Raising the Dead: The Work of George A. Romero

Raising the Dead: The Work of George A. Romero by Adam Charles Hart

George A. Romero became a cult hero to horror fans around the world for making beloved masterpieces like Night of the Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead, but that success meant that, in the eyes of the film industry, that’s all he could ever make. But he was an endlessly creative, restless, hugely creative artist - writing and developing dozens of projects - dramas, goofy comedies, action epics, sci fi extravaganzas, westerns, mysteries, talky dramas, and, yes, horror - that never saw the light of day. 

Adam Charles Hart’s Raising the Dead: The Work of George A. Romero is the first book to survey the entirety of Romero’s creative output, including the massive collection of unproduced scripts and other writings discovered in his archive. This book details the most exciting, funny, insightful writing from the archive and follows Romero’s most persistent ideas as they find their way into new projects and, sometimes, into the familiar horror classics that fans have been watching over and over for decades. 

In the process, Hart provides a revelatory, inspiring new picture of Romero the artist - an artist who never stopped creating, even when the industry turned its back on him, and found himself repeatedly re-inventing the horror genre to make room for the movies he wanted to make. 

"A revelation! This exuberant celebration of horror icon George Romero examines his feature films but also offers an in-depth look at his thematic aspirations beyond horror, his unfinished work and his myriad side projects, shedding light on a film artist's many unrealized dreams in the bruising industry of moviemaking. Hart's depiction of Romero's perseverance elevates this narrative to a commentary on the artistic struggle itself and leaves the reader enlightened, inspired and consoled." -- Larry Fessenden, filmmaker

"The best book on Romero I've ever read -and I've read them all. This is the study I've always dreamed of, one that upends what I know, educates me, and challenges me. Hart's miracle is taking what should be bittersweet subject matter - Romero's voluminous unproduced work- and making it nothing short of inspiring." -- Daniel Kraus, New York Times bestselling author of Angel Down and Whalefall

ISBN: 978-0197686485
Oxford University Press
Paperback, 256 Pages



Related Items


Sign up for our Mailing List

Receive occasional emails about sales, special events, and shenanigans.