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Uncle George

The Departure of a Legend

By A.R. MarquezPublished 6 years ago Updated 3 years ago 6 min read
Top Story - October 2017
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I always knew this day would come. No one is infinite. Everyone bends the knee to the "God of Death" at some point in their chain of existence. But this one is a little different.

Some find it silly that others take celebrity deaths personally. I admit that I find it strange at times too. However, the lasting impression that our artists, filmmakers, athletes, etc. leave us is anything but silly. Their personal endeavors are shared for the masses to see. We live vicariously through these efforts, personalizing and rationalizing each moment. And in some ways, our idols live vicariously through us. Enjoying the moment of inception—the feeling of being brought back to the infancy of the efforts.

George A. Romero

Probably my favorite picture of George. On the set of his zombie masterpiece, Day of the Dead (1985).

It is no secret, to those who know me, that George A. Romero was my favorite filmmaker of all-time. I worshiped his entire filmography (no matter how inane or silly his efforts may have been) and was called a "Romero Apologist" due to these reasons. I’ve been discriminated against because of how young I am/was and basically told my opinions do not matter because I wasn’t there to watch the films when they were originally released in theaters. I guess I can apologize for the fact that my parents didn’t conceive me when they were preteens so I can see the world through older and “wiser” eyes. I never and will never apologize for being a fan of his films. Every new Romero film was an opening into his fantastic world. A world he built and shaped via the era and time of our own world. A new Romero film meant that he was able to continue being a visionary and make his indelible mark on an impressionable audience.

A Young Me

Try and spot: Paragon Gates of Hell Big Box slip, the Thriller Big Box of Dr. Butcher M.D., Paragon Nightbeast slip, Embassy Mausoleum slip, and the Rollerblade New World slip!

I've been into horror films for quite a long time. I grew up during an era where DVDs were nonexistent, laserdisc was the next best thing, Beta was nowhere to be found, and VHS reigned supreme. My great-grandmother (RIP) was a film fanatic. Weekend trips consisted of VHS hunting at flea markets and swap meets as well as pit stops at nearly every video rental store in town. We amassed a HUGE collection. Literally over two thousand tapes of many genres… but mostly horror. Having this library of film at my leisure, I was able to peruse without a care and watch whatever I wanted. Shelves upon shelves of fantastic worlds awaited me. And I consumed with reckless abandon.

A Young Me Part II

The collection in its infancy.

One of my earliest confirmed memories happened when I was 4 years old. Scanning our massive library, I happened upon 2 films that changed my life forever. I remember taking both films back with me to my room (the VCR was my “tablet”) and having a feeling of trepidation... like I was doing something wrong. These films were heavy with ambiguity. Although I had never seen them before, I knew I was going to be thrown into a cacophony of visionary insanity.

The first film I watched from that double feature was Sam Raimi's The Evil Dead which I had as a Thorn/EMI clamshell VHS. Silly and juvenile by today's standard, this film was about as insane and maddening as you can get for a 4-year-old. The gore, demonic howling, tree rape... it was all there to brutalize the innocence of a toddler. I was freaked out. But I had a great time being thrown into those woods with the man I wanted to be when I grew up, Bruce Campbell. My sense of humor owes a lot to BC to this day.

'The Evil Dead' Clamshell on Thorn/EMI

Photo Credit

The second movie of that night forever changed my perception of film, of humans, of make-believe, of life: George A. Romero's Day of the Dead (Media Home Entertainment slipcase). I admit freely, as I should, that Romero's social commentary flew by me at lightning speed. I had no idea what sort of idealism or political righteousness Romero was trying to convey... the film was a garish nightmare. Even the talky parts where visceral and haunting. I was grateful that my dad was nothing like Capt. Rhodes.

George A. Romero's Day of the Dead Media VHS Slip

Photo Credit

The film was slick with gore. I had never seen anything like it in all of my 4 years of existence (and to this day that premise still remains). One of the parts that stands out the most is Miguel's death scene. Although I don't believe it to be the most gruesome of the film, the tears he streams from his eyes as the zombies tear him apart were enough of a validation for me.

The images of Day of the Dead were imprinted into my consciousness for a long time that night. And as time went on, I grew a sweeping admiration for it. I watched it every chance I could get. I stumbled across Tom Savini's Scream Greats a few years later. Watching the movie magic tricks that went into the film gave me chills. It didn't take anything away from the universe I was immersed in. It made me want to watch it again!

Scream Greats Vol. 1 is still not on DVD/Bluray! :(

Romero's filmography was simultaneously purge by me as the years went on. I discovered nearly every one of his film before I was in the 2nd grade. My grandmother satiated my hunger for Romero by renting/buying as many of his films as we could find. Every swap meet/flea market trip became a Romero film hunt. The Zombies That Ate Pittsburgh was one of my earliest books as a kid (the other was Jeffrey Cooper's The Nightmare on Elm Street Companion). I started collecting Fright Flicks (yes I ate the gum) and every Day of the Dead trading card was pinned to my wall in a sort of blood-spattered shrine. Even the doubles found their way! It got to where I was removing my Bo Jackson posters and VHS ads torn from catalogs to make room for an invasion of zombies.

As time went on, my grandmother moved on to what I like to call, The Beyond (thanks Fulci). And with her passing, our collection fell into the hands of others. One by one, each tape was wrenched out of my hands and out of my life. I don’t have many tapes left from that era. But I have all the memories shared with my grandmother and George. With Romero passing, it felt like losing a family member…maybe akin to a great uncle who liked to tell you scary stories and play tricks on you when the power went off.

I met George when I was 4 years old. And with his visions of hell on earth, my personality was forever molded. I am who I am today because of my viewing of Day of the Dead. I have the friends that I have, write the stories that I write, have the aspirations I carry, and shed these tears that I shed because of George.

I knew this day was coming. No one is infinite. Everyone bends the knee to the God of Death at some point in their chain of existence. Except George.

RIP George…until you walk again.

Art by BJSinc - DeviantArt

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About the Creator

A.R. Marquez

A.R. (Adam Ray) Marquez was born and raised in California.

He writes and publishes poetry, true crime, fiction, and genre film reviews.

PERSONAL IG = @BlackDeathPublisher

PUBLISHER IG = @AtraMorsPublishing

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