Filmmaker and horror icon George Romero, creator of the modern zombie, has passed away today at the age of 77. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead, released in 1968, completely redefined the zombie genre. It spawned a long list of sequels and many imitators, who picked up the film’s “zombie rules” and ran with them.
George Romero, the legendary filmmaker who changed the horror world forever with Night of the Living Dead and its sequels, has died of lung cancer at the age of 77.
Romero will be forever remembered for his iconic contribution to horror, not just through his birth of the zombie genre as we know it today in 1968’s Night of the Living Dead and its litany of sequels all the way up to 2009’s Survival of the Dead, but for his work on Creepshow, Monkey Shine, The Dark Half, and dozens of other film and TV projects. Romero was still working even this year, recently unveiling plans for a new of the Dead film about NASCAR zombies.
Romero is survived by his wife and three children, and our thoughts go out to his family at this sad time.
George Romero is entirely responsible for the modern zombie myth that has given rise to pub crawls and apocalyptic musings. He invented everything from the slow, stiff movements to the rotting appearance to the craving for brains and the infectious bites. He was a singular, brilliant talent in the horror genre, and he will be missed.
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