The Cinema of George A. Romero: Knight of the Living Dead

Directors' Cuts

by Tony Williams

The Cinema of George A. Knight of the Living Dead is the first in-depth study in English of the career of this foremost auteur working at the margins of the Hollywood mainstream in the horror genre. In placing Romero's oeuvre in the context of literary naturalism, the book explores the relevance of the director's films within American cultural traditions and thus explains the potency of such work beyond 'splatter movie' models. The author explores the roots of naturalism in the work of Emile Zola and traces this through to the EC Comics of the 1950s and on to the work of Stephen King. In so doing, the book illuminates the importance of seminal Romero texts such as Night of the Living Dead (1968), Creepshow (1982), Monkey Shines (1988), The Dark Half (1992). This study also includes full coverage of Romero's latest feature, Bruiser (2000), as well as his screenplays and teleplays.

Genres: Nonfiction, Film, Horror

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Tony Williams, Carbondale, Illinois, is a professor of English and area head of film studies in the English department at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. His recent books include The Cinema of George A. Romero: Knight of the Living Dead and John Woo's Bullet in the Head.

Reviews

[Richard H · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
A bit too academic for my taste, but reevaluates some of his films for me.