Romero’s sequel to Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead, received almost the same criticism as the first but “this kind of publicity proved to be more boon than bane” (George A(ndrew) Romero). It gained popularity due to the outrage it caused. The movie was a certified hit and many agree that it is a brilliant sequel.
Romero’s first two films cost an estimated $700,000 to make, a very low budget, and grossed about $97,000,000 worldwide. He had no idea the impact they would make, especially with the amount of money he and his friends saved up to make the first film. Dawn of the Dead further contributed to the zombie phenomenon, “He has redefined the genre film like nobody could. After DAWN OF THE DEAD, the horror film will never be the same” (Yakir).
And when society goes bad, horror films start getting good, and the 1970s marked a return to the big budget, respectable horror film, addressing genuine psychological fears of that time. They replaced the old Gothic style(Dracula and Frankenstein) in horror films with a huge increase in the production of gory, graphic horror films. They were about paranoia, and the fear that the morality change of the 1960s had created a culture of monsters, the successors of the shuffling zombies in Night of The Living Dead.
Works Cited
"George A(ndrew) Romero." Contemporary Authors Online. Detroit: Gale, 2005. Gale Biography In Context. Web. 22 Apr. 2011.
Yakir, Dan. "Morning Becomes Romero." Film Comment. May/June 1979: 60-65. SIRS Renaissance. Web. 29 Apr 2011.
Friday, April 29, 2011
Friday, April 22, 2011
The Zombie Evolution
In the middle of the 20th century, “horror had been stuck in a musty, cobwebbed past …that didn't frighten a generation of young people” (Zinoman). The horror genre had lost its frightening ways. And as I said before, the earlier zombie movies were people that were alive but just being controlled by voodoo. So they were basically brainwashed voodoo slaves.
Not until George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead did the horror genre become increasingly popular, “the phenomenon it kicked off has spread like a full-on zombie apocalypse” (Truitt). It was the first movie to portray zombies as living corpses. They had an insatiable lust for the living‘s flesh. Its graphic nature “shocked unsuspecting audiences,” and appalled some of its critics (Truitt).
Zinoman, Jason. "Killer Instincts." Vanity Fair (Vol. 50, No. 3). March 2008: 304+. SIRS Renaissance. Web. 21 Apr 2011.
Picture Source
http://www.moviepostershop.com/night-of-the-living-dead-movie-poster-1968/
Not until George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead did the horror genre become increasingly popular, “the phenomenon it kicked off has spread like a full-on zombie apocalypse” (Truitt). It was the first movie to portray zombies as living corpses. They had an insatiable lust for the living‘s flesh. Its graphic nature “shocked unsuspecting audiences,” and appalled some of its critics (Truitt).It was Romero’s first feature film, he had only worked on a few short films and commercials. So he was taking major risks making a movie such as this during that time, but it eventually paid off. It is “one of the major achievements of American cinema, an extraordinary feat of imagination and audacity carried through with exemplary courage and conviction” (George A. Romero). It was selected to be preserved in the National Film Registry and is seen as a defining moment for modern horror cinema.
Works Cited
"George A. Romero." Contemporary Theatre, Film and Television. Vol. 80. Gale, 2008. Gale Biography In Context. Web. 22 Apr. 2011.
Truitt, Brian. "George A. Romero's legacy refuses to die." USA Today 7 June 2010: 02D. Gale Biography In Context. Web. 21 Apr. 2011.
Picture Source
http://www.moviepostershop.com/night-of-the-living-dead-movie-poster-1968/
Friday, April 15, 2011
A Zombie Revolution
George A. Romero, often referred to as the "Grandfather of the Zombie," revolutionized the horror industry with his very first feature film, Night of the Living Dead. Its impact on our culture is felt even to this day. When it was first released in theaters in 1968, many criticized its explicit content and wouldn’t even give it a chance. Yet it eventually received critical acclaim and changed the way we make horror films. Before Romero, there were films that portrayed zombies as regular people being mind controlled by Voodoo. But ever since, there hasn’t been a time when a "Romero zombie" flick wasn’t being made.
I was a very young when I first saw it (I think I was about 7 years old), so I was pretty terrified but also very intrigued, I had never seen a movie like it before. I think I was falling in love…and from that moment I had become a lover of zombie films, my older brother helped “fuel the fire,” being a fan of horror flicks before I was. I'd like this blog to help give more insight on Romero's life before and after his successes, and how he changed American culture, not just in the film industry.
I was a very young when I first saw it (I think I was about 7 years old), so I was pretty terrified but also very intrigued, I had never seen a movie like it before. I think I was falling in love…and from that moment I had become a lover of zombie films, my older brother helped “fuel the fire,” being a fan of horror flicks before I was. I'd like this blog to help give more insight on Romero's life before and after his successes, and how he changed American culture, not just in the film industry.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)