facebook page.

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Like David L. Dye on Facebook or email him at ddye@sharonherald.com.