A Farewell to George A. Romero’s ‘Living Dead’ Saga

Written by John Edward Betancourt

​The summer of 1990 is one that is forever engrained in my memory. Because this teenage kid planned to kick back on a Friday night and enjoy what looked to be a cheesy and fun horror film. It was entitled Dawn of the Dead and my interest in it came from its unique cover and a mention from my mother that she saw it the year that it came out and remembered it to be a wild motion picture. But it didn’t take long for me to realize that this was a motion picture unlike any other that I’d seen at that point in my youth. Because this horror film, held nothing back and the horrific images of blue skinned dead people ripping flesh from bone was genuinely unsettling and uncomfortable to watch.
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But for some reason I stuck with it. Likely because it was so unique and so foreign to me and well, needless to say that when that film ended, I was unsure of what to think about it. All I knew in that moment was that I had experienced something that would stay with me for a long time, a notion that became a harsh reality, when day turned to night. Because I was outright unable to sleep that evening. For every time I closed my eyes all I could see were elevator doors opening and cold blue flesh rushing at me. But once the fear settled a few days later, and time marched on, I was able to revisit that movie with a clearer head and it helped to begin my love affair with horror and with creative writing quite frankly.

Because what George Romero did with that script flipped a switch on in my mind, and I wanted nothing more than to follow in his footsteps and write the next great American horror film. A goal that has yet to come to fruition, but I can take pride in the fact that a zombie screenplay I wrote has been optioned by producers and my first published short story featured the living dead. All because Romero’s magnum opus, inspired me, and so many others to explore the wonder of the craft and well, it is safe to say that everyone that George touched through his work is in a bit of a strange place today, mentally. For The Living Dead, the final chapter in the ‘Dead’ saga, just arrived in bookstores, and knowing that we’ve come to the end of a fifty-two-year journey is a weird feeling indeed.

Partly because, it seemed as though we’d never get to this point. Because George passed away back in 2017, seemingly ending any possibility that we’d ever see the saga come to a close. But by the grace of Suzanne Romero and Mister Daniel Kraus, here we are. The finale is right at our fingertips and that is outright shocking to realize. Because finally, after wondering for years on end how the story might come to a close, we finally get to know. We finally get to experience it and all the emotions that come with it, and that is in fact, a lot to process. Because not only does the reader have to absorb all the social commentary that Romero and Kraus have injected into this book, they have to grapple with the fact that we've reached the end of our journey. ​Which is something that will definitely engender a little bit of sadness in our hearts.

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George A. Romero (1940-2017)

Because saying goodbye in any capacity is tough, and when it involves a franchise that has been a part of someone's life for decades on end, well, there's an extra layer of difficultly in making peace with it, since it means so much to that particular person. But while some will most certainly feel down about this, or frustrated that George was only able to tell one more tale in the universe he created, personally all I can feel is joy. Because finally we can pour over something new and exciting and horrifying and this novel is simply glorious and powerful and everything we could have asked for and more. And most important of all, by seeing this story finally come to a close in proper and logical fashion, we can do something we’ve always wanted to do, and properly celebrate Romero’s body of work. 
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Because now his vision (with Daniel’s help) is properly realized and what he wanted to say about the world and humanity, and everything in between is on display for all of us to enjoy. And thanks to an assist from the author’s note and the timeline established in the book, we can now watch these movies in a proper chronological order. Something that outright changes how you look at this entire series of films. Because watching all of them in a new and specific order, allow for this franchise to come together in a seamless and dynamic manner and that is going to open up a whole new world for fans of this saga. Because this gives them something new to pour over and discuss and straight up celebrate since everything feels complete and outright organic now.

But my joy doesn’t end with knowing that the story is finally complete. It is also present simply because, this new story and all the hype that it is receiving today, is going to pique curiosities and entice new fans to explore this terrifying yet fulfilling franchise. And truly, I envy those who are about to take this journey for the first time and experience the bevy of emotions that accompany that first viewing of Night of the Living Dead. Plus, they also get the honor of uncovering the deeper meaning that all of these stories feature and that too is an incredible experience. But above all else, what makes me happy about today is that the world is once again buzzing about a brilliant man, and his unique and powerful creation, and you can never go wrong with celebrating the work of a genius, especially one who always managed to capture the zeitgeist of the era.

However, I am also feeling a sense of gratitude today. Because I’ve been fortunate enough as a fan, to be able to see this franchise grow and evolve throughout the years and meet some of the folks that helped to assemble these incredible stories. And that’s just inspiring and exciting and none of that would be possible, without George’s dedication and passion to bring these films to life. So really, all I can do today is offer the late George Romero my thanks, for dreaming of a twisted universe that changed the landscape of cinema forever and inspired so many of us along the way. And I also need to offer Daniel Kraus thanks as well, for taking on the incredibly difficult task of wrapping this story up in a flawless manner. For at long last, this saga has come to a proper conclusion and while the dead may no longer walk after today, at least we have the satisfaction of knowing that we can revisit their horrifying world on a moment’s notice and bask in intelligent stories that still resonate after all these years.

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