Best film directed by George A. Romero.
 

One of the great masters of horror. The man who put the zombie film on the map.

Re: Best film directed by George A. Romero.
 

DotD

Re: Best film directed by George A. Romero.
 

Dawn of the Dead, it's the masterpiece of a genre Romero basically created himself.

Re: Best film directed by George A. Romero.
 

The results for this poll shouldn't be a surprise to anybody.

http://imageshack.us/a/img835/7449/v45q.gif

Re: Best film directed by George A. Romero.
 

Ok so DotD is a classic, but its not a classic thats aged well and its not overall well directed. Its just the first to truly set the genre in place. Creepshow for me showed the most directorial ability, style and entertainment. Everything else he has ever done is garbage.

Re: Best film directed by George A. Romero.
 

Re: Best film directed by George A. Romero.
 

:lol: no

This is the second time this week that I've agreed with you, I'm very scared.

Re: Best film directed by George A. Romero.
 

Re: Best film directed by George A. Romero.
 

I go back and forth between Dawn and Night, as a case can be made for each that they are the superior movie. What finally pushes me to pick Dawn is the music.

Re: Best film directed by George A. Romero.
 

For me it is hard to decide between what I think are his 3 best : NOTLD, DOTD & the underrated gem Martin. Will have to watch all of those soon.

Re: Best film directed by George A. Romero.
 

I like Dawn, I really do. But it's Night that genuinely creeps me out. Maybe it's because I saw it when I was younger and could get scared easier (I was in elementary school, whereas I was in high school when I saw Dawn) but it's an effectively-scary movie for me.

I have a soft spot for Creepshow, though. I really, really like it!

Re: Best film directed by George A. Romero.
 

I actually chose Day. I like the conflict between the characters. I love Dawn, but like someone said above it hasn't really aged well.

Re: Best film directed by George A. Romero.
 

You're right, I think Day has tremendous conflict, absolutely. It seems like the next natural progression in the overall story and it really harkens back to old school scifi like The Thing From Another World with the whole scientists vs. military conflict. That said, I've often thought there's a better film hiding underneath its execution, though. It's not just the budget, it's the performances and some of the dialogue that just seem off to me.

Re: Best film directed by George A. Romero.
 

Night just has a cool documentary feel to it. As story said it's just creepier.

Re: Best film directed by George A. Romero.
 

I think I was in the 7th grade when I first saw NOTLD via horribly-colorized VHS tape in the 80's. Despite that handicap, the film's power was able to break through to me. By the time the film ended, no other horror film that I had seen up to that point had succeeded in creeping me out thanks to it's bleakness.

And like you, I saw DOTD for the first time many years later (This weak VHS cover never gave the impression on how epic the movie actually was)

And even though the extended cut is my favorite version, the film even feels more dated due to the stock music that plays during the apartment raids & gas station.

Lastly, I agree with Story on DAY's strong points. Although it's clear that the movie is much more respected now than it ever was previously before.

Re: Best film directed by George A. Romero.
 

I love the Dead films but Knightriders is his greatest work in my view. Everything you need to know about life is encapsulated in that film.

Re: Best film directed by George A. Romero.
 

I had to go with the landmark N.o.t.L.D., though Dawn is a close second. Season of the Witch is a very interesting failure. There's Always Vanilla is rubbish.

Re: Best film directed by George A. Romero.
 

A toss-up between Martin and Day of the Dead, so I just went with the one that had less votes.

Re: Best film directed by George A. Romero.
 

Which music? Argento's Goblin soundtrack or Romero's library music? I prefer Argento's music but Romero's cut.

Re: Best film directed by George A. Romero.
 

Dear Lord, that's terrifying.

Re: Best film directed by George A. Romero.
 

Looking at that list in the poll, there are a ton I haven't seen (indicated in the below list with a - minus sign while the titles I have seen have an X by them). I checked CanIStream.It and found out here's what's streaming for free with subscriptions:

X Night of the Living Dead (Netflix, Hulu+, Redbox Instant)
- There's Always Vanilla
- Season of the Witch (Hulu+)
- The Crazies (Redbox Instant)
- Martin
X Dawn of the Dead
- Knightriders
X Creepshow (not on Netflix, though Creepshow II is)
X Day of the Dead
X Monkey Shines
- Two Evil Eyes (Redbox Instant)
X The Dark Half
- Bruiser (Netflix)
X Land of the Dead
- Diary of the Dead
- Survival of the Dead

I have Netflix and Hulu+ but not Redbox Instant so of the ones I haven't seen, looks like I can add Season of the Witch and Bruiser to my cue. Are either recommended by anyone here, though?

Re: Best film directed by George A. Romero.
 

Bruiser sucked. Of the others, The Crazies is decent (though the remake is actually better), Martin is good, and the two recent zombie efforts are poor, though Diary has some ok moments.

Re: Best film directed by George A. Romero.
 

