Syfy To host 12-Hour Night Of The Living Dead Marathon To Honor George Romero's Birthday

Patrick Cavanaugh

02/01/2017 03:25 pm EST

On Saturday, February 4, horror filmmaker George Romero will be celebrating his 76th birthday and the Syfy network aims to honor the legend. Most known for his contributions to the world of zombie cinema, Romero will be honored by Syfy with 12 straight hours of his original Night of the Living Dead being broadcast on their Facebook page.

In 1968, Romero changed the face of horror and what would later be referred to as "zombies" for all time. Prior to his film, zombies were often considered brainwashed drones who carried out the deeds of some mastermind, and in some cases, this meant reviving people from the dead. Night of the Living Dead cemented the concepts of undead hordes feasting on brains on flesh, existing as seemingly unstoppable ghouls.

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In the off chance that you've never actually seen the original film, Syfy will begin broadcasting it on Facebook Live starting Saturday, February 4, starting at 11:30 AM ET. In addition to the network's Facebook page airing the film, the network will also have a proper airing on their TV channel at 11:40 PM ET that night.

If you're curious about how Syfy can get away with airing the movie on their Facebook page, Night of the Living Dead is, sadly, one of the most famous examples of pirating movies. Due to a series of errors with the copyright offices, the original film is not copyrighted by anyone and quickly fell into the hands of public domain. That means anyone, anywhere, can screen, sell, and distribute the film however they'd like, without any repercussions, leaving Romero to miss out on all those profits.

You can head to Syfy's Facebook page to take part in the festivities, and make sure that you join the social media conversation and connect with other fans by using the hashtag #LivingDeadMarathon.

Which of George Romero's zombie films is your favorite? Let us know in the comments!

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[H/T Syfy]

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