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Conversations With Filmmakers Series
George A. Romero: Interviews
George A. Romero (b. 1940) has achieved a surprising longevity as director since his first film, Night of the Living Dead (1968). After recently relocating to Canada, he shows no signs of slowing up: his recent film Survival of the Dead (2009) is discussed in a new interview conducted by Tony Williams for this volume, and still other films are awaiting release. Although commonly known as a director of zombie films, a genre he himself launched, Romero's films often transcend easy labels. His films are best understood as allegorical commentaries on American life that just happen to appropriate horror as a convenient vehicle. Romero's films encompass works as different as The Crazies, Hungry Wives, Knightriders, and Bruiser.
The interviews in this collection cover a period of over forty years. In whatever format they originally appeared--the printed page, the internet, or the video interview--these discussions illustrate both the evolution of Romero's chosen forms of technology and the development of his thinking about the relationship between cinema and society. They present Romero as an independent director in every sense of the word.
The interviews in this collection cover a period of over forty years. In whatever format they originally appeared--the printed page, the internet, or the video interview--these discussions illustrate both the evolution of Romero's chosen forms of technology and the development of his thinking about the relationship between cinema and society. They present Romero as an independent director in every sense of the word.
- GenresNonfictionFilm
216 pages, Paperback
First published July 7, 2011
About the author
Tony Williams
8 booksTony Williams, Carbondale, Illinois, is a professor of English and area head of film studies in the English department at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. His recent books include The Cinema of George A. Romero: Knight of the Living Dead and John Woo's Bullet in the Head.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
September 5, 2014
This collection of interviews edited by Tony Williams will be of particular interest to Romero fans: Williams’s previous work includes the critical study The Cinema of George A. Romero: Knight of the Living Dead (Wallflower Press, London, 2003) and the acclaimed study of family in the horror film, Hearths of Darkness (Associated University Presses, London, 1996). The interviews in this collection cover a period of over forty years – from 1969 to 2010 – spanning Night of the Living Dead to Survival of the Dead. The interviews illustrate the various stages in Romero’s career with the majority covering the years from 1973 to 1982 – arguably Romero’s richest period creatively.
Three of the interviews are conducted by Prof. Williams himself (including one taken especially for the book). Many are rare and difficult to find, including an important one from 1979 by Williams, Robin Wood and Richard Lippe at the Toronto Film Festival retrospective of horror films (the event for which Wood wrote his landmark essay, The American Nightmare). Also included is a Paul R. Gagne interview from 1985 - Gagne’s The Zombies That Ate Pittsburgh (Dodd Mead, 1987) still being the most comprehensive book written on Romero – and two interviews by Dennis Fischer, who wrote the influential Horror Film Directors (McFarland and Co, 1991), including one previously unpublished that covers Bruiser.
There is much here for fans and scholars alike: Romero talks openly about the themes in his films (intriguingly, he speaks of Night as an allegory as early as 1973), about his artistic methods and his (often painful) experience in the film business. He is sometimes wary about pinning specific interpretations on his films but his commitment to social commentary is clear and consistent throughout. As critical appreciation increases over the years so do the quality of the interviews: those taken around 1982 show the director at the height of his powers, in complete command and knowing exactly what he wants to say. However, readers seeking the definitive Romero political ‘statement’ may be disappointed: when Robin Wood asks Romero his attitude to the possibility of social change, Romero by no means rejects notions of social engagement but says he doesn’t think of his work primarily in such terms; the desire to change society might be present but is not a primary conscious motivation. Instead of glib answers, what we get from Romero – in both his films and interviews - is the sense of his working through a complex set of ideas about society, the individual, communication and responsibility. This process is on-going and subject to refinement as each interview – and film - proves, but the themes themselves remain consistent and coherent.
Prof. Williams presents each interview in full with no evidence of editorial tinkering. At times this means some repetition; many of the interviews rehash Romero’s background and Night of the Living Dead. This also makes the featured chronology and filmography seem a little redundant. Romero scholars may experience déjà vu at times. Parts of the interviews, for example, have been quoted by Gagne in The Zombies that Ate Pittsburgh. Land of the Dead is under-represented: only a short piece is included which even then is more an article than an interview. This seems a bit slim considering the importance of Land as Romero’s return to the screen after several years away. Having said that, the interviews covering Romero’s experience in Hollywood 'developmental hell' prior to Land are particularly fascinating, detailing as they do his failed projects such as The Mummy and Resident Evil.
Prof. Williams omits an afterword from the collection; presumably so that more interviews can be added in future editions. Let’s hope that this is the case. Romero seems to have more films in him – Let’s hope he gets the chance to make them.
