George, It Won't Be the Same Genre Without You

Romero’s passing left a hole in the hearts of many horror fans. To know he’ll never make another film left me aching inside. Towards the end he tried to get some projects off the ground but just never could. God, I wish he could have made just one more film. But dwelling on that is a waste of time so I will have to go on and accept it. I have devoted my share of blog posts to Night of the Living Dead (1968). It’s on yet again, on yet another channel, and will be on at all hours until there’s no room in hell and the dead walk the earth.

He left so much material for us to peruse, to consider, to evaluate, and enjoy. His interviews had a spirit to them, an energy that was so encouraging because he didn't come off as some entitled jerk who felt so superior to us. He came off the screen as someone who genuinely seemed to care about how his work was seen from those adherent to whatever themes or underlying messages were told through the power of his images, the editing, characters, and through the in-your-face (and sometimes subtle when intended), graphic assault and shock value. He faced a censorship opposing the films he wanted to make, willing to risk mainstream exposure in favor of complete films made as he intended. It was the right time and he was in the right place. Some films--like Martin & The Crazies--I still believe will be appreciated and re-evaluated after his passing although I do believe Romero knew that each of these were getting recognition in the last 20 years since the DVD boom gave a fresh platform for his work to get exposure even the VHS era couldn't give them. Maybe even Season of the Witch will get some extra eyes and open minds. No doubt that his legacy is intact and his films will remain vital, alive, important, and topical. He's one of my true heroes and I'm in deep sorrow that he's no longer with us. A loss with some magnitude. Sigh.