The film community and fans around the world are saddened by the loss of George A. Romero, best known for the Night of the Living Dead (1968) and its sequels. The horror master died after a battle with lung cancer at the age of 77.
Romero’s films were subversive, satirical, and sharply aware of the political climate he lived in. Night of the Living Dead sparked a cultural phenomenon, largely seen as the birth of the modern zombie film. It also cast Duane Jones as the lead, during a time when it was not typical for a black man to be the hero in an American film. It’s sequel, Dawn of the Dead (1978) was a cutting look at consumerism, and is largely the model for almost all zombie films that followed.
Romero’s other films broadened his view of the genre, including Season of the Witch (1973), sometimes marketed as Hungry Wives, which was less of a horror film than it was an exploration of the occult. Knightriders (1983) was about a travelling renaissance fair troupe, featuring knights on motorbikes! Similarly, The Crazies (1973) was a sci-fi epidemic film, while vampire Martin (1978) is said the be Romero’s favourite film that he made.
Yet he would continue to return to the zombie genre, beginning with a Land of the Dead (2005), the documentary style Diary of the Dead (2007) and Survival of the Dead (2009). He was prepping the 2018 release of Road of the Dead, which he co-wrote with director Matt Birman, at the time of his death.
Here we’ve assembled a collection of posters from his films, paying tribute to one of the best cult filmmakers in the business.
