Hey folks, Harry here... Ok, seems the FOX deal for the next Romero Zombie film fizzled out in regards - due to Romero sticking to his guns and demanding to be able to shoot the film he wishes to make... A-FUCKING-MEN!!! I got a rumor the other day that Guillermo DelToro was helping Romero pull together the financing this baby so we can finally see it... It looks like they've been successful... Meanwhile - get your ass to the next Romero presentation in New York this coming weekend and let's get further scoop... alright? Plus you'll get to see a damn good flick and a legend!
Hey Harry and Mori and Co.,
Just came back from the first day of a George Romero retrospective at the Museum of the Moving Image in New York City. Saturday was MARTIN, followed by the theatrical trailer for THE CRAZIES (which looks like it'll be a hoot to see with a live audience next weekend); and then the original NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD. After the last reel of NIGHT played, Romero himself came on stage to give a little talk/discussion.
Information gleaned from the sit-down with George-
Other than the 3 DEAD films, he lists MARTIN and KNIGHTRIDERS as his own personal favorites.
He has a profound distaste for CGI based horror--He doesn't mind if it's there to enhance the film but to base your film on it or around it is a big no-no.
When asked what recent horror films he has enjoyed, he was hard-pressed to mention even a couple. After a while he eventually listed: SIGNS (although he said he was disappointed with the man in rubber suit ending), CANDYMAN, and THEY LIVE (wherein he freely admitted that it wasn't really horror at all).
He said MARTIN was originally 2 hours and 45 minutes in length and that, unfortunately, that longer cut has long been lost.
He mentioned that "yes" he has been trying to get a 4th Dead film made for the last 4 or 5 years (with the much-reported plot-point of the Zombies representing the "homeless"). However, with the way things have gotten in America post-911, Romero said that the ideas surrounding a 4th film may wind up changing drastically from the "homeless" concept.
In regards to DAY OF THE DEAD's financing/budget, he said there were two options available to him at the time: 1) He would receive a 7 million dollar budget so long as he could bring the movie in with an R-rating; or 2) he could make the movie the way he wanted to make it, (i.e. way, way more graphic) with a 3 million dollar budget. He chose the latter option. In addition, he went on to say that the only things sacrificed by having the lower budget were some action set-pieces. The storyline/theme was essentially the same meaning not much would have changed from the final product that we did get.
On meeting Tom Savini (who is a former Vietnam war photographer) for doing Special F/X for MARTIN - Tom walks in one day to meet with George and his producer and says, "Hey, guys, check this out!" and proceeds to slash his arm with a straight razor in much the same way Martin does to his female victim in the opening train-sequence. George laughed after recalling the incident saying, "That's just the way Tom is."
That's all I can remember being said although I'm sure I'm forgetting a couple things. Anyway, for no particular reason at all, let me just recommend that if you haven't seen MARTIN (this was my first time seeing it) you really ought to try and track it down. If you're a lover of vampire films, you really owe it to yourself.
Cheers,
The Lost Optimist