Yeah, haven't seen everything he's ever directed but Dawn is my favorite.

Re: Best film directed by George A. Romero.
 

As I wrote earlier, S.o.t.W. is an interesting failure. It's kind of Romero's take on a feminist picture, with strong horror atmospherics (the home-invasion hallucinations are terrifying). It's long and talky (the uncut version), but somewhat thought-provoking and occasionally very cinematically striking. Bergman's Persona is an obvious influence.

Re: Best film directed by George A. Romero.
 

I agree. Day of the Dead.

Re: Best film directed by George A. Romero.
 

Day of the Dead could have been great if Romero got the budget he wanted and didn't have to throw out half the script.

Re: Best film directed by George A. Romero.
 

I didn't vote for it, but I'm glad to see "Knightriders" get a little love. It's an excellent movie which doesn't seem to get its due since its not even remotely a horror movie.

Best George A. Romero Movies Ranked
 

Hi All,

This might fluctuate a bit, as I'm in the process of watching the rest of the Romero movies I own (including Season of the Witch and There's Always Vanilla), but here's the list thus far...

1. Dawn of the Dead - The best zombie movie of all-time. Very topical and socially driven, and yet Romero still claims that wasn't his aim. His aim was just to make a solid movie. Great follow-up to Night, but even better, in my mind. Love all of the actors and only an idiot would claim that having an entire mall all to yourself would not be desirable. The ultimate dream...Some scenes seem dated (like the gun shop in the mall...but this the US we're talking about)...Just a great movie...And Savini really set the bar with the gore effects...Love it...

2. Day of the Dead - Very underrated and unfairly maligned, in my mind. This is a great movie. As I mentioned in a previous post, Romero had to cut the budget significantly prior to filming, and yet he still made a masterful movie. The acting is over the top, but it really fits in with what he was trying to accomplish. I personally love the set in the mine...and I think the acting was perfect for what he was trying to do. A classic...

3. Night of the Living Dead - The benchmark. Great movie. What he was able to build with the rest of the series. Some of it comes across as cheesy, as does most stuff from this era, but ultimately a fantastic movie. Brought zombies back to the forefront...

4. The Crazies - Without calling them zombies, this is still kind of a zombie pic. A bunch of residents are overcome with some sort of virus...A lot of parallels with Night of the Living Dead...Good movie...Lots of eerie scenes...

5. Monkey Shines - Surprisingly good. A paraplegic enlists a trained monkey to help him deal with his disabilities...Great acting...Great cinematography...Good score...Really surprised how good this was...

6. The Dark Half - Slightly lesser Romero. Based on a Stephen King book. It's still good, but some of the effects are pretty dated. Timothy Hutton was really good, even though in the special features they make sure to say that he was kind of a pain in the ass to work with. I enjoyed it, but wouldn't necessarily recommend it to friends...

7. Land of the Dead - Disappointing if only because it was Romero's long-heralded return to the zombie genre. The subtext was a little too on the nose and I didn't like how much the zombies could learn...In Day of the Dead, Bub was handled very well and it was believable that he could learn what he did...In this one, I though Romero took it too far and tried to make us convinced that zombies could essentially be intelligent...Dennis Hopper was fun though...

8. Diary of the Dead - Another let-down. Didn't like it. It had it's moments, but on such a limited budget you could tell Romero more or less lost his touch...

9. Knightriders - Horrible. Hated this movie. Two and a half hours of garbage, in my mind, but I still sat through it cause I'm a Romero fan...Surprised this still has the odd fan...

Thanks

Still haven't seen some of his later "Dead" Movies, but these are what I've seen so far...

Re: Best George A. Romero Movies Ranked
 

1. Dawn of the Dead
2. Night of the Living Dead
3. Martin
4. Day of the Dead
5. The Crazies

Re: Best George A. Romero Movies Ranked
 

1. Dawn
2. Night
3. (A distant third) Day

The remake of The Crazies was better.

His other ...of the Dead movies are varying degrees of bad.

Re: Best George A. Romero Movies Ranked
 

1. Night of the Living Dead
2. Dawn of the Dead
3. Martin
4. Diary of the Dead
5. Creepshow
6. Two Evil Eyes (well, half of it anyway)
7. Monkey Shines
8. Day of the Dead
9. Land of the Dead
10. Survival of the Dead

I've seen but don't remember much about Season of the Witch, and I've never made it all the way through Knightriders. I haven't seen any of the others.

Every time that I watch Day of the Dead, I like it less than the time before. I've come to really despise that film, and not just because it introduced the concept of the sympathetic zombie (although that is a major component in my dislike of it).

