George Romero  



Classic horror movie icon who pioneered the zombie genre with Night of the Living Dead and his ongoing Dead series continuing over several decades. Usually wraps his horror movies in social satire, reflecting the times during which the movie was made. He is listed here for his love of gore, often employing Tom Savini and using very effective but over-the-top splatter scenes to spice up the horror which lasted up until Land of the Dead. After that, the gore is weak CGI and the movies are lackluster.

Recommended

Dawn of the Dead  
One of the best horror movies ever made. Romero's classic zombie movie takes place in a world where slow zombies are taking over as most people are unprepared to deal with living dead family members and friends. Amidst the chaos, a group of people escape in a helicopter to a deserted shopping mall where they attempt to build some kind of life. They learn how to deal with the hordes of zombies but wild, vicious gangs of looters and their own sanity prove to be bigger challenges. A satire as well as a gory horror movie.

Day of the Dead  
The third of Romero's superb zombie trilogy is relatively weaker but still extremely good, and by far the goriest. Zombies have by now taken over the world and a last group of scientists live in a bunker under the protection of the remains of the military trying to find a solution. Tempers rage, dictators rule and scientists wander into the unethical side of experimentation until everything collapses in a gory finale. The most fascinating and hilarious element is the attempt at domesticating a zombie.

Land of the Dead  
Romero is back and he still loves to poke fun at society's ills while literally tearing it apart. The zombie-infested world has developed beyond pockets of survivors and a large group of people have organized a city, some even reliving the decadent lifestyles of the past. Problem is, society has evolved into a harsh class system where the rich live in castles... I mean skyscrapers and the rest live in slums. The zombies have evolved too, learning how to minimally use their brains, to desire a life of their own and fight for it as a team. As usual, human weaknesses cause everything to fall apart in a gory war. A great, dark, post-armageddon movie filled with great splatter and action that takes the zombie genre one small step forward.

Martin  
Disquieting lesser known gem by George Romero about a disturbed teenage boy who thinks he is a vampire (using razors to incise instead of teeth). His knowing uncle takes him under his wing but warns him about giving in to his evil nature. Vampiric dreamlike fantasies and splashy blood galore fill this dark and chilling satire about teenage rebellion and fantasy, giving the vampire genre a unique twist.




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