The recent passing of George A. Romero, one of the most creative and influential filmmakers to grace the horror film genre, was devastating news to his generation-spanning fans.
Romero died at 77 after a bout with lung cancer. If all the Pittsburgh-based Romero ever did was direct the low budget, independently made 1968 “Night of the Living Dead” (originally titled “Night of the Flesh Eaters”), his legacy would already be set in stone.
In shaping a black and white vision of the world under siege by flesh-hungry corpses, Romero didn’t merely give us a taboo-bursting, skin-chomping horror fest. His film is also noted as one of the best social commentaries about America during the Civil Rights Era. “Dead” provides a troubling depiction...