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What George A. Romero Meant to Horror and His Fans

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Just when you thought 2017 couldn’t suck any harder than it already does, we lose another massive legend. We lost George A. Romero today and I still haven’t processed it. I knew I wanted to write something for him but I found myself just staring at the screen wondering where to even start.

It’s easy for people to say, “He just made movies, why are you so upset?” We’re upset because he didn’t JUST make movies and his movies weren’t JUST movies. This man created a genre, a movement.  He made a community and a fandom. Whether you loved his movies or hated them, his legacy is undeniable.

The reason you think of flesh-eater when you think of a zombie is because of George A. Romero. Before him, zombies were the product of voodoo and magic. A stolen soul used to be a slave. He single handedly changed an entire genre. He’s the reason we have The Walking Dead. He’s the reason for any zombie walk you’ve ever been to and any zombie video games you’ve played. The father of flesh-eaters. He made the brain-eating, shambling, decomposing hordes that we know of as zombies today.

George A. Romero

Georgeo A. Romero and Stephen King. Image courtesy of Pinterest

I first encountered his work when I saw his collaboration with Stephen King for Creepshow as a child. It was one of the reasons I love horror so much. It was scary, goofy and gorgeous. It still gives me the creeps to this day. I then fell in love with Night of the Living Dead. I had old copies, new copies, copies with Elvira commentary. The combination of that movie and Resident Evil made me the zombie fanatic I am today. And the reason Resident Evil has flesh eaters is due to his creation of the entire genre!

I had the pleasure of meeting him almost a decade ago. I traveled to Texas just for the five minute interaction I would get with him. He was one of the nicest people you’d ever meet and always made time for fans. He never hurried them; never made them feel like just a number in line and always had some conversation and a smile when it was their turn to step up.

Many of you have read from us that he was making a new movie called Road of the Dead and the artwork was released less than two weeks ago. The fate of the movie is unknown at this time but I can only hope that Matt Birman continues what he and Romero started and was excited about. Part of me thinks that he knew this would be his last movie and wanted to go out doing what he loved and what he was known for.

George A. Romero

George with his daughter on the set of “Day of the Dead” with Howard Sherman. Image courtesy of OldPicturesArchive

When it was announced that he was making a new movie, so many people (myself included) were so damn excited. It has been so long since Survival of the Dead. Along with the excitement came the people who complained about how “his movies sucked” or how “he should have quit after Day of the Dead.” But if George A. Romero gave the naysayers anything, it was the opportunity to bitch about something at least, and it never bothered him in the slightest.

George A. Romero

Image by Anne Cusack /Los Angeles Times

His movies were important. Night of the Living Dead had a black lead in 1968! I remember listening to him talk about it. He said that he had the finally finished reel of film being transported in the trunk of his car when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was shot.

He used Dawn of the Dead to mirror the rise of commercialism in society and used The Crazies to talk about the Vietnam War and the distrust of the military during that time. Diary of the Dead zoned in on our dependency on technology. The list goes on…

I can’t even begin to describe how much this man will be missed by so many. He brought us together: to think, to dress up, to debate, to make friends, to be scared and to laugh. He touched so many lives not just as a filmmaker but as a person. From all of us here at iHorror and around the world…we’re going to miss you George A. Romero, so much.

George A. Romero

Image courtesy of Cinema Blend

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Childhood Memories Collide in New Horror Film ‘Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble’

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It looks like ITN Studious and Jagged Edge Productions are going the Avengers: Infinity War route with their upcoming film Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble. From the deranged mind of Rhys Frake-Waterfield (Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey) comes this belligerent mash up of beloved childhood icons.

According to an article out of Variety today, Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble will consist of Winnie the Pooh, Bambi, Tinkerbell, Pinocchio, Peter Pan, Tigger, Piglet, The Mad Hatter, and Sleeping Beauty. All of these iconic figured will be warped into nightmarish versions of their former selves. Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble is set to be released upon the world sometime in 2025.

Poohniverse

Actor-producer Scott Chambers (Malevolent) had the following to say about Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble. “As horror fans, we would love an Avengers that is all villains. It’d have Freddy Krueger, Jason, ‘Halloween,’ ‘Scream,’ all of those. Obviously that will never happen, but we can make it happen in our own little way, and that’s where this film has been born.”

Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble will be a part of The Twisted Childhood Universe. Just like the MCU, each character will first get a standalone film. After introductions are made, they will be reunited in an Avengers style film. Although they will be killing off the survivors from the previous films, they won’t be working together.

Chambers describes this as an “epic sequences of monster vs. monster.” And I don’t know what more fans could ask of the studio. This fantastical idea is a huge risk but Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble sounds amazing.

That’s all the information we have at this time. Check back here for more updates on Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble. If you haven’t already, check out the trailer for Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 2 below.

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Blumhouse’s ‘The Wolf Man’ Reboot Kicks Off Production with Leigh Whannell at the Helm

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Blumhouse Productions has officially commenced filming its reboot of the Universal Monsters legend, “Wolf Man”. Under the direction of Leigh Whannell, known for his acclaimed work on “The Invisible Man” (2020), the project promises to breathe new life into the iconic tale. The film is slated for a theatrical release on October 25th, marking a new chapter in the storied franchise.

Wolf Man

The journey of a “Wolf Man” reboot began in 2020 when actor Ryan Gosling presented a fresh take on the classic story to Universal. This concept quickly evolved into a screenplay crafted by the talented duo Lauren Schuker Blum and Rebecca Angelo, who are known for their work on “Orange Is the New Black,” alongside contributions from Whannell and Corbett Tuck. The narrative is set in contemporary times, drawing inspiration from the atmospheric tension of Jake Gyllenhaal’s “Nightcrawler,” albeit with a distinct supernatural twist.

The film has seen its share of directorial and casting shifts, with Whannell initially signing on to direct in 2020, only to step away and then return to the project after Ryan Gosling and director Derek Cianfrance exited. The lead roles have been filled by Christopher Abbott and Julia Garner, both of whom bring significant talent to the screen. Abbott portrays a man whose family faces the terror of a lethal predator, with Garner likely playing his wife, sharing in the familial peril. The storyline also hints at a daughter named Ginger, adding a layer of depth to the family’s harrowing experience.

Julia Garner and Christopher Abbott

This reboot represents a collaboration between Blumhouse and Motel Movies, with Jason Blum producing. Ryan Gosling remains involved as an executive producer, alongside Ken Kao, Bea Sequeira, Mel Turner, and Whannell himself. The announcement of the film’s production start was made by Jason Blum, who shared an exciting glimpse of Whannell on set, signaling the beginning of what is hoped to be a memorable addition to the horror genre.

As the “Wolf Man” reboot moves forward, fans and newcomers alike are eager to see how this modern interpretation will pay homage to its roots while offering a fresh and thrilling experience. With a talented cast and crew at the helm, the film is poised to reintroduce the timeless tale of transformation and terror to a new generation.

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‘Immaculate’ Stars Reveal Which Horror Villains They Would “F, Marry, Kill”

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Sydney Sweeney is just coming off the success of her rom-com Anyone But You, but she’s ditching the love story for a horror story in her latest film Immaculate.

Sweeney is taking Hollywood by storm, portraying everything from a love-lusting teenager in Euphoria to an accidental superhero in Madame Web. Although the latter got a lot of hate among theater-goers, Immaculate is getting the polar opposite.

The film was screened at SXSW this past week and was well-received. It also gained a reputation for being extremely gory. Derek Smith of Slant says the, “final act contains some of the most twisted, gory violence this particular subgenre of horror has seen in years…”

Thankfully curious horror movie fans won’t have to wait long to see for themselves what Smith is talking about as Immaculate will hit theaters across the United States on March, 22.

Bloody Disgusting says that the movie’s distributor NEON, in a bit of marketing smarts, had stars Sydney Sweeney and Simona Tabasco play a game of “F, Marry, Kill” in which all their choices had to be horror movie villains.

It’s an interesting question, and you might be surprised at their answers. So colorful are their responses that YouTube slapped an age-restricted rating on the video.

Immaculate is a religious horror movie that NEON says stars Sweeney, “as Cecilia, an American nun of devout faith, embarking on a new journey in a remote convent in the picturesque Italian countryside. Cecilia’s warm welcome quickly devolves into a nightmare as it becomes clear her new home harbors a sinister secret and unspeakable horrors.”

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