#1-5 Top 13 George Romero Movies

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#1 NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1968) - A lot of people credit Romero's NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD as being the birth of the modern-day zombie film. This may be true, but let's not forget the fact that Romero was heavily influenced by Richard Matheson's I AM LEGEND. He took the vampire holocaust aspect of Matheson's novel and put his own twist on it. Instead of vampires we had ghouls. The ghouls became zombies and the horror genre hasn't been the same since. A prototypical survival horror plot, the low-budget-but-effective black and white look, and, in my opinion, one of the best ironic endings in the history of horror cinema are what make NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD my favorite George Romero movie.


#2 DAWN OF THE DEAD (1978) - While NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD got the severed head rolling, its "sequel" DAWN OF THE DEAD is considered to be the movie that truly shaped the zombie film as we know it. It honestly took me a long time and a few repeat viewings before I really began to appreciate this movie. I somehow avoided seeing it as a kid. It doesn't hold a special place in my heart and it never will. But, as an adult watching it, I couldn't help but pick it apart and compare it to other zombie films out there when in reality it is every other zombie film out there. I've heard some people call DAWN OF THE DEAD the "greatest horror movie ever made". I disagree, but then again the "greatest horror movie ever made" is a matter of opinion, not fact. Truth be told, I enjoy and seek out a lot of other zombie movies more than I do this one. The bottom line, though, is that no matter how much I do or don't enjoy this movie, there's no denying that it's a truly awesome piece of horror cinema that's socially relevant and extremely high on replay value. One of the most important horror films ever made.


#3 MARTIN (1977) - If anything, MARTIN is proof that George Romero is capable of doing something other than re-hashing the same old zombie movie over and over again and doing it well. Personally, I consider MARTIN to be an extremely underrated horror movie. Romero himself calls it his favorite film (that he's directed). Like other Romero films, slow, boring, and badly paced in spots, but a brilliant idea nonetheless. This is a glimpse into the life of a young man named Martin, who thinks he's an eighty-something year-old vampire. He's not your typical Hollywood vampire, though. He doesn't have fangs and he can't fly or turn into a bat. He can go out during the day anytime he wants to. He likes ice cream sandwiches. But he needs (wants?) blood, and the way that he goes about satisfying his craving for blood is a bit disturbing to say the least. Is Martin really a vampire or is he simply just a troubled young man in need of psychiatric help? MARTIN takes the vampire genre and not only turns it on its ear over thirty years before LET THE RIGHT ONE IN did, but deconstructs and mocks it in the process. Ex-cellent, Mr. Romero. Ex-cellent.


#4 CREEPSHOW (1982) - Zombies, cockroaches, monsters, meteors, Stephen King covered in moss, and Ed Harris dancing. Take your pick. A collaboration between two "masters of horror" George Romero and Stephen King, CREEPSHOW is my favorite horror anthology movie of all-time. Sometimes. There are so many good ones out there, but this one holds a special place in my heart. It's the only Romero movie (unless you count CREEPSHOW 2, which he only wrote) that I saw as a kid. The nostalgia factor and my overall level of enjoyment with this one in comparison to Romero's other films are extremely high, and CREEPSHOW is just a really fun horror movie in general, with a good cast, memorable moments, a nice variety of segments, and a lot of style. Argento-ish blue and red lighting and interwoven animation give it the aesthetic of an EC-style comic book bursting out of the pages and all up onto your scrizz-een.


#5 DAY OF THE DEAD (1983) - The third in Romero's "Dead Trilogy". For a long time this was my favorite of the three. Now, not so much. I still like it a lot for a number of reasons, though, and it mostly has to do with the zombies. It features one of the most iconic (and coolest) zombies ever - Bub! The zombies look a lot nasiter as opposed to a bunch of extras with green face-paint (DAWN OF THE DEAD). The shot of the zombies being lowered down on the elevator to the underground shelter is such an awesome sight to behold. From the elevator scene on, all Hell breaks loose and we get some gruesome pay-offs (including the legendary final death scene - "Choke on 'em!"). I also appreciate the - no pun intended - dead serious tone of the film. There's nothing funny or quirky about this one. The most mean-spirited George Romero film? I'd say so. It's the end of the world as we know it, but the chances of everything being fine are slim to none. People may consider this to be the weakest of the three original Living Dead films, but it more than stands on its own and is still better than most conventional zombie movies that have been released since.

#6-7 Top 13 George Romero Movies

#6 CREEPSHOW 2 (1987) - A wooden Native American statue that comes to life and kills people, a man-eating blob that lives in a lake, and a hit n' run that comes back to haunt a careless driver. Not a "George Romero movie" per se, I still consider this one to be part of his back catalog despite his only involvement being as a screenwriter. The reason for that is because I think of this film and its predecessor, the original CREEPSHOW (duh), to be one in the same. Saw them both as a young kid and, as a result, they each hold a special place in my heart - not only in terms of Romero's films, but horror anthologies and horror movies in general. Depending on what day of the week it is, what the weather's like, etc., I consider this one to be my favorite of the two, if only for nostalgia reasons. I've never looked at Native American statues the same since, but thankfully it's not often that I see one. The image of the blob coming out of the lake has stuck with me through the years and is one of the things that has contributed to my longlasting fear of dark water. And hitch-hikers at night? Yeah, fuck that.


