US filmmaker George A. Romero, whose 1968 cult classic “Night of the Living Dead” spawned the zombie movie genre, died on Sunday aged 77.
Tributes poured in from Hollywood and beyond for the legendary director who according to his manager Chris Roe passed away “listening to the score of The Quiet Man, one of his all-time favorite films.”
“He died peacefully in his sleep, following a brief but aggressive battle with lung cancer, and leaves behind a loving family, many friends, and a filmmaking legacy that has endured, and will continue to endure, the test of time,” Chris Roe added in a brief statement.
Shot in black-and-white on a budget of just over $100,000, “Night of the Living Dead” daringly featured black actor Duane Jones as its lead in a script about a group of people attempting to survive an attack by re-animated corpses.
Some film scholars later suggested it was a subversive critique of US society during the 1960s, while its gory realism was reminiscent of footage from the Vietnam war that was airing on American TV at the time.
Damn…rest in peace, George Romero. Every single zombie show/film owes you their gratitude for paving the way in this genre. Thank you. pic.twitter.com/7Z1jYrhXos — Rahul Kohli (@RahulKohli13) July 16, 2017
Damn…rest in peace, George Romero. Every single zombie show/film owes you their gratitude for paving the way in this genre. Thank you. pic.twitter.com/7Z1jYrhXos
— Rahul Kohli (@RahulKohli13) July 16, 2017
The film went on to gross over $30 million worldwide, and led to five sequels including “Dawn of the Dead” and “Day of the Dead” — inspiring an entire genre that remains a Hollywood staple to this day, though the director admitted he was himself influenced by Richard Matheson’s 1954 novel “I Am Legend.”
“Night of the Living Dead” was added by the Library of Congress in 1999 to its National Film Registry for works considered “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”
Other notable works include 1981’s “Knightriders”, about a traveling medieval reenactment troupe that jousts on motorcycles, and 1982’s horror anthology “Creepshow” written by author Stephen King.
