The Maltese Falcon

Night of the Living Dead is public domain by accident, not by design — and that accident is why it's one of the most widely available horror films ever made. When distributor Walter Reade Organization changed the film's title before release, they dropped the copyright notice from the new prints. Under the copyright law of the time, that omission meant the film entered the public domain the moment it hit theaters. George Romero, its director, reportedly never saw a dime from its enormous and lasting popularity as a result.

The film itself essentially invented the modern zombie genre — slow, shambling, flesh-eating undead didn't really exist as a horror archetype before this. Made on a shoestring budget in black and white, it's also been read by critics for decades as commentary on the social tensions of its era, though Romero himself was often cautious about confirming intentional messaging. Watch it expecting grainy, low-budget dread rather than gore — its power is in atmosphere and pacing, not spectacle.