#7 TWO EVIL EYES (1990) - This is a two-segment horror anthology film, with the segments individually directed and written by Dario Argento and George Romero (Argento's was co-written with longtime collaborator Franco Ferrini). Romero's segment stars Adrienne Barbeau, and it's basically about a woman whose dead husband comes back to haunt her. As a whole (including Argento's segment), TWO EVIL EYES is a decent horror anthology and tribute to Edgar Allan Poe. A bit uneven because of the contrasting styles of both filmmakers, but effective and entertaining nonetheless. Romero's segment, in my opinion, is the stronger of the two. Not a very original piece, but otherwise solid. Supposedly there's a social commentary on capitalism somewhere in Romero's segment as well, but whatever. In comparison to Argento's segment, Romero's is paced much better and doesn't really beat around the bush with the story that it's trying to tell. It gets right to the point, handles its business, and then its gone. Great score by Pino Donaggio and all around good performances from the cast.

#8-11 Top 13 George Romero Movies

#8 BRUISER (2000) - Like MONKEY SHINES and THE DARK HALF, this is a movie you can watch and not even realize it was Romero who wrote or directed it. The film is about a cowardly man with repressed violent thoughts who wakes up one day to find that his face has been replaced with a white death mask that he's unable to remove, and with the new look comes a confidence that he needs to finally stand up to the people who have wronged him in his professional and personal life. His wife is openly cheating on him (with his boss), his good friend is stealing money from him, so on and so forth. The ultimate pushover becomes the bully. Despite Romero's direction here seeming to be a little weak, BRUISER is a rather enjoyable movie in which there's always something going on. It's not the dark character study that MARTIN is, but rather a black comedy of sorts. In a way, the movie almost plays out like Ferrara's MS. 45, culminating with a costume party that doesn't end well for some of the attendees. Notable cast members include Tom "Thrill Me" Atkins as a cop (big surprise there) and a scenery-chewing Peter Stormare as the lead character's boss. Some rock band called the Misfits also make an appearance, whoever they are.


#9 THE CRAZIES (1973) - A city's water becomes contaminated with chemicals used for biological warfare. The clueless citizens drink the water and go CRAZY! THE CRAZIES is a movie with bad pacing and a plot that wants to go somewhere but seems to get lost along the way quite frequently. It is noteworthy, however, for being somewhat of a bridge between Romero's two most highly regarded films, NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD and DAWN OF THE DEAD, by featuring a lot of the same themes from both films, especially DAWN. A "person of color" as a leader. A world full of chaos. Social commentary. Lead characters holed up somewhere they don't belong while attempting to "be normal" amidst the mayhem outside. People turning into monsters. A lead character turns into one of said monsters and the others are faced with a tough decision regarding the predicament. An overwhelming feeling of hopelessness. THE CRAZIES is an interesting film and certainly not horrible, but, overall, a failure to live up to its full potential. Given the resources that Romero had at the time, however, I'd say he did an excellent job with what he had.


#10 MONKEY SHINES (1988) - The life of a young, handsome, athletic type is reduced to that of a cripple when he's struck by a motor vehicle. Confined to a wheelchair and unable to move from the neck down, his life only gets worse when his girlfriend leaves him and he finds out some disturbing news in regards to the new man that she's with. Companionship and hope eventually comes in the form of a capuchin monkey trained to help him and intelligently respond to his every command. Things take a turn when tragic events that surround him are traced to the monkey, who, unbeknownst to him, may be carrying out his sadistic thoughts. Overall, MONKEY SHINES is a bit too long (almost two hours) and, unfortunately, unintentionally funny at times, but otherwise decent. It's not an overly memorable movie and it's low on replay value in comparison to Romero's other films, but it's paced well for how long it is. The story is decent and leaves a bit up to the imagination. Oh, and let's not forget the cute little capuchin monkey. Some well-executed jump scares, too.


#11 THE DARK HALF (1993) - This another novel adaptation from Romero and it's based on the Stephen King book of the same name. It's about an author whose nom de plume, which he uses to write sleazy crime novels, manifests into an actual person - a distorted image of the author himself - and goes on a killing spree, targeting those around him and giving the police the impression that he's suffering from some sort of multiple personality disorder once the investigations begin and the evidence points to him being the primary suspect. It's an interesting story that focues on duality, and the movie itself - much like Romero's other novel adaptation MONKEY SHINES - is a bit longer than usual compared to the director's other films, but it's paced well and has strong performances from the cast, especially lead actor Timothy Hutton, who plays dual roles (or does he?!). Not a great movie, but watchable and decent for what it is. It's one of those movies that I won't seek out or go out of my way to see, but, if it's on, I'll watch it because I know that I won't be disappointed. Michael Rooker is great in his supporting role.

