Sep 29, 2014 4 min read

Photographer Joe Unitas of Peters Township knows all about lighting, including shooting in black and white, and the use of shadows to create what he calls “terror, fear and suspense.” Those skills served him well when he worked as the lighting director on the set of the now-cult horror movie “Night of the Living Dead.” The memories of the three or so weeks he spent on designing and executing the lighting effects on the set in Evans City are just as vivid now as when the movie was made 46 years ago. The official release date in the United States was Oct. 1, 1968.

Nearly five decades later, Unitas has but one regret: he turned down an offer to invest in the film and took the cash instead. Unitas realizes now that was a huge mistake.

“If we had known then what we know now,” said Lorraine Unitas, his wife of 50 years.

The low-budget independent movie directed by George Romero and co-written by Romero and John Russo has become a cult favorite. Each year, hundreds are attracted to the reunion in Evans City and this year, Unitas said, will be special. Romero is expected to attend.

The three-day event is set for Oct. 10-12 and is billed as “horror history is made again.”

The reason Unitas was hired as the lighting director is not exactly movie material. It was more a matter of being available and owning the right lighting equipment. Unitas said he purchased equipment from a company that was going out of business and he remembers Latent Image and Co. hired him to do the lighting.

As to why the Evans City location was chosen was rather simple, Unitas said. The big farmhouse needed for the set was available for filming. Unfortunately, Unitas said the old house has been torn down.

As for Unitas’ role, he said he was “on and off” the set for about three weeks.

“The most difficult part was getting enough (electrical) voltage to the cemetery and to the farm house,” Unitas said.

Each reunion, the couple, when available, makes the journey to Evans City, and both are excited this year to see Romero again. Unitas said he will sign photos, while his wife will enjoy the memories and seeing familiar faces. According to Lorraine Unitas, the crowd will probably number in the hundreds, with several fans expected to travel from Europe for the event.

A few years ago, the chapel seen at the opening of the moving in the Evans City Cemetery was set for demolition. Following fund raising by Living Dead Fest, the chapel was repaired and will be re-dedicated this year along with a plaque.

Actor Duane Jones played Ben. It was the first time a black actor was cast as the hero in a horror film. Jones died at the age of 52 in 1988 on Long Island from heart failure.

Actress and Pittsburgh native Judith O’Dea, now 69, played Barbara, who met a rather gory fate in the film. She resides in Long Beach, Calif., and teaches “oral presentation techniques.” Her last listed movie credit was in 2008.

In the original script by Romero and Russo, character Barbara survived the zombie attack. In the finished product, she is pulled into the zombie group and eaten.

The movie plot is simple: the dead come back to life and eat the living. Several people barricade themselves inside a rural farmhouse in an attempt to survive the night.

Unitas said the suspense was hightened by the use of shadows.

One of the actors listed as “field reporter” was Bill Cardille, also known as Pittsburgh’s own Chilly Billy. A bit of trivia – Cardille’s daughter Lori starred in Romero’s 1985 “Day of the Dead.”

For Unitas, working on “Night of the Living Dead” was just a small part of his 64-year-career.

Over the years, he completed several projects for commercial clients including Bayer, Heinz, Alcoa and U.S. Steel, both for television commercials and sales films. In 2010, he published a small book of his photography. And he has a long list of family and friends who he has photographed. He just finished taking individual pictures of the most recent class in the Washington Hospital School of Nursing.

At 79, Unitas said he has no plans to retire and still revels in the fact he was the lighting director on the movie that Living Dead Fest describes as “the film that changed horror history.”

The Living Dead Festival takes place Oct. 10-12 at EDCO Park in Evans City. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.livingdeadfest.com.