Horror maestro George A. Romero's reign of zombie terror continues with DIARY OF THE DEAD (his latest sequel to his directorial debut NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD), which you can check out on DVD in a couple of weeks. But how does it stack up with the rest of his work?

George A. Romero

Genre of choice:
Horror

Filmography:
Night of the Living Dead (1968)
There's Always Vanilla (1971)
Season of the Witch (1972)
The Crazies (1973)
Martin (1977)
Dawn of the Dead (1978)
Knightriders (1981)
Creepshow (1982)
Day of the Dead (1985)
Monkey Shines (1988)
The Dark Half (1993)
Bruiser (2000)
Land of the Dead (2005)
Diary of the Dead (2007)

The Best

1. DAWN OF THE DEAD - George Romero's beloved follow-up to NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD is easily the best zombie movie ever made, and redefined how people approached the genre. It's got the intelligence to match its abundance of blood and guts.

2. NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD - This low budget black-and-white classic is possibly the most influential horror flick of all-time, and although the acting isn't always the best, its greatness still holds true today.

3. MARTIN - Forgoing the standard vampire mythology, George Romero crafts a clever and creepy tale of a man who may be a vampire... or may just be an insanely disturbed individual who drinks peoples' blood. In my opinion, this is Romero's only truly great film outside of his zombie classics.

The Worst

1. DIARY OF THE DEAD - Appallingly bad. LAND OF THE DEAD may not have been great, but it was at least better than this stupid gimmick-driven and horribly acted entry in Romero's zombie series. If you want a movie that handles the handheld camera concept well, see CLOVERFIELD.

2. BRUISER - Bleak, ugly, and altogether ineffective, this straight-to-DVD flick from Romero (dealing with a man who's been pushed too far over the edge) feels like a sorry retread of much better movies.

3. MONKEY SHINES - Simply put, this film (which deals with a paralyzed man's helper monkey that becomes increasingly violent) is boring. It takes too long to get going, and once it does, there's hardly anything of interest to see. The only redeeming quality is the unbelievably gruesome ending.

Hidden Gem(s)

There are definitely a couple unknown movies that can be found on Romero's filmography (such as THERE'S ALWAYS VANILLA, which is a romantic comedy if you can believe that, and SEASON OF THE WITCH), but it's debatable how good they are.

Style/Trademarks

Social Commentary - This is Romero's primary trademark, next to of course his fascination with the zombie genre. His films almost always feature some sort of satire and/or commentary on modern society and the ills that plague while also dealing with extraordinary/supernatural events up close and personal. For example, many have noted DAWN OF THE DEAD as being a satire on consumerism.

News - Romero's work often has TV/radio news broadcasts playing the background.

African American Heroes - Romero frequently casts African American actors as the leads for his films, going against the stereotypical "black man dies first" cliché often found in horror films.

Pittsburgh - Romero sets many of his films in or around Pittsburgh.

Behind the Camera

Beginning his career with short films and commercials, Romero was inspired to work in the horror genre following a segment he did for Mister Rogers' Neighborhood in which Mr. Rogers underwent a tonsillectomy.

After directing a live action commercial for the Resident Evil 2 video game, Capcom contacted Romero in regards to directing the first RESIDENT EVIL movie. Though he initially declined, he eventually wrote a highly praised script treatment that would later be rejected by the studio in favor of Paul W.S. Anderson's far more teen-friendly screenplay.

Romero worked on a comic book series titled The Death of Death for DC Comics, which was based on an unused script that had been written as a sequel to his DEAD trilogy.

Romero had a cameo in THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS as one of Hannibal Lecter's jailers.

Romero's top ten films are: The Brothers Karamazov, Casablanca, Dr. Strangelove, High Noon, King Solomon's Mines (1950), North by Northwest, The Quiet Man, Repulsion, Touch of Evil, and his all-time favorite, The Tales of Hoffman, which is the film that made him want to make movies.

Upcoming Projects

Despite Romero not having given a definite "yes" yet, it's been announced that he'd will be doing a follow-up to DIARY OF THE DEAD.

Overall

George A. Romero certainly established a name for himself after creating a landmark in horror cinema history with his DEAD trilogy, but outside of that it seems he hasn't been able to craft much of worth (though many would argue me on that). Even his two new additions to his zombie series have been curiously average, with his most recent (DIARY OF THE DEAD) being arguably the worst film in his filmography. Personally, I wish he would just call it quits now.

What are your favorite/least favorite George A. Romero films? Submit your choices in the Strike Back section below!