George Romero (1940-2017)

[JasonzSon]

George Romero was a visionary. Less than a week ago he published the poster for Road of the Dead, which would have been (or may yet still be) the seventh film in his legendary Dead series. He's best known for that series, but he also directed ten other films and was involved in numerous others. Still, those numbers pale in comparison to the true impact he's had on the horror genre and pop culture in general: While Romero did not invent the concept of the zombie, he is primarily if not single-handedly responsible for the version of the zombie that has prevailed in pop culture over the past fifty years. Think of a zombie movie, comic, or TV show you like; there is a very good chance that it wouldn't exist if not for George Romero.

George died on Sunday at the age of 77 due to lung cancer. He will be missed.

[Shadow]

He has become one with the zombies.

[Jigsaw]

Wrote this on Facebook after hearing the news of his death - thought it was appropriate to share:

His film, Night of the Living Dead (1968), was one of the first modern zombie horror movies, and while slow at times, is still a classic that makes every Halloween a bit better.

From 1973, The Crazies was another example of his genius. To my knowledge, this is one of the earliest examples of "infected" undead, as opposed to straight-out zombie. As good as 28 Days Later was, The Crazies has long been a favorite of mine when concerning this small sub-section of zombie flicks.

Dawn of the Dead, from 1978, is a damn fantastic movie. I saw the 2004 remakes years before the original, and I thought that might impact my views when I finally saw this one, but if anything, I enjoyed the 1978 version more. One of the twenty of so horror movies I've given a 10/10. Great movie.

Creepshow (1982) is great campy fun. I don't know if there's a segment of the flick I don't like, and it's considered one of the finest 80's horror movies, rightly so.

While I didn't like Day of the Dead (1985) as much as the two predecessors, it certainly captured the claustrophobic feel the first flick excelled in, the sequel lacking. Had a lower budget feel to it, certainly after the epic that was Dawn of the Dead, but still a perfectly enjoyable movie.

Monkey Shines, from 1988, isn't often discussed in the horror circles I prowl, but it was a fantastically done flick, and though I've seen it only a handful of times, I always thought it didn't get the respect it deserved.

His segment from Due occhi diabolici (1990) was, in my opinion, underwhelming, but I saw this only once, so perhaps a rewatch is in order.

The Dark Half (1993, based off a Stephen King novel) was a pretty solid movie, though grounded in 90's sensibilities. Still a solid watch, though perhaps on the lower spectrum of his directorial works.

As such, I've not seen Martin (1977), though I do own it on VHS. I've also not seen the last three of his "Dead" movies, being Land of the Dead (2005), Diary of the Dead (2007), and Survival of the Dead (2009). I've heard mixed things about each one, but I'm sure in their own right, they're minor gems.

To George A. Romero, many thanks for what you've done for the horror genre. Though the oversaturation of zombie movies can get old at times, it certainly, ironically so, brought life to horror.

[Dorkus]

Day of the Dead has yet to be topped in the zombie movie department in my opinion.