West Middletown Cemetery

West Middletown Cemetery is a rural cemetery located near West Middletown in Washington County, Pennsylvania, along Pennsylvania Route 844. The cemetery contains burials dating back to at least the nineteenth century and serves the small community of West Middletown and the surrounding area. Its hillside setting, mature trees, older gravestones and quiet rural surroundings later made it a fitting substitute for another Pennsylvania cemetery already famous in horror-film history.

West Middletown Cemetery has appeared in Night of the Living Dead (1990). The cemetery was used for the opening sequence of Tom Savini’s remake of George A. Romero’s 1968 film, recreating one of the most famous scenes from the original.

In Night of the Living Dead (1990), Barbara and her brother Johnnie drive to West Middletown Cemetery to place flowers on their mother’s grave. Johnnie complains about the long journey and begins teasing Barbara among the gravestones, repeating the famous line, “They’re coming to get you, Barbara.” A confused man approaches them apologising repeatedly, but the apparent mourner is soon followed by one of the newly risen dead. The zombie attacks Barbara, and Johnnie is killed while attempting to protect her. Barbara escapes through the cemetery, passing a hearse and an open coffin before fleeing towards the farmhouse where most of the film takes place. Although the scene was filmed at West Middletown Cemetery, the entrance was dressed with a sign identifying it as Evans City Cemetery, directly referencing the real Evans City Cemetery used for the opening of the original Night of the Living Dead (1968).

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