The zombie apocalypse — or at least the man who invented it — is invading San Jose this Halloween.
Cosmic-Con, the events division of Famous Monsters, has announced that their Halloween Bash will host George A. Romero, the father of modern zombie movies, for the upcoming 40th anniversary of DAWN OF THE DEAD (1978) and the 50th anniversary of the black and white classic NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1968).
Many credit Romero with kickstarting the current perception of zombies as the shambling, moaning, post-mortem creatures that crave human flesh — a take in opposition to earlier associations with cults and voodoo. The modern “living dead†craze and pop culture obsession with the “zombie apocalypse†can also be traced back to Romero’s classics.
“All zombie fanatics, whether their obsession be RESIDENT EVIL, THE WALKING DEAD, or WORLD WAR Z, should give thanks to George Romero,†explains FM Editor Holly Interlandi. “NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD was truly the first of its kind, and DAWN OF THE DEAD refined and defined the zombie genre. Monsterdom owes as much to Romero as it does to Lon Chaney and Boris Karloff.â€
NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD was made for less than half a million dollars in the rural backwoods of Pennsylvania, and it still awes to this day. DAWN OF THE DEAD was also filmed on a microscopic budget, then wowed audiences with its scares, social commentary, and gory special effects courtesy of makeup maestro Tom Savini.
For DAWN OF THE DEAD’s 40th anniversary, Romero will appear alongside three of the film’s main cast members: David Emge, Scott H. Reiniger, and Gaylen Ross.
Previously announced Halloween Bash guests include HELLRAISER’s Doug Bradley, RE-ANIMATOR’s Jeffrey Combs, GREMLINS’ Zach Galligan, and ASH VS. EVIL DEAD’s Ray Santiago.
For more information and to buy tickets, visit https://www.famousmonstershalloween.com/.