Three of the interviews are conducted by Prof. Williams himself (including one taken especially for the book). Many are rare and difficult to find, including an important one from 1979 by Williams, Robin Wood and Richard Lippe at the Toronto Film Festival retrospective of horror films (the event for which Wood wrote his landmark essay, The American Nightmare). Also included is a Paul R. Gagne interview from 1985 - Gagne’s The Zombies That Ate Pittsburgh (Dodd Mead, 1987) still being the most comprehensive book written on Romero – and two interviews by Dennis Fischer, who wrote the influential Horror Film Directors (McFarland and Co, 1991), including one previously unpublished that covers Bruiser.
There is much here for fans and scholars alike: Romero talks openly about the themes in his films (intriguingly, he speaks of Night as an allegory as early as 1973), about his artistic methods and his (often painful) experience in the film business. He is sometimes wary about pinning specific interpretations on his films but his commitment to social commentary is clear and consistent throughout. As critical appreciation increases over the years so do the quality of the interviews: those taken around 1982 show the director at the height of his powers, in complete command and knowing exactly what he wants to say. However, readers seeking the definitive Romero political ‘statement’ may be disappointed: when Robin Wood asks Romero his attitude to the possibility of social change, Romero by no means rejects notions of social engagement but says he doesn’t think of his work primarily in such terms; the desire to change society might be present but is not a primary conscious motivation. Instead of glib answers, what we get from Romero – in both his films and interviews - is the sense of his working through a complex set of ideas about society, the individual, communication and responsibility. This process is on-going and subject to refinement as each interview – and film - proves, but the themes themselves remain consistent and coherent.
Prof. Williams presents each interview in full with no evidence of editorial tinkering. At times this means some repetition; many of the interviews rehash Romero’s background and Night of the Living Dead. This also makes the featured chronology and filmography seem a little redundant. Romero scholars may experience déjà vu at times. Parts of the interviews, for example, have been quoted by Gagne in The Zombies that Ate Pittsburgh. Land of the Dead is under-represented: only a short piece is included which even then is more an article than an interview. This seems a bit slim considering the importance of Land as Romero’s return to the screen after several years away. Having said that, the interviews covering Romero’s experience in Hollywood 'developmental hell' prior to Land are particularly fascinating, detailing as they do his failed projects such as The Mummy and Resident Evil.
Prof. Williams omits an afterword from the collection; presumably so that more interviews can be added in future editions. Let’s hope that this is the case. Romero seems to have more films in him – Let’s hope he gets the chance to make them.
August 19, 2011
If you love the zombie genre, you know who George A. Romero is. If not? Shame on you! My finger wagging aside, this is a great set of interviews that awesomely chronicles his work in the film industry (and in chronological order, too!). I had a blast reading through these, since so many of them had been hard to find on my own the further back you go pre-internet. So if you love the zombie genre, you should definitely pick up this book to learn a little more about the man that basically breathed new un-life into the mythological creature that is now so prevalent in western pop culture.
What I love most about these interviews is Romero’s blatant honesty about how rough the film industry really is in terms of the creative process – everywhere from the very beginning with even writing the most basic of screenplays to the post-production editorial process. It’s a fascinating look at the place behind the curtain that the industry doesn’t really like yanking back too often, and it shows the tenacity of one man through over forty years of making movies. If anything, it makes me love Romero and his work even more, and it educated me on the finer points of industry politics that I had no idea even went on before reading.
It also gave me the full breadth of his filmography, with films I had no idea that he had a hand in making. So it’s wonderful to have some fresh (for me, anyway) material to work with to watch for inspiration and fun in the future. Romero is funny, intelligent, and refreshingly honest about all of it – most of all, his own feelings about the industry and the filmmaking process. It takes balls to talk about these things honestly, and I respect him for that.
So if you’d like to learn more about our zombie overlord and master Romero, pick up this read. I think it might break the fiction monotony that this summer has provided, and get you a little more excited about the genre in general.
(posted to goodreads and witchoftheatregoing.wordpress.com)
What I love most about these interviews is Romero’s blatant honesty about how rough the film industry really is in terms of the creative process – everywhere from the very beginning with even writing the most basic of screenplays to the post-production editorial process. It’s a fascinating look at the place behind the curtain that the industry doesn’t really like yanking back too often, and it shows the tenacity of one man through over forty years of making movies. If anything, it makes me love Romero and his work even more, and it educated me on the finer points of industry politics that I had no idea even went on before reading.
It also gave me the full breadth of his filmography, with films I had no idea that he had a hand in making. So it’s wonderful to have some fresh (for me, anyway) material to work with to watch for inspiration and fun in the future. Romero is funny, intelligent, and refreshingly honest about all of it – most of all, his own feelings about the industry and the filmmaking process. It takes balls to talk about these things honestly, and I respect him for that.
