Remembering George A. Romero by Jeffrey Reddick
Steve Barton
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I remember seeing Night of The Living Dead when I was a child and it left a profound impression on me. Seeing a horror film with an African American lead who was an equal to his white counterparts, in a time when I knew that wasn’t the reality, was groundbreaking. The film was post racial DURING the civil rights movement. Romero’s classic, and the many films that followed it, showed the genius of a filmmaker who knew that you could scare people and still make them think.
George Romero is beloved by the filmmaking community, and especially the horror community, because he loved and respected the genre. The joy he found in making films shines through in all of his work. And that joy could have been destroyed right out of the gate. Most people know an error with the release of Night of The Living Dead made his masterpiece public domain, depriving him of the benefits of creating one of the most successful films of all time. But instead of being crushed and defeated, he persevered and thrived. All with the wonderful grace and humor that defined him as a person.
I saw this grace firsthand when I met George in 2008. I was afraid to meet the man I idolized because I wrote the much-reviled remake of Day of The Dead. Ken Foree, the star of the original Dawn of The Dead, literally dragged me over to George and introduced us. When George heard the story, and my concerns, he laughed, flashed the warmest smile, shook my hand and said, “This is a business kid. I wish you every success.” That’s the kind of man he was.
George Romero will be known forever as a great filmmaker who turned a movie about the dead into a mediation on living, and an indictment of how our humanity can so easily be stripped away by fear. But even when shining a light on the darkness that inhabits the most hidden recesses of our soul, George offered us hope. And light. And to the filmmakers and fans who adored him, Georges light will shine on forever.
– Jeffrey Reddick
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