(Photo by United Film Distribution, Universal, Weinstein Company / courtesy Everett Collection)
All George A. Romero Movies Ranked by Tomatometer
George A. Romero’s first movie, Night of the Living Dead, released in 1968, walloped the country with its black-and-white dread and gore; infused with progressive casting and social commentary, it single-handedly created the modern-day zombie genre. His final movie — Survival of the Dead, released 2009 and eight years before his death — had, well, not quite the same impact, but discloses Romero’s lifelong commitment to the zombie revolution he spearheaded. The movies he made in-between these two Deads represent a visionary’s rocky but tenacious journey through the industry, frequently compromised or pigeonholed, but true to a drive to shake up the conventions of horror.
Night of the Living Dead took the space-age hopes of a nation on the cusp of landing on the moon and cut it to ribbons, fashioning an ambiguous backstory of a downed space craft whose radiation transforms the freshly deceased into mindless flesh-hungry shamblers. Romero was keen to quickly climb out of the horror genre pit, releasing rom-com There’s Always Vanilla in 1971, and then drama Season of the Witch in ’73, whose distributor chopped out 40 minutes and marketed as softcore. Both films have gone little-seen since.
With his talents apparently unwanted outside of horror, Romero returned to the genre and filled out the rest of the ’70s with his best streak of movies: virus-based The Crazies, vampire deconstruction Martin, and the legendary Dawn of the Dead. With this Night of the Living Dead sequel, Romero took a maximalist approach: More social commentary, more characters, more action, and, of course, much more gore. The effects had people literally blowing their tops off. We call it the #1 zombie movie you must see.
Dawn‘s success gave Romero enough cred to make one last go at it outside horror: Knightriders, a 2.5-hour personal drama about a troupe of Reniassance Faire-esque moto-performers. Romero, still one of the biggest names in horror even in the ’80s age of the slasher, collaborated with the biggest name in literary horror, Stephen King, for anthology Creepshow. 1985’s Day of the Dead took aim at the human psychological breakdown that came with living in the undead post-apocalypse, concluding his ultimate at-the-time trilogy of zombie cinema.
Romero then entered big studio production with Monkey Shines for Orion Pictures, which balked at the movie’s initial long runtime, and were desperate for a hit. (They didn’t get one.) He collaborated with Dario Argento for 1990’s Two Evil Eyes, each adapting Edgar Allan Poe, before making Dark Half for Orion, which was still desperate for a hit. (They still didn’t get one.)
It’d be seven years before Romero’s next film, Bruiser. And then five years after that for Land of the Dead, a highly credible return to zombie land after two decades away, working with his biggest budget ever. He would stay among the Dead for the rest of his career, following Land with found-footage reboot Diary of the Dead, shot in his native Pittsburgh area, where he set a majority of his films. Survival came out two years after that.
In 2019, The Amusement Park was released after a single festival screening in 1975. Originally made between The Crazies and Martin, Park ended up with the strongest reviews of Romero’s films. And now, we pay tribute to the godfather of zombies by ranking all George A. Romero movies by Tomatometer! —Alex Vo
#1
Adjusted Score: 105079%
Critics Consensus: A blunt yet visceral depiction of society's treatment of the elderly, The Amusement Park sees George A. Romero exploring a different -- yet still chilling -- type of terror.
Synopsis: Recently discovered and restored 46 years after its completion by the George A. Romero Foundation and produced by Suzanne Desrocher-Romero,...
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#2
Adjusted Score: 105909%
Critics Consensus: George A. Romero's debut set the template for the zombie film, and features tight editing, realistic gore, and a sly political undercurrent.
Synopsis: A ragtag group of Pennsylvanians barricade themselves in an old farmhouse to remain safe from a horde of flesh-eating ghouls...
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#3
Adjusted Score: 96805%
Critics Consensus: One of the most compelling and entertaining zombie films ever, Dawn of the Dead perfectly blends pure horror and gore with social commentary on material society.
Synopsis: As hordes of zombies swarm over the U.S., the terrified populace tries everything in their power to escape the attack...
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#4
Adjusted Score: 93894%
Critics Consensus: George A. Romero's contribution to vampire lore contains the expected gore and social satire -- but it's also surprisingly thoughtful, and boasts a whopper of a final act.
Synopsis: Young Martin (John Amplas) is entirely convinced that he is an 84-year-old blood-sucking vampire. Without fangs or mystical powers, Martin...
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#5
Adjusted Score: 90776%
Critics Consensus: Day of the Dead may arguably be the least haunting entry in George A. Romero's undead trilogy, but it will give audiences' plenty to chew on with its shocking gore and scathing view of society.
Synopsis: The living dead regroup above while humans (Lori Cardille, Terry Alexander, Joseph Pilato) sweat it out below in a Florida...
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#6
Adjusted Score: 81600%
Critics Consensus: George A. Romero's latest entry in his much-vaunted Dead series is not as fresh as his genre-inventing original, Night of the Living Dead. But Land of the Dead does deliver on the gore and zombies-feasting-on-flesh action.
Synopsis: In a world where zombies form the majority of the population, the remaining humans build a feudal society away from...
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#7
Adjusted Score: 80666%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Billy (Ed Harris) is the undisputed leader of a roving band of hardened bikers who support themselves by jousting at...
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#8
Adjusted Score: 78011%
Critics Consensus: Tense, nicely shot, and uncommonly intelligent, The Crazies is a horror remake that, unusually, works.
Synopsis: Anarchy reigns when an unknown toxin turns the peaceful citizens of Ogden Marsh into bloodthirsty lunatics. In an effort to...
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#9
Adjusted Score: 27770%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: A milquetoast (Jason Flemyng) awakens with a white, featureless face that enables him to kill without detection those who wronged...
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#10
Adjusted Score: 72391%
Critics Consensus: It's uneven, as anthologies often are, but Creepshow is colorful, frequently funny, and treats its inspirations with infectious reverence.
Synopsis: A compendium of five short but terrifying tales contained within a single full-length feature, this film conjures scares from traditional...
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#11
Adjusted Score: 64143%
Critics Consensus: The Dark Half is a highly serious psychological study that can be faulted for being more curious than actually scary.
Synopsis: Thad Beaumont (Timothy Hutton) has had success writing novels under both his real name and his pseudonym, George Stark, which...
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#12
Adjusted Score: 65806%
Critics Consensus: As Diary of the Dead proves, time hasn't subdued George A. Romero's affection for mixing politics with gore, nor has it given him cinematic grace or subtlety.
Synopsis: While on location filming a horror movie, a group of college students find themselves overrun by zombies, and ultimately end...
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#13
Adjusted Score: 63791%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Directors Dario Argento and George Romero adapt Edgar Allan Poe's "The Facts About Mr. Valdeman" and "The Black Cat."...
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#14
Adjusted Score: 55218%
Critics Consensus: While not one of horror legend George Romero's more evolved efforts, Monkey Shines delivers enough primal fear to satisfy more forgiving genre enthusiasts.
Synopsis: Athlete Allan (Jason Beghe) becomes quadriplegic after a horrific traffic accident. His friend Geoffrey (John Pankow), who is conducting experiments...
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#15
Adjusted Score: 32047%
Critics Consensus: Survival of the Dead offers glimmers of Romero's savage wit, but not nearly enough to make up for his unusually uninspired directing and a lack of new ideas
Synopsis: Zombies have taken over the world, and a ragtag band of soldiers led by Sarge Crockett (Alan Van Sprang) roams...
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