Re: Best George A. Romero Movies Ranked
 

For his zombie movies, this is how I rank them too. NotLD is one of the true landmark horror movies. But Dawn is just so epic that I rate it higher. Helping the matter is that Dawn was one of the first horror movies I remember seeing at the theater (I didn't get around to seeing NotLD until years later on VHS). I'm not sure what my parents were thinking, but they took me (a grade schooler at the time) to see it at a drive-in. Other horror movies I remember from the drive-in days were It's Alive, Tales from the Crypt, The Amityville Horror, and Alien. But Dawn stuck with me the most. It probably didn't help my nightmares that I lived near places where Dawn took place.

I found Land ok, but thought Diary was dreadful. Never bothered watching Survival.

Creepshow is probably my favorite non-zombie Romero movie. I wonder if no one mentioned it so far because they forgot it was a Romero movie (understandable since Stephen King is the creative "name" that is more closely associated with it). Martin and The Crazies are others that I've enjoyed. Money Shines and The Dark Half were alright. I saw Bruiser yet remember nothing about it.

I guess I'm one of those people with horrible taste that liked Knightriders. ;) Though it's been ages since I've seen it last so maybe it hasn't aged so well. I do know that you have to go into it expecting nothing like any other Romero movie (like Fast Company with Cronenberg).

Approach Season of the Witch and There's Always Vanilla with caution. Especially the latter, which even Romero thought sucked.

Re: Best George A. Romero Movies Ranked
 

I rewatched Knightriders just recently (Christmas). It's still as good as it ever was. I think it's his second best film after Dawn. Romero thinks it's his second best after Martin. It's definitely an either you get it or you don't movie.
Probably depends how much the viewer can identify with the themes of the movie. The movie is not about motorcycles if that's what you're looking for.

A couple years before Knightriders a movie was released called Big Wednesday. It is almost the exact same movie. It starred William Katt, Gary Busey and Jan-Michael Vincent as surfers. The movie explores the exact same themes as Knightriders only in a more commercial, superficial way. Knightriders digs deeper.

If interested. Track down Big Wednesday and watch it first. Then watch Knightriders.

It's understandable that younger audiences may not relate as well to Knightriders. It's about non-conformists fighting social pressure to fit into some mold that society expects of them. The movie was made at a time when society still frowned upon adults reading comic books. As time goes by these pressures have eased and people are more free to be who they want to be without being branded a weirdo.

Re: Best George A. Romero Movies Ranked
 

I love Big Wednesday and have always been a Milius fan. That movie is terrific. Gary Busey is hilarious in that as the "masochist"...

Re: Best George A. Romero Movies Ranked
 

Decided to see it tonight after reading your thread. Fun movie and quite interesting. But I didn't find any of the zombies scary compared to Night of the living dead which I find the mood much scarier. Dawn of the dead is just fun silly action all around.

Re: Best George A. Romero Movies Ranked
 

Don't forget Martin (1978). Not sure where I would put this when ranking all of Romero's films, but I find it an excellent & underrated horror flick. Liked the late '70's Pittsburgh setting & the extremely disturbing storyline.

I don't know which was worse - that Martin himself believed he was a vampire, or that his uncle also believed & encouraged this.

Re: Best George A. Romero Movies Ranked
 

:up:

Re: Best George A. Romero Movies Ranked
 

Is there a continuation after Dawn of the dead? Or any other Romero film that makes mention of it in another movie?

Re: Best George A. Romero Movies Ranked
 

Although I don't know if I agree with this interpretation of Martin. I also do not disagree with it. The ambiguity is easily the movie's strength. I've always kind of thought that it's saying vampirism is real, it's just not how it's depicted in movies. Something Martin says very often in the film. It's more of a disease, and it's genetic. Cuda knows this, and knows Martin is afflicted with it. Is Martin really a vampire, or just a sick boy? We'll never know...

It's indeed fun, but it's a better film than Night, and also scarier the more you dissect it. Even if, like you say, the zombies are seemingly comic relief instead of a malevolent force.

Night of the Living Dead is just that; a period, from dusk till dawn, about an attack by the living Dead. But Dawn of the Dead is not as literal with the title. It is obviously not about one early morning of zombies. The movie takes place over several weeks, perhaps even several months. And it is indeed a "dawn", but more in the sense of a dawning of a new era: the era of the dead. The scare factor lies in the fact that zombies are here to stay, and will ultimately rule the earth, as laughable as the zombies in this film seem to be. The characters in the film are mostly oblivious to this (and I do mean all characters, not just the four who most of the film centers upon. I mean everyone, like both the police and the residents of the tenement in the beginning, the people in the TV station, the hicks using the zombies as target practice, and ultimately the bikers at the end). Only a few times do you see those who truly understand what's happening. The one-legged priest at the beginning is one of the few who's aware of the gravity of the situation. Also when Steven asks "What ARE they?", Fran grimly replies "They're us". It's not just a statement of the fact that the zombies are re-animated dead humans, but really a reflection of what humankind has become.

And it's a small bit, but I do get chills of the scene early on, as the helicopter featuring the main characters takes off, and you see the tall building in the background as the lights go out. I always wonder just what it is that causes those lights to go out, and it's damn creepy.