George A. Romero Quotes

Powerful George A. Romero for Daily Growth

About George A. Romero

George Andrew Romero, born on February 4, 1940, in New York City, was an influential American film director, writer, and editor, best known for his significant contributions to the horror genre, particularly in the realm of zombie films. Raised in a Jewish family with roots in Poland and Russia, Romero's love for cinema started at an early age, fostered by family outings to movie theaters. After completing studies at Carnegie Mellon University, Romero worked as a graphic artist while making short films on the side. His first feature-length film, "Night of the Living Dead" (1968), was initially made for just $114,000 and has since become a cultural touchstone of American horror cinema. The film's innovative approach to the zombie genre, portraying the undead as relentless, shambling horde rather than traditional movie monsters, set a new standard for the genre. Romero continued to explore themes of consumerism, social decay, and the human response to crisis in films such as "Dawn of the Dead" (1978), "Day of the Dead" (1985), and "Land of the Dead" (2005). His works often incorporated biting social commentary, with zombies serving as a metaphor for various societal ills. In addition to his enduring zombie series, Romero also directed "The Crazies" (1973) and the apocalyptic fantasy film "Knightriders" (1981). Romero passed away in 2017, leaving behind an indelible mark on horror cinema. His legacy continues to inspire new generations of filmmakers, with his innovative approach to storytelling, character development, and cinematic style remaining influential to this day. Quotes such as "The dead have stories to tell," encapsulate Romero's unique ability to breathe life into the undead while challenging viewers to confront their own mortality and the state of humanity in a crisis.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"The living have always been envious of the dead - they've no problems anymore."

This quote by George A. Romero suggests a perception that the deceased are envied because they are free from the struggles and complexities of life. The living, plagued by their own problems, may admire the peace and simplicity of the dead, even if it's only a superficial appreciation. This quote can be interpreted as a commentary on societal perceptions about death and the lives that follow it.


"When there's no more room in hell, the dead will walk the earth."

This quote by George A. Romero, from his iconic zombie film "Night of the Living Dead," is a metaphorical statement about social breakdown. It suggests that when society has depleted its capacity to contain societal ills (the "hell" of human flaws and mistakes), those problems will spill out into the world as destructive forces, symbolized here as the undead walking the earth. In other words, it implies that if we fail to address our issues, they may come back to haunt us in a more pronounced or chaotic manner.


"Horror films... they reflect the collective nightmares of a culture."

George A. Romero's quote suggests that horror movies serve as a mirror to societal fears, anxieties, and darkest concerns at any given time. They tap into the collective unconscious, reflecting cultural apprehensions about imminent threats or taboo subjects, often acting as a vessel for shared psychological catharsis. In essence, they provide a unique insight into the zeitgeist of an era through the prism of individual and societal nightmares.


"Monsters are anything but natural; they spring from the womb of human nature."

This quote by George A. Romero implies that monstrosity is not a product of nature, but rather it originates within human nature itself. The "monsters" he refers to could be literal creatures like zombies or figurative ones like bigotry, greed, or cruelty. Essentially, the quote suggests that our darkest fears and ugliest behaviors manifest from deep within us, reflecting humanity's capacity for both goodness and atrocity.


"If we're going to survive, we've got to learn to get along with the dead."

This quote by George A. Romero, renowned for his zombie films, symbolizes a call for understanding and cooperation in the face of adversity or change. In a literal sense, it refers to co-existing with the undead in his zombie apocalypse stories. However, metaphorically, it encourages us to adapt and collaborate with people who might previously have been seen as 'other' or 'enemy'. It suggests that in times of survival and struggle, we must learn to find common ground and work together, despite our differences, if we are to endure and thrive.


I have a very quiet life. There's nothing weird.

- George A. Romero

Weird, Nothing, Very, Quiet Life

I wanted 'Night of the Living Dead' to look naturalistic, but we weren't able to do it because we were shooting with a blimped 35mm camera, which is automatically static.

- George A. Romero

Living, Static, Which, Automatically

When I was old enough to go to movies alone, I got to see 'Frankenstein' and 'Dracula' on the big screen. I just fell in love with them.

- George A. Romero

Love, Big, Old, Frankenstein

I saw 'Dracula,' 'Frankenstein,' 'The Wolf Man,' 'The Invisible Man.' I saw all those guys on the big screen at RKO in the Bronx. I just always loved that stuff. I loved other stuff, too. That's the thing. That wasn't all I wanted to be.

- George A. Romero

Big, Other, Dracula, Frankenstein

'Night of the Living Dead,' then 'Dawn of the Dead' is a few weeks later, 'Day of the Dead' months later, and 'Land of the Dead' is three years later. Each one spoke about a different decade and was stylistically different.