So if you’d like to learn more about our zombie overlord and master Romero, pick up this read. I think it might break the fiction monotony that this summer has provided, and get you a little more excited about the genre in general.
(posted to goodreads and witchoftheatregoing.wordpress.com)
February 21, 2026
Let me start by saying that George A Romero is my all-time favourite movie maker. For me, the original Night of the Living Dead (1968) was more than just a grainy, no-budget film, it was an epiphany, a 'holy shit' moment, as it showed the way in which modern horror can be dragged kicking and screaming away from cobweb-strewn gothic crypts and into the modern era. It was my first real exposure to fantastical horror grounded in gritty realism, a nightmare in a real world where happy endings aren't always an option. As if that wasn't enough, Romero then went on to redefine the vampire myth with Martin (1977), a masterful contrast of gothic romanticism and bloody reality.
This book gives a glimpse at the man behind the nightmares, with a series of chronological interviews, spanning decades, from the young upstart behind NotLD to the elder statesman behind Survival of the Dead. Throughout all, there's a recurring theme that lays bare his self-effacement and self-deprecation, portraying an everyman who was just happy to be doing what he did, who was just grateful to get the job done before his funding ran out. There's also some pride on show at Romero's ability to buck the Hollywood machine, to create something solid, enduring and massively influential without playing the game. That same self-effacement left me with a pang of sadness however, as the interviews within also show a true visionary a master of his craft who genuinely seemed to have limited to no understanding of just how influential he truly was.
A must-read for any Romero fans.
This book gives a glimpse at the man behind the nightmares, with a series of chronological interviews, spanning decades, from the young upstart behind NotLD to the elder statesman behind Survival of the Dead. Throughout all, there's a recurring theme that lays bare his self-effacement and self-deprecation, portraying an everyman who was just happy to be doing what he did, who was just grateful to get the job done before his funding ran out. There's also some pride on show at Romero's ability to buck the Hollywood machine, to create something solid, enduring and massively influential without playing the game. That same self-effacement left me with a pang of sadness however, as the interviews within also show a true visionary a master of his craft who genuinely seemed to have limited to no understanding of just how influential he truly was.
A must-read for any Romero fans.
September 27, 2023
This book contained 20 interviews with filmmaker George A. Romero conducted between 1969 and 2010. I read them one at a time over the course of this month.
For the most part I really enjoyed this! It did feel a little repetitive at times, since no matter what film he was working on they wanted to talk about his “… of the Dead” series, too!
My read through inspired our last date night, though. We had a movie night at home with a Romero double feature: Monkey Shine and The Crazies! 🎬🍿
For the most part I really enjoyed this! It did feel a little repetitive at times, since no matter what film he was working on they wanted to talk about his “… of the Dead” series, too!
My read through inspired our last date night, though. We had a movie night at home with a Romero double feature: Monkey Shine and The Crazies! 🎬🍿
May 11, 2026
love this guy gotta watch more of his movies. he’s always on top of the culture with his movies and it’s interesting to hear him talk about moments in the culture in the past and then personally relate them to today
December 30, 2021
Very interesting if your a movie buff or fan of George A Romero, some great insight into his films from the man himself! RIP Papa G! Xxx
September 21, 2011
I've been a huge fan of George Romero since I saw my very first "of the Dead" movie and I went into George A. Romero: Interviews believing I knew a lot about the man and his films. I learned a lot during the course of my reading, not all of it as good as I would have hoped.
No doubt, George A. Romero: Interviews contains a wealth of information. The book doesn't contain all of Romero's interviews over the years, but it does contain a variety from different mediums. I loved getting to know Romero better, learning how he viewed films (both his own and others) and Hollywood in general. Surprisingly, he doesn't come off nearly as personable as he's generally believed to be. Never rude, he doesn't seem to be one to mince words and gives off a very hardcore honesty vibe. He has no qualms about pointing out that actors and actresses he's worked with aren't very talented. It seems mean, but it's refreshing in the current media saturation of directors and producers that do nothing but praise the people they work with even when the public knows they aren't being truthful.
The problems with volumes of this nature are to be expected. Topics are rehashed ad nauseum. People who conduct interviews could do a little more to come up with unique questions. Romero was asked about the budget for Night of the Living Dead in almost every interview and honestly, how many different ways could he answer the question? Another question asked repeatedly was if he went with black and white when filming Night of the Living Dead out of artistic choice or financial necessity. The difference here was the answer varied from interview to interview, giving no definitive answer. In early interviews, Romero claims he chose black and white purposely, while in more recent interviews he admits he had no choice given his budget. Different answers to the same questions pop up more than once, which makes sense given the decades that passed between interviews, but it will be obvious and confusing to the reader.
