Why George Romero Changed Zombies Forever | Monstrum
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Published 2020-10-21
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In the second episode of our three-part special series, we move from the zombi which has its roots in spiritual beliefs developed during the African diaspora, to look at one of the most influential and enduring horror legacies of all time—the Romero zombie.
Considered the “godfather of zombies,” Romero’s 1968 film The Night of the Living Dead introduced the flesh-eating reanimated corpse to popular culture. But that’s not all he did. More than just a reinvention of a frightening fiend, the Romero zombie’s introduction during a time of great political and cultural unrest in America impacted how it was received—and why we still talk about it.
Featuring expert interviews from Author Daniel Kraus, who completed Romero’s novel The Living Dead, as well as Author, Screenwriter, and Lecturer of Black Horror and Afrofuturism at UCLA Tananarive Due, and Professor and Author Dr. Robin Means Coleman, you’ll learn just how influential Romero’s work became. #zombie #Romero #MonstrumPBS
Written and Hosted by: Emily Zarka
Director: David Schulte
Executive Producer: Amanda Fox
Producer: Stephanie Noone
Illustrator: Samuel Allen
Editor: Derek Borsheim
Produced by Spotzen for PBS Digital Studios.
We would like to thank Daniel Kraus for his insights into Romero’s work and personal life. Special thanks are also due to Tananarive Due and Robin Means Coleman, Ph.D. whose generosity of knowledge and time proved integral to the episode.
The world is full of monsters, myths, and legends and Monstrum isn’t afraid to take a closer look. The show, hosted by Dr. Emily Zarka takes us on a journey to discover a new monster in each new episode. Monstrum looks at humans' unique drive to create and shape monster mythology through oral storytelling, literature, and film and digs deep into the history of those mythologies.
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All Comments (21)
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I like that despite Romero not wanting the movie to be political or make social commentary, his movie did break barriers in having Ben be a sympathetic and heroic black lead.
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Ben’s death is one of the most horrifying scenes in a film. He survived until the end! The lone survivor should make it, especially back in the 60s. So impactful.
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I kind of see the scene of the daughter eating her father’s flesh, as a representation of the fear those of older generations had towards the youth counter culture and what it will do to the perceived moral fabric of the country. The daughter eating at her Father is symbolic of their rebellion and how they were “tearing apart” their parent’s rose colored glasses view of the the country. That with the free love and hippy movements of the late sixties was often demonized for being, “immoral, drugs fueled sex addicts who were looking for handouts”. It was also made two years before the killings of Sharon Tate and others by the hands of Charles Manson and his cult, which because of their loose affiliation with the hippies created more fear and panic.
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This Dr. Z lady sure likes to fatten up our brains... 🤔
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Honestly I wish the Haitian zombie was more prevalent. Like, the Romero zombie is an amazing concept, but Haitian zombies have an entirely different flavor of horror.
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Dr. Zarka! I shared the episode with an acquaintance of mine. She was close friends with Romero when he was alive, had a bit part in one of the movies, and is still good friends with Tom Savini. She loved this episode! I thought you'd like to know. 😊
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Glad you guys are covering all types and making separate videos about each type of zombie. Each zombie has its own history and I’m glad that you are covering it.
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Has Storied done a video on the ghoul? Outside of fantasy fans and Orientalist fiction, it's a more obscure monster eclipsed by European werewolves and vampires and Romero Zombies
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Let’s not forget Michael Rooker, Robert Englund, Sarah Michelle Gellar, and Danny Trejo had to fight George that one time.
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You know what the great thing about Night of the Living Dead is? It's on the public domain so you can watch it on YouTube for free.
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This was a great video and I learned a lot about Romero and have some new movies to watch. Thanks!
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Don’t do it, don’t do it, don’t do it... They’re coming to get you, Barbara.🧟♂️
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Honestly it really makes me happy that he didn’t call his monsters zombies until after others did.
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So psyched that Dr. Z will get to air this on TV
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I was so mad at the end of NotLD, we invested so much into Ben's struggle for survival only to have to witness him carelessly murdered.
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As a 51 yr old lifelong Romero zombie enthusiast ,seeing dawn of the dead before my 10th birthday and having it play in the TV room on my birthdays I can say I'm qualified to comment on this video ...bravo 👏 loved it, very well presented ,concise and lovingly done...well done...absolutely brilliant..very impressed so much in such a short time...excellent editing, lovingly narrated..thank you for an entertaining watch and as in my own video on zombies (Scotty g of the dead) big respect and thanks in memoriam to George Romero. Rip big man.
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Actually, there is an implied reason for their reanimation. In the 1968 movie a probe sent to Venus was returning with a strange radiation attached to it. The implication is that destroying the probe before it could land dispersed the radiation and caused the dead to walk the Earth.
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Seeing Ben go down in either version made me want to throw something. He didn't deserve to die in that evil residence. Also, did anyone else instinctively hear "Fetch me their souls" after seeing 10:42
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Monstrum is quickly becoming one of my favorite series on YouTube, superb research and an amazing host
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Bravo PBS! As a fan of horror films, and Romero in particular, this episode of Monstrum was hands down one of the best documentaries not only on the Zombie genre, but for Romero's impact on cinema and modern culture. Great job all around for the channel and for this fantastic series!
