Genius of horror cinema, and creator of the modern zombie genre, George Romero died earlier this year. I am sure you heard. A belated RIP, for now, George.
Romero is a Pittsburgh native, and he brought his roots to his creative work in an indelible way. He shot his early horror movies in Pennsylvania, and created people and monsters out of the world he knew. His films are about blue-collar men and women who are either turned into monsters, or are struggling to survive and understand monstrous events.
The legacy of Romero can be most easily surmised as the creator of the zombie, and were that all he completed it would be no small accomplishment. His work lived in cult classic circles for years, but became transformative to horror movies. Through thematically rich social commentary and evocative filmmaking, Romero’s films are much more than the fright-fest lo-fi movies of the 1960s and 70s.
Romero’s inspired brilliance as a storyteller is just getting the recognition it deserves, and his talent as a film craftsman remains vastly underrated. But that’s changing, and that end, MSP Film Society is bringing a new celebration of Romero’s work: George A. Romero’s Blue-Collar Monsters to Minneapolis starting this week.
The weeklong retrospective runs from October 27 to November 2.
Blue-Collar Monsters will feature four of Romero’s most terrifying films from the 60s and 70s, including the new 4K restorations of Night of the Living Dead, The Crazies, and Season of the Witch (aka Hungry Wives), plus a special screening of the 1978 classic Dawn of the Dead.
These films are all tremendous, frankly. But if you haven’t seen The Crazies, please do. You won’t regret it. It’s less often watched than the Night or Dawn, and arguably better than both.
The 4K restoration of Night of the Living Dead is also a treat. The film isn’t new, but it’s presentation has always been rough. This solves that, and makes Night feel alive in a way I’ve never experienced.
For more information and tickets, click here.
-Christopher Zumski Finke
Leave a Reply