George Romero Brings the Dead to Life

Born: February 4, 1940
Most Frightening Movies: Night of the Living Dead (1968), Martin (1977), Dawn of the Dead (1978), Day of the Dead (1985), Diary of the Dead (2007)
Why He Scares Us: This legendary writer-director is a master of horror, most noted for his zombie flicks full of dark humor and social commentary. His creative vision could not be suppressed by a minuscule budget when he made his first film, Night of The Living Dead, a movie that reinvented the horror genre and spawned his famed Dead series. Romero, who was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Association of Latino Independent Producers in 2007, has a massive cult following and has inspired many in the industry, including Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright, the creative team behind the spoof Shaun of the Dead. He has said that he is a little bit of an unknown in Hollywood, but for avid horror fans this only adds to his appeal.
Quotable: “I remain interested in the phenomenon and the genre [zombie films]. You can almost revisit it any time you want. If you have something to say about what’s going on in the world, you can do it with zombies.”