Considered by most to be the father of the modern horror zombie, George A. Romero passed away in his sleep Sunday after a brief but fierce battle against lung cancer. His films had a powerful influence on the horror genre, and he is forever etched in history as one of the legendary minds in the industry. Romero was 77.
Most well-known for his zombie film trilogy (Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead, and Day of the Dead) and several later zombie subgenre films, Romero also directed the film adaptation of Stephen King’s Creepshow and Monkey Shines (among other films he adapted from King’s stories), as well as films like The Crazies, Knightriders, and Tales from the Darkside: the Movie. Romero’s Dead films are rife with tongue-in-cheek social commentary as well as bleak and very human horror; he often claimed such insight was accidental, but perhaps such accident is just more proof of his talent as a story-teller.
Mr. Romero and his films had a profound influence on my adolescence and early adulthood, and helped to shape my tastes in a significant way. I am doubtless far from alone in this sentiment. May he be forever remembered as the man who gave us the movie zombie!
George Romero’s seminal film, Night of the Living Dead, is public domain and is available at this link for viewing or download at archive.org.
George A. Romero
February 4 1940 – July 16 2017
“If one horror film hits, everyone says, ‘Let’s go make a horror film!’ It’s the genre that never dies.”
