This is one of the most profitable independent movies ever made. Made for $114,000 (equivalent to $977,841 in 2024), it grossed approximately $30 million (equivalent to $257,326,430 in 2024) - over 263 times its budget.
When the writers decided to base the film on zombies, they brainstormed about what would be the most shocking thing for the zombies to do to people and decided on cannibalism.
When the zombies are eating the bodies in the burnt-out truck, they were actually eating roast ham covered in chocolate sauce. The filmmakers joked that it was so nausea-inducing that it was almost a waste of time putting the makeup on the zombies as they ended up looking pale and sick anyway.
When discussing the film for Bravo's The 100 Scariest Movie Moments (2004), George A. Romero said that the moment they finished editing the film in Pittsburgh, they put the reels into the cans, threw it into the trunk of the car, and drove straight to New York City that night in hopes of having it screened at any willing theater.
The character of Ben was originally supposed to be a crude, but resourceful, truck driver with no specification to race. After Duane Jones, in real-life a self-serious, erudite academic, auditioned for the part, director and co-writer George A. Romero rewrote the part to fit his performance.