Remembering George A. Romero by Christopher Landon
When I was a kid, my parents went through one of those ugly divorces that leave everyone scattered and broken. It was at that time, I had turned to the forbidden section of the video store — the horror aisle — a new home for my anxiety and fear.
Unlike many, I didn’t discover Night of the Living Dead until I was much older because the black and white images on the back of the video made me think it was a movie for “old people.” I discovered Dawn Of The Dead first and the experience was a seismic shift in my life. Just the way the movie began — throwing you into a state of bedlam. It all felt so real to me at the time. When the movie ended I had to rewind it immediately and watch it again (yes, millennials we had to physically rewind the tape.) As I got older, repeat viewings revealed more and more of Romero’s classic — the social commentary. The humanity. The dark humor. Dawn Of The Dead became the gold standard not only for a zombie movie but movies in general. It operated on so many levels and taught me so much about the genre and myself.
In the end, I came to love all of George Romero’s movies. Day Of The Dead for its genius ability to both stand alone and further the chapter. Creepshow for its humor and wit. The Dark Half (one of the most underrated King adaptations) and more. I never had the opportunity to meet George but I want to thank him for helping me get through a tricky time in my life and for sharing his brilliant vision of this beautiful, strange and fucked up world.
– Christopher Landon
Categorized:News
