cover image The Zombies That Ate Pittsburgh: The Films of George A. Romero

The Zombies That Ate Pittsburgh: The Films of George A. Romero

Paul R. Gagne. Dodd Mead, $14.95 (236pp) ISBN 978-0-396-08520-1

Gagne, a producer and director of children's films and a film and fantasy writer, incorporate into this survey articles published originally in Cinefantastique magazine on the life and career of Pittsburgh independent film director George Romero. Romero began making movies with 8mm. equipment at the age of 14, later studied theater and art at Carnegie Tech and then formed Latent Image to produce commercials and industrial films. After his first feature, Night of the Living Dead, came sequels, his collaboration with Stephen King on Creepshow and, currently, the syndicated Tales from the Darkside series. Gagne reveals various special effects and makeup tricks used by Romero (""arms and legs taken from mannequins . . . were covered with a blistered `flesh' made from Silly Putty'') and introduces many of Romero's friends and associates. Combining their memories with Romero's own insights, the author creates a biographical portrait that captures the director's drive and determination and ``the spirit of the troupe'' that works on his films. The book includes a listing of films, videocassettes, novelizations and sound-track recordings, and features eight pages of color photos and 100 black-and-white shots. (June)