Who was right: Ben or Harry Cooper?

[Missy]

This question crossed my mind last night, and I wanted to present it to you.

As the zombies circled the house in Night of the Living Dead, the people had to make a decision: do they remain on the first floor (which had been boarded up) with the radio and television, or do they isolate themselves in the cellar?

Ben opts for the first floor with it various exits, remarking that the cellar provides no escape if the creatures should get in. Harry says they should all hide downstairs, because there are too many entry points to defend upstairs.

Forgetting their attitudes, who had the better plan?

[Missy]

For the record, I'm voting for Harry.

Instead of wasting all that time and wood on boarding up the dozens of doors and windows, the group could have taken it all downstairs and used it to reinforce the one door that led to the cellar. And though they would have been without the news, knowing it didn't help them. In fact, the news hurt the group.

Because they learned of the shelter in the neighboring town, Ben, Tom and Judy all made a run for the truck, which directly led to the deaths of Tom and Judy, the final confrontation between Ben and Harry (which includes Harry's death) and the zombie swarm gaining entry to the house.

However, had they stayed in the basement, unaware of the shelter, the only zombie they would have had trouble with was Karen Cooper. The others would have roamed around upstairs, never knowing there was a cellar. (Keep in mind, they only knew about it because they saw Ben enter the room. Which brings me to my last point.)

After everything went to hell, where did Ben hide? The cellar. He survived through the night by doing the exact opposite of what he had pushed so hard for, and Ben only died once he came back upstairs.

Anyone disagree?

[Dread]

Hindight is 20/20.

They were both right in their opinions. It just turned out that Cooper was right in the end (lotta good that did him).

The argument is the interesting part.