by Jeremy Rogers
The father of the modern zombie movie, George A Romero, has died after succumbing to lung cancer. According to a statement from Peter Grunwald, who has worked with Romero for years on different projects, the horror icon died listening to the score of The Quiet Man, a favorite of Romero’s which debuted in theaters when Romero was twelve years old in 1952. George was surrounded by his wife, Suzanne Derocher Romero, and his daughter, Tina Romero, at the time of his passing.
George A. Romero made a name for himself in his revolutionary film Night of the Living Dead which premiered in 1968. The film is seen by many horror historians as the first modern depiction of the zombie in popular media. Afterward, he expanded on the ideas of the first film with 1978’s Dawn of the Dead. Both films were revolutionary and remain near the top of many horror fan’s lists of the best horror movies ever made. Other notable works Romero directed include The Crazies, Survival of the Dead, Magic at the Roxy, Creepshow, Martin, and The Winners.
Romero had been working on another zombie film to add to his Living Dead series. The seventh film of the series, titled Road of the Dead, was intended to bring Mad Max-style action to the zombie genre. There have been no reports yet if the project will continue without Romero.
Romero’s films have been iconic in Horror cinema for nearly fifty years, inventing the modern zombie in 1968 and reinventing it a decade later in 1978. His influence has left a permanent mark on pop culture, leaving behind a legacy that can be seen even today in modern horror.
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Source: Movieweb
Image: Science Fiction
