'After, After Dark'



An offshoot of the All-American Drive-In: Featuring a "Zombie Walk" and an HD screening of George A. Romero's 1968 cult classic, "Night of the Living Dead."

Where: Historic Richmond Town, 411 Clarke Ave.

When: Aug. 16: 11:30 p.m. parking in the main lot. 11:45 p.m. "Zombie Walk" on the grounds. Midnight: The screening starts inside Third County Courthouse.

How much: Tickets for the movie are $5 in advance and $10 at the door. The "Zombie Walk" is free.



More information: Check out HistoricRichmondTown.org.

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — The borough's "living history village" is dropping dead this summer.

Just before midnight on Aug. 16, when the kids have finished screaming at "Jaws" and the All-American Drive-In is closed, the zombies come out to play at a brand new Historic Richmond Town event dubbed "After, After Dark."

An excerpt from the florid promo materials: "As midnight approaches, a peculiar mist creeps up from Mill Pond. With an insatiable appetite, the haze spreads through the timeworn streets of the historic town sniffing out naive victims who dare to play outside in the ... After, After Dark."

A free "Zombie Walk" begins at 11:30 p.m. when attendees park their cars at Historic Richmond Town's main parking lot. Guests will be "immediately infected by the mist," so it begins as soon as you leave your car.

"In their ghoulish state the infected zombies walk through the streets of Richmond Town looking to satisfy their hunger," warns the head zombie in charge of the All-American Drive-In planning committee. "Unsuspecting humans — BEWARE!"



The "historic horde" will roam as one until the Third County Courthouse bell rings at midnight. Drawn to the sound ringing out from the tower, the zombies are beckoned up to the old courtroom (yes, where murderers where really sentenced to death) to be brain fed by three spooky short films and a special HD screening of George A. Romero's "Night of the Living Dead."



The 1968 cult classic has been freaking out moviegoers for decades — and spawned a cinematic sub-genre that has inspired countless works today. AMC's "Walking Dead" and the "Resident Evil" films alone show that walkers, stenches, or just plain zombies have become ingrained in pop culture.

The film follows Ben (Duane Jones), Barbra (Judith O'Dea), and five others, who are trapped in a rural farmhouse in Pennsylvania and attempt to survive the night while the house is being attacked by mysteriously reanimated ghouls. Fun fact: The word "zombie" is never used in "Night of the Living Dead."

A native New Yorker, Romero's low-budget horror masterpiece — completed for $114,000 — was heavily criticized for explicit content when it debuted, but went on to garner a preservation slot in the National Film Registry after the Library of Congress deemed it a "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant" film.

After decades of cinematic re-releases, the film has now grossed some $12 million domestically and $30 million internationally.

Note: The indoor screening of shorts and "Night of the Living Dead" is a different screening than the outdoor films shown at the All American Drive-In. It requires its own ticket. The "Zombie Walk" is free.

Historic Richmond Town is located at 411 Clarke Ave. Tickets for the movie are $5 in advance and $10 at the door. (Don't wait too long as the Third County Courthouse has limited space. Get there before the skin-eaters do!)