Honestly, George A. Romero: Interviews made me like the man a bit less. At times he comes off as sort of self-important and egotistical. He's never less than cordial to the interviewer, but some of his responses don't make him sound like the easiest person to work with. You don't need to be a nice person to be a spectacular filmmaker, but fans may become disenfranchised to see a man they idolize think so highly of himself.
I can't possibly know how many times Romero has been interviewed over the years, but I have to question the choice of interviews included in this book. The editor had to realize that certain topics were being covered repeatedly to the point of annoyance. One would assume there had to be other interviews out there that could have been chosen instead. George A. Romero is an interesting collection, but not exactly the most enthralling read.
No doubt, George A. Romero: Interviews contains a wealth of information. The book doesn't contain all of Romero's interviews over the years, but it does contain a variety from different mediums. I loved getting to know Romero better, learning how he viewed films (both his own and others) and Hollywood in general. Surprisingly, he doesn't come off nearly as personable as he's generally believed to be. Never rude, he doesn't seem to be one to mince words and gives off a very hardcore honesty vibe. He has no qualms about pointing out that actors and actresses he's worked with aren't very talented. It seems mean, but it's refreshing in the current media saturation of directors and producers that do nothing but praise the people they work with even when the public knows they aren't being truthful.
The problems with volumes of this nature are to be expected. Topics are rehashed ad nauseum. People who conduct interviews could do a little more to come up with unique questions. Romero was asked about the budget for Night of the Living Dead in almost every interview and honestly, how many different ways could he answer the question? Another question asked repeatedly was if he went with black and white when filming Night of the Living Dead out of artistic choice or financial necessity. The difference here was the answer varied from interview to interview, giving no definitive answer. In early interviews, Romero claims he chose black and white purposely, while in more recent interviews he admits he had no choice given his budget. Different answers to the same questions pop up more than once, which makes sense given the decades that passed between interviews, but it will be obvious and confusing to the reader.
Honestly, George A. Romero: Interviews made me like the man a bit less. At times he comes off as sort of self-important and egotistical. He's never less than cordial to the interviewer, but some of his responses don't make him sound like the easiest person to work with. You don't need to be a nice person to be a spectacular filmmaker, but fans may become disenfranchised to see a man they idolize think so highly of himself.
I can't possibly know how many times Romero has been interviewed over the years, but I have to question the choice of interviews included in this book. The editor had to realize that certain topics were being covered repeatedly to the point of annoyance. One would assume there had to be other interviews out there that could have been chosen instead. George A. Romero is an interesting collection, but not exactly the most enthralling read.
September 15, 2011
Let's see, 40 years' worth of interviews with movie director/writer, George A. Romero? Yes, please.
This book has a short introduction and the rest is just interviews, some better than others, but since the interviews span 40 years, it's a great read because you see how Romero grows as an artist plus, you see how he really sticks to his independent roots. The interviews are entertaining to read, but this isn't a book you just sit down and read for hours because it gets a bit tedious reading the same/similar questions over and over. I treated it a bit like a devotional, I'd read one interview in the morning with my coffee. This seemed to work well in that the reading of it went from being a chore to being kind of charming.
If you're a Romero fan, movie buff, or love reading about older movies I'd reccommend this one.
This book has a short introduction and the rest is just interviews, some better than others, but since the interviews span 40 years, it's a great read because you see how Romero grows as an artist plus, you see how he really sticks to his independent roots. The interviews are entertaining to read, but this isn't a book you just sit down and read for hours because it gets a bit tedious reading the same/similar questions over and over. I treated it a bit like a devotional, I'd read one interview in the morning with my coffee. This seemed to work well in that the reading of it went from being a chore to being kind of charming.
If you're a Romero fan, movie buff, or love reading about older movies I'd reccommend this one.
November 8, 2013
This book collects different reviews with Romero, spanning about 40 years. It’s interesting to see how his thoughts and outlook change over the years. Frustratingly tantalizing, though, are the glimpses into what could have been. An adaptation of The Stand, for example, or a take on Burroughs’ classic Tarzan tales.
An interesting read for Romero fans, though some of the interviews do tread the same ground.It’s interesting to see Romero start out as the indie auteur, then enter a lengthy period as an outsider in development hell, and then finally get the respect he deserves.
An interesting read for Romero fans, though some of the interviews do tread the same ground.It’s interesting to see Romero start out as the indie auteur, then enter a lengthy period as an outsider in development hell, and then finally get the respect he deserves.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews