Even if George A. Romero hadn’t made any films beyond his 1968 classic Night of the Living Dead, he would still be a legend. Night of the Living Dead is easily one of the most influential horror films of all time, having invented the modern zombie (called “ghouls” in the original), and codified a brand new genre.
Romero, however – always a genial and approachable figure at horror conventions – continued to make mostly great horror films for decades, often revisiting the zombies with varying levels of social commentary, but also exploring insanity, vampires, witches, evil twins, vengeful monkeys, and fanged monsters in crates. Romero was enthusiastic about genre movies, and always managed to make energetic and efficient thrillers that horror film fans immediately latched onto.
Also: Crave Interviews George A. Romero About ‘Night of the Living Dead’ and Its Legacy
Romero’s filmography is a rather glorious one, and more than one of his films can be considered a horror classic. Night of the Living Dead is legendary, and lived on for many years as a regular midnight movie staple (it played often likely because it was cheap; it was notoriously released into the public domain thanks to a clerical error). Dawn of the Dead is often called one of the best of all horror films as well, and I love Day of the Dead the best of all. Romero also adapted several Stephen King stories, produced several notable films, and was a vocal booster of up-and-coming horror talent.
You’ve likely seen the classics, but have you seen all ten of these wonderful films?
10 George A. Romero Movies We’ll Never Forget:
Top Image: The Walter Reade Organization/Continental Distributing
Witney Seibold is a longtime contributor to the CraveOnline Film Channel, and the co-host of The B-Movies Podcast and the TV podcast Canceled Too Soon. He also contributes to Legion of Leia, Nerdist, and Blumhouse. You can follow him on “The Twitter” at @WitneySeibold, where he is slowly losing his mind.
Ten Unforgettable Films By George A. Romero (1940-2017)
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Night of the Living Dead (1968)
It's impossible to measure the influence the 1968 zombie film - the first of the modern genre - has had on pop culture. To this day, it's still terrifying.
Image: The Walter Reade Organization/Continental Distributing
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The Crazies (1973)
Akin to Living Dead in many ways, The Crazies was about a populace gone mad thanks to a biological weapon.
Image: Cambist Films
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Martin (1978)
Romero's only vampire film, and the one film he often called his personal best, Martin is about a young man who must slit people with a razor before drinking their blood. It was deemed to be one of the notorious "Video Nasties."
Image: Libra Films International
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Dawn of the Dead (1978)
Often celebrated as one of the best of all horror movies, Dawn of the Dead sends its zombies to the mall, making it a sharp (and unintended) critique of consumerism.
Image: United Film Distribution Company
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Knightriders (1981)
The least alike his other films - it's not a horror film - Knightriders follows Ed Harris as the leader of a traveling Ren Faire troupe that stages jousting tourneys on motorcycles.
Image: United Film Distribution Company
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Creepshow (1982)
One of the best of all anthology horror films, and based on short stories by Stephen King, Creepshow is delicious, gross, and really, really disturbing. Beware the cockroaches.
Image: Warner Bros.
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Day of the Dead (1985)
Perhaps the best of Romero's Dead movies, Day of the Dead is raucous, gory, silly, scary, and everything in between. Military folks square off against civilians under the streets of Miami.
Image: United Film Distribution Company
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Monkey Shines (1988)
Romero worked well with studio money, and churned out this monkey-based potboiler in 1993. In it, a helper monkey for a quadriplegic becomes weirdly attached to her charge.
Image: Orion
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The Dark Half (1993)
Another Stephen King joint, The Dark Half follows the dark adventures of an author and his discovery of, yes, an evil twin in his life. But a dark, magical evil twin.
Image: Orion
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Land of the Dead (2005)
Romero intentionally made a social satire with his zombies this time, placing the uninfected humans in a class-segregated tower, and walling the dead - now growing smarter - to the outside world.
Image: Universal
