"Martin" (1977)

If you asked George A. Romero, right now, what his favorite film that he made is, what would you guess? Night of the Living Dead (my guess, FYI)?  Dawn of the Dead?  Nah-- instead, it's Martin, a psychological thriller of sorts that deal with vampires, not zombies.  Martin is a young, deranged man who believes that he is a vampire.  He knocks his victims, usually hot young women, out with a syringe full of narcotics, slices them up, and drinks their blood.  Fun times, eh?  When he goes to live with his superstitious granduncle, he attempts to hide his urges.  Needless to say, Martin is not quite successful.....

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Martin can be rented via Netflix or you can buy it directly from Amazon.  Before you do, however, check out the official trailer:



P.S. Romero originally wanted this film to be shot in black and white for more ambiance.  His producers, however, insisted that it be in color so that more people would want to see it.

P.S.S. This movie was originally 2 hours and 45 minutes long.  Romero was forced to cut it down.

"Night of the Living Dead" (1968)

Words cannot describe the love I have for the original Night of the Living Dead (and I say "original" only because there was a truly unfortunate remake from the 90's... yuck!).  As George A. Romero's first film, and the granddaddy of all zombie-themed exploits, the story revolves around a group of survivors who huddle together in a deserted farmhouse to hide from, well, the living dead.  Apparently, while our generation focuses on zombies being the result of a nasty virus, they were originally caused by an out-of-control satellite orbiting the earth and bringing the dead back to life (anybody care to do a sociology project on that theme?).  Best of all, the hero in the movie was African-American, which had not been done before.

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You can watch Night of the Living Dead instantly on Netflix, or you can add this classic to your collection from Amazon.  Check out the following trailer, too, for a taste (no pun intended) of the film:



P.S. The filmmakers of Night of the Living Dead were deemed "Satanically-inspired" by certain religious groups.  I guess we know who got the last laugh....

P.S.S. Night of the Living Dead was one of the first films to actually feature a violent death on the big screen.  Additionally, it was one of the most successful independent films of all time!

"The Crazies" (1973)

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George A. Romero, the director of The Crazies, is undoubtedly best known for his zombie franchise, consisting of Night of the Living Dead, Day of the Dead, and Dawn of the Dead.  However, this little gem from 1973, at least in my opinion, is actually one of his best works.  Basically, the film deals with a small Pennsylvania town that gets hit with a major bomb-- literally.  A top secret, government-made bioweapon is released on the villagers, which results in them experiencing severe mental instability, homicidal rages, and all other issues that involve crazed people.  While not exactly zombies, you cannot ignore how close the resemblance that these villagers have to their undead counterparts.

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Grab The Crazies from Amazon or Netflix-- just make sure it isn't the 2010 version, which obviously, like nearly every remake, paled in comparison to this original.  Don't believe me?  Check out the following trailer:



P.S. The opening scene involves the burning down of a house by a crazed father.  Actually, a real house was burned down for this-- the local fire department was planning on burning down the abandoned home for practice, and allowed Romero to film them.