George A. Romero is heralded as an all-time great director
within the horror genre. Personally, I think he is a director of an all-time
great trilogy, and that there is a big difference between the two. Now before
you roll your eyes, dismiss this and go on to something else; let me just say
that I think his original “Dead” trilogy is without question first-rate
pioneering brilliance. With that said, I feel like he is kind of an untouchable
name in the horror world. No one really likes being critical of his films individually
because of his larger achievements as a filmmaker, but why? Is it because he
was such a maverick filmmaker of his time, that subsequently made his own
genre, or maybe because he is such a nice man to his fans? I cannot be certain
why, but let’s take a quick look at his body of work. We simply did not have
enough time to tackle his filmography because the zombie films were enough for
an entire show but at a glance I want to pass over it, and the lack of strength
and quality throughout.
Now as stated above, the first three zombie films (Night,
Dawn, Day) were all fantastic important films. We spent well over half of the
show discussing and praising them so I will not bite into those (pun intended).
Now step outside of those three films and really be objective about everything
he has made. Yes, if he only made those three great zombie films that would be enough
to cement his importance in film history. I merely want to shine a little light
on the rest of his career that is conveniently never in the discussion.
The next tier of his films that I would qualify as good
films (beneath his great three) would be Martin (1978), The Crazies (1973) and
Creepshow (1982). Certainly an argument could be made for some more to be
included in this grouping. Honorable mentions to The Dark Half (1993) and Two
Evil Eyes (1990). Everything else he has made is forgettable or basically poor
films. His most recent directorial projects (Land, Diary, and Survival of the
Dead) and producing Deadtime stories 1&2 have just been a disaster. A man
that used to avoid 
Romero, in many ways paved a monumental path for film, but a
very difficult one for himself. His immense success early in his career while
refusing to be a part of
Romero deserves to be praised for his works in the horror genre
but he does not have the body of work that John Carpenter has or the varying
powerhouse of Wes Craven. If you ask horror fans who the greatest horror
director of all time is, a percentage of them will tell you Mr. Romero, which
is fine and not an unjustified opinion. George
Romero still remains under high praise with me, even if these words above don’t
seem like it. I just feel that if we are basically elevating someone from three
films they made, then what is the cutoff for this recognition? Kubrick made one
of the greatest horror films in The Shining, but that does not mean he is one
of the greatest horror directors. My point, as I said on our most recent
episode, is that I just do not want to see Romero keep fading away. His seminal
original Dead trilogy is a treasure for horror fans world-wide. I just hate to
see his career becoming one of his fictional zombies.
That is all this time around, and I hope my message has not
fallen on deaf ears. He is a kind man, an important director, and a living
horror legend. However, if we cannot be objective, then why the hell would any
of us talk about movies ever again? Until next time…..
Beware of the moon
The Professor/Le professeur/der Professor/el professor/ 教授
