The Genius of George Romero

The horror sub-genre of zombie flicks has been around for over 40 years and with the recent successes such as “Zombieland,” the genre looks as if it has no signs of slowing down. But for all the advancements in technology and directing prowess time has brought, there no better zombie flick that the one than got the recent phenomenon going.

I remember the first time I saw a George Romero’s “Night of the Living Dead.” It was about 3 a.m. on a Saturday morning at a friend’s house after the cold pizza had run out and I was the only person still awake. I stumbled upon it and at first I wasn’t blown away. It was simply a low budget horror flick, a zombie one at that, but after a few minutes I was hooked.

What made this something special was the way in which it was directed and it obvious social undertones. Even as a teen, that was almost more powerful than the zombie action. While we had been scared out of our skin for years by vampires, werewolves and scientific created beings, this marked the first time the dead came back for us. It was the beginning of a cinematic career that’s still going on for its creator.

Now some, dare I say it, 17 years later I’m still mesmerized by this man. George Romero isn’t just another horror director, he is the horror director. At age 70, it’s clear the man has no intention of slowing down. What other directors labor so hard to achieve, Romero is able to do with the blink of an eye. But what makes Romero tick?

It’d be naïve to overlook his films as simple horror gore-fests. Romero is perhaps one of the best directors who are able to blend their respective genre and social commentary. Hiss innate ability to mirror the faults of our society while delivering a kick-ass good time it second to none.

Most directors, or creative people in any field, strive to not have a label placed on themselves. Romero on the other hand, relishes with delight that he is considered the “Grandfather of Zombie” and rightfully so. No one has done it longer, no one has done it more cleverly and most importantly, no one has done it better.

The genre of film was born in Pittsburg in the late 1960s when Romero and a group of friends decided to give the feature film business a try. Pooling their money, the group set about making the classic zombie flick that got everything start. And that in and of itself should tell you something about Romero.

If you look at his films, he stays local. Most, if not all, of his films have taken place close to where he created. It’s a sense of loyalty not only to his craft but for the environment in which it was created. It’s only one of the elements that make the director so endearing to his fans.

I love the fact that we’re seeing a series of directors, late in the stages of their careers, still moving the cinematic establishment. Romero, Coppola and Scorsese are all directors much older than their prospective counterparts, yet they are still knocking on the door of Hollywood, then kicking it off the hinges when they’re slow to answer. Mavericks, renegades – whatever you want to call them, just thank God we have them and their helping to keep the establishment in check.

With Romero’s recent outing “Survival of the Dead” already out on DVD and hitting theaters Friday, I’m amazed at the story still left in the genre and in the man himself. While it might not be the best the “of the Dead” franchise has to offer, it’s by far and away something to enjoy. If not for the movie itself, then for the director whom we should treasure while we have.