#12-13 Top 13 George Romero Movies

#12 LAND OF THE DEAD (2005) - The fourth movie in Romero's series of Living Dead films, LAND OF THE DEAD, to some, is considered to be the last thing George Romero made that was worth a shit. It really is something special - Romero with what I believe was the biggest budget of his career and the freedom to make the zombie movie that he wants to make, and without some studio breathing down his neck (well, not too much, anyway). And make that movie, he did. LAND OF THE DEAD has generally gotten a lot of good reviews since its release, and I've even heard some horror fans make the bold statement of it being the best of Romero's zombie films, but I have to say that I'm actually not a big fan of this movie. Well, I like it, but I don't love it. It's generally fast paced and has the feel of an Action Movie more so than a horror, and there's a great social commentary on poverty and the Iraq war. It's a story about the haves and the have-nots and zombies. The annoying characters, however, and the movie's many failed attempts at trying to be humorous keep this from being higher on my list.


#13 DIARY OF THE DEAD (2007) - It's the zombie apocalypse as captured by a bunch of film students (and uploaded to MySpace and YouTube). I really like Romero's commentary here. There's the whole thing with the media manipulating and blowing things out of proportion, which is true. It's all about fear. Society needs something to be afraid of in order to distract them from their own problems. And there's the whole thing about society's reliance on technology, which is also true. If the internet were to suddenly cease, almost every business in the world wouldn't be able to function. But what would you do if any access to the internet whatsoever disappeared? A great band once said: Give me convenience or give me death. DIARY OF THE DEAD is almost a slap in the face to people who are so reliant on the convenience of technology, and that's why I like it. But, unfortunately, DIARY OF THE DEAD also reveals Romero to be pretty clueless when it comes to the things he's trying to satirize. God bless him. Picking this movie apart and harshly criticizing it would be too easy. Romero had a great idea and that's pretty much where it ends. Fun movie, though. I still liked it.

Top 13 George Romero Movies: Simply The Rest

For those who saw it, I hope you were amused by that video I put up earlier. I sure was. Every hobo in the world should be issued a Dracula cape. Anyway, with that bullshit out of the way, I ended up cramming in my last two Romero movies at the eleventh hour and was able to complete my top thirteen list. George Romero week can begin on time, and so can the countdown of my favorite movies of his, or something like that. But first I thought I'd do a bonus entry on the three movies that didn't make the cut. They're my least favorite of the bunch, but that doesn't necessarily mean they're bad. Well, one of them is. I should have saved this post for last in order to not give away the movies that won't be on the list (wait, what?), but I don't think anyone will be keeping track anyway.


#14 KNIGHTRIDERS (1981) - Ed Harris leads a group of renaissance-fair types who participate in jousts. Except, instead of horses, they ride motorcycles. Romero's sports movie. Well, at least it has the conventions of a sports movie about a down-on-their-luck team, anyway. That, and a "save the rec center" type movie. The titular knightriders - the people that make up the renaissance fair of sorts - are a tight community of people who just kinda exist and LARP without bothering anyone. They don't break any laws, but for some reason they're being hassled by a couple of crooked cops who want the group to pay them fees for setting up camp. Harris refuses and his hardheadedness causes the group to fall apart. An outlaw biker gang infiltrates their community. Save the rec center. Great performances from the ensemble cast, which includes Savini, Foree, and other members of the DAWN, DAY, CRAZIES, and MARTIN movies (John Amplas as a mime!), and a very strong performance from Harris. Even Stephen King makes a cameo. I found this one to be impressive and surprisingly decent, but not my cup of tea, and way too fucking long (almost two and a half hours). Like Cronenberg's FAST COMPANY, it's a really good atypical movie from a celebrated horror director that I just didn't care for.


#15 SURVIVAL OF THE DEAD (2009) - A horror-comedy without the laughs. A zombie movie without teeth. Two feuding families on an island - one wants to kill the zombies while the other wants to keep them alive with hopes that a cure will be found. Renegade soldiers seek refuge on the island and get involved with the family quarrels and whatnot. Uh, boring? I don't really know how else to describe this movie. It's just boring as shit and completely uninteresting. Part Western, part Action movie, part comedy, part horror movie, and the mash-up of styles doesn't work. I couldn't find a single character in the bunch that I cared about. Except for the daughter. A little. She was cute. Maybe George Romero could have came out with his pants around his ankles and threw his feces at the camera to end the movie? That's basically what the equivalent of this film is anyway. For the sake of Romero preserving what's left of his legacy, I hope he doesn't make another one like this. In my humble opinion, SURVIVAL OF THE DEAD is the absolute worst of the bunch. More enjoyable than the next movie on my list, but technically worse.

#16 SEASON OF THE WITCH (1973) - A bored and miserable housewife dabbles in black magic to manipulate those around her. Psychological horror elements, tons of dialogue amongst upper middle-class housewives, hippie bullshit, failed attempts and creating tension and atmosphere. These things litter the boring SEASON OF THE WITCH. Especially the tons of dialogue part. Not to mention the fact that the movie takes forever to get to where it's trying to go. Compared to the countless other supernatural films from that era, I'd say it falls somewhere right in the middle or maybe a little bit lower, but, hey, what do I know? In my opinion, SEASON OF THE WITCH is unoriginal and lacking any style. I saw it once and the chances of me voluntarily watching again are pretty slim.