Often dubbed The Father of The Zombie Film and universally acknowledged as a pioneer of the horror genre, George Romero’s recent passing on July 16th was felt across the entire film industry.
However, the American director’s legacy rightly lives on, with his upcoming film, Road of The Dead premiering at Fantasia International film festival later this month.
The film is reportedly set on an island where zombie prisoners race against each other as a form of entertainment for the wealthy elite. Whilst the premise seems a little far-fetched on the surface, Romero is very well acquainted with the walking dead and boasts an impressive back-catalogue of zombie films. He also has always made sure his films carry a clear message.
You have to go back almost 50 years to find Romero’s first foray into the horror genre, but Night of The Living Dead remains one of his most well-known and best loved efforts. The story centres around Ben Jones, Barbara O’Dea and five other characters hopelessly trapped inside a rural farmhouse which is attacked without warning by a hoard of undead ghouls. Night of The Living Dead was a defining moment in the horror film genre and was arguably the film that gave rise to the term ‘zombie’ and ultimately the zombie film trend. Despite being released in 1968, the film still holds a 96% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, proving that true classics really do stand the test of time.
Released exactly a decade after Night of The Living Dead, Dawn of The Dead is perhaps George Romero’s finest work and set the standard for all subsequent films in the horror genre. The film goes a bit further than his previous effort, in that it details the wider impact on society that the zombie apocalypse has after an unknown phenomenon leads to a reanimation of the dead. Moreover, the film gave rise to numerous parodies and as a result, the series as a whole has been referenced time and again in wider popular culture, with zombies seemingly becoming everybody’s favourite villain.
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Popular adult cartoon South Park parodied both of the aforementioned films in an episode titled ‘Night Of The Living Homeless’, where the homeless people in Colorado wander the streets like zombies, mumbling the word ‘change’ as opposed to undead’s word of choice, ‘brains.’ The British comedy Shaun of The Dead, starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost is virtually a 99-minute homage to the every film in Romero’s ‘Dead’ film series and Dawn of The Dead itself was even remade by American director Zack Snyder back in 2004 to relatively positive reviews. The impact of Romero’s work was also felt beyond the reaches of film and television, making several appearances in the gaming arena.
There are a number of zombie themed online slot games available, including Zombie Rush, where users have to pit their wits against the undead, as well as a now out of print board game based on Dawn of The Dead, which was produced in 1978, where players are challenged to negotiate and clear a shopping mall full of zombies. Video game enthusiasts will also note that the ever popular Grand Theft Auto Vice City Stories contains a mission where Vic, one of the main characters, has to fend off zombies in a shopping mall whilst being directed by a character who bears a striking resemblance to George Romero.
Whilst Romero’s latest film is a little more underground than his previous efforts and is unlikely to have the same wider impact of its predecessors, film enthusiasts are certain to see it in droves, which speaks volumes about the director and demonstrates the high regard in which he his held throughout the industry.
With Road of The Dead likely to be the last thing to ever be released with Romero’s name attached to it, horror film buffs or lovers of classic cinema could do much worse than give it a chance and give one of this generation’s finest directors the send off that he truly deserves.