- George A. Romero

Living, Decade, Each One, Stylistically

I grew up on the old EC comic books before the Comics Code in North American and with all sort of good-natured fun. I never had nightmares I think because all of the old horror stuff that I was exposed to was well meaning in a certain sense.

- George A. Romero

I Think, Code, Comic Books, North American

When we made 'Night of the Living Dead,' we got riddled. There was this famous article Roger Ebert wrote just blasting the film because he had gone to see it at some screening where there were all these kids in the audience. I don't know why that happened. We didn't make the movie for kids.

- George A. Romero

Some, Movie, Screening, Blasting

The horror films that I've made have been satirical in one way or another or political, and I really think that's the purpose of horror. I don't see that happening very often.

- George A. Romero

Think, Very, Films, Satirical

My zombie films were all sort of satirical, with political messages. So I was doing them inexpensively and quietly off in left field somewhere.

- George A. Romero

Political, Doing, Films, Satirical

I'm a Turner Classic Movies guy. That's it. I'd much rather sit here and watch an oldie than anything new.

- George A. Romero

New, Here, Rather, Turner

As movie monsters go, zombies are the most human. They were human at one time. So we are confronted with ourselves in a way, which is much more frightening and disturbing.

- George A. Romero

More, Movie, Which, Confronted

Collaborate, don't dictate.

- George A. Romero

Dictate, Collaborate

A zombie film is not fun without a bunch of stupid people running around and observing how they fail to handle the situation.

- George A. Romero

Stupid, Handle, Film, Stupid People

Nursery rhymes were political when they were first written! To me, that's what it's about: it's about using it to say something more than just what the story is.

- George A. Romero

More, Rhymes, Using, Nursery

There are so many factors when you think of your own films. You think of the people you worked on it with, and somehow forget the movie. You can't forgive the movie for a long time. It takes a few years to look at it with any objectivity and forgive its flaws.

- George A. Romero

Forgive, Own, Movie, Flaws

The most realistic blood I've seen is when Marlon Brando gets beat up in On The Waterfront.

- George A. Romero

Blood, Marlon Brando, Gets, Brando

I have a soft spot in my heart for the zombies.

- George A. Romero

Heart, Zombies, Spot, Soft Spot

I'm more alarmed by people reacting violently to the violence in my films than I am by the violence in films.

- George A. Romero

More, Violently, Films, Reacting

You just wish you could lobotomize yourself and just do a thing that's really on instinct. There's always a certain self-consciousness. And you worry about that.

- George A. Romero

Worry, Always, Could, Self-Consciousness

I didn't much care for the 'Dawn' remake. It was a well-made action movie but really wasn't anything like my 'Dawn Of The Dead.'

- George A. Romero

Dead, Movie, Like, Remake

I'd love to make a film like 'Pan's Labyrinth.'

- George A. Romero

Love, Like, Labyrinth, Pan

Pittsburgh, for a while, became a production centre. There was one $400 million year. Hollywood was bringing productions in there. Films like 'The Silence of the Lambs' and 'Innocent Blood.' So my guys, the guys I worked with, were able to have careers and live at home. But then it dried up, and a lot of my friends left.

- George A. Romero

Year, Hollywood, Became, Dried

When you are working with low budgets and you have a gunshot with a squib and it goes wrong - the gun flash does not synchronize with the squib or whatever - it takes half an hour or 40 minutes to clean it all up and reset it. It's much easier to use a computer to paint in the flash and splatter.

- George A. Romero

Gun, Use, Half, Flash

Comic books and radio were my escape. I even remember 3-D comic books where you put on the red-and-green glasses and Mighty Mouse would punch you in the face. It was the literature of the day for kids my age who were too bored with listening to 'Peter and the Wolf' on the record player.

- George A. Romero

Radio, Comic Books, Put, Mighty

If I fail, the film industry writes me off as another statistic. If I succeed, they pay me a million bucks to fly out to Hollywood and fart.

- George A. Romero

Hollywood, Statistic, Bucks, Writes

My stuff is my stuff. I do it for my own reasons, using my own peculiar set of guidelines.

- George A. Romero

Reasons, Set, Using, Peculiar

I go to conventions and universities and talk to young filmmakers and everybody's making a zombie movie! It's because it's easy to get the neighbors to come out, put some ketchup on them.

- George A. Romero

Some, Young Filmmakers, Conventions

I'm amazed. I go to these conventions, and the fans that come, sometimes my line goes all day.

- George A. Romero

Sometimes, Goes, Line, Conventions

I go to these horror conventions all the time, and these audiences get so deep into it. They've pulled apart every movie fifty ways from Sunday.

- George A. Romero

Deep, Movie, Horror, Conventions

For a Catholic kid in parochial school, the only way to survive the beatings - by classmates, not the nuns - was to be the funny guy.

- George A. Romero

Kid, Survive, Guy, To Survive

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