Home Media Magazine - Agent DVD - July 2008 - (Page DVD43) *HORRORFILES OMBIE VISION Z FILMMAKERS HAVE BEEN FOLLOWING IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF GEORGE A. ROMERO FOR 40 YEARS BY KYRA KUDICK t all began 40 years ago with George A. Romero simply asking, “What would it be like if the dead didn’t stay dead?” His answer was Night of the Living Dead. Although it’s not the first film to posit the concept of the undead, it’s widely accepted as the seminal film responsible for creating an entire sub-genre of horror films: the zombie movie. “It surprises me that it has become a new monster,” Romero says. “I guess I did sort of create the genre, but we never used the word ‘zombie.’” Indeed, in his 1968 cult classic, the living dead are referred to as ghouls. Whatever the name, Romero’s vision has inspired 40 years of imitation, and there is no end in sight. “It has become idiomatic,” he says. In an interview with Noel Murray of The Onion’s A.V. Club earlier this year, Romero jokes, “I expect a zombie to show up on Sesame Street soon, teaching kids to count.” Romero oft says he’s “not a student of I the genre” and is “neither flattered nor insulted” by the progression of zombie films. In that same A.V. Club interview he says, “My stuff is my stuff. I do it for my own reasons, using my own peculiar set of guidelines.” Some filmmakers have followed those guidelines, and some haven’t. This has led to a fairly hilarious debate about the rules that define zombies, such as what causes re-animation, and whether or not they can think, move quickly, use weapons, etc. Allow us to delight (or annoy) you with a brief overview of some of the films that have progressed the undead to idiom status. Go to AgentDVD.com to join the debate about whether the films truly should be classified as zombie movies. “I REMEMBERING ‘THE LIVING DEAD’ But the filmmakers say they didn’t know that when they were making it. “We did know that we were making a good film,” says co-creator John A. Russo. “But nobody could predict the thing would be going on for 40 years like it has.” Russo and Romero are among the cast and crew touring the country promoting the recently released Night of the Living Dead: 40th Anniversary Edition DVD. “Without question [the best part about celebrating 40 years] is getting to see all of my old buddies,” Romero says. The camaraderie of the film’s cast and crew is evident on stage at the events and in the many special features on the disc, from the audio commentary to the new featurette “One for the Fire: The Legacy of Night of the Living Dead.” – KYRA KUDICK t is a masterpiece, and a masterpiece lives forever — it is art.” That’s how horror auteur Dario Argento describes his friend George A. Romero’s film Night of the Living Dead. Argento isn’t the only one unsurprised by the film’s longevity. Director Edgar Wright agrees, “It really holds up — it is such a classic film. There are just some films that will never fade.” 42 AGENTDVD JULY 2008 AgentDVD.com http://AgentDVD.com http://agentdvd.com
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