Steel City Undead: Ranking the Best George Romero Films

Let’s start with a controversial pick: released in 2007, Diary of the Dead was Romero’s fifth entry into his beloved Dead series, and it was also the follow-up to 2005’s Land of the Dead, the second wave of Romero zombie films and notably the first one not to be shot in Pittsburgh. 

While Diary is far from the most innovative or groundbreaking work in Romero’s filmography, I still solemnly believe it’s far too underrated. If nothing else, its use of the found footage format anticipates our own obsession with documenting every moment of our lives on social media. 

Maybe Romero was a victim of his own zombie success, and that’s why this film doesn’t get more love, but if you haven’t watched it lately (or ever), I’d recommend giving it a shot.

Another potentially controversial choice, especially since I’m leaving other fan favorites like The Crazies and Martin off the list altogether. This is also the only non-horror film to make the cut. But exactly how does one describe Knightriders? 

It’s basically the Camelot legend set at a modern-day Renaissance Faire in which everyone behaves as though it’s truly medieval times. That, however, does not do justice to this strange and wondrous film. A perfectly cast Ed Harris stars as the King Arthur stand-in, as he battles to keep his place as his troupe’s leader. 

Did I mention there are motorcycle jousts? By turns hilarious and touching, Knightriders is one of the most offbeat entries in Romero’s filmography and absolutely one that you should watch immediately.

It’s a thoroughly tough decision to rank the seminal and genre-reinventing Night of the Living Dead all the way down the list at number five. But it’s a testament to the strength of Romero’s films that there could be four other titles that could go toe-to-toe with his original zombies. 

So much has been said about Night of the Living Dead over the years. It’s instantly recognizable; the performances—especially from Judith O’Dea and Duane Jones—hold up all these years later; and the nihilistic ending will haunt you long after the credits roll. 

It even produced a very cool (and underrated) remake in 1990, directed by Tom Savini. While it’s not at the top of my own personal list, Night remains one of the greatest horror movies ever made, and with Halloween coming up in a couple months, be sure to put it on your seasonal rotation. It will forever deserve a place in our horror hearts.

A scathing indictment of American consumerism, Dawn of the Dead takes zombies to the mall and explores what it means to be part of a culture that’s dangerously shallow and disposable. Romero sometimes received criticism from so-called mainstream critics that his themes were not subtle, but for anyone living through 2026, there’s not much subtlety when it comes to what’s happening around us. 

Romero instinctively understood that and never held back when it came to his commentary. For truly devoted fans, The Living Dead Museum, which is devoted to Romero’s legacy, is currently located inside the Monroeville Mall where Dawn was shot. 

Alas, Wal-Mart recently bought the whole property, and it appears that it will be demolished in the coming years, so if you want to visit, then definitely get it on the calendar as soon as possible before a piece of horror history is lost forever.

Growing up, when it came to horror movies, I wasn’t necessarily a kid who scared easy. I adored Universal and Hammer horror, and I remember watching Halloween for the first time when I was way too young (and I loved every minute). 

So when I say that Creepshow petrified me when I saw it in elementary school, you can bet that it was a formative (and even mildly traumatizing) genre experience. In particular, it was “The Crate” segment in which a college professor discovers a very unusual specimen living under a university stairwell. That being said, there’s not a weak entry in the film. 

From a very gruesome Father’s Day cake and a bizarre grass that won’t stop growing to cockroaches in a high-rise apartment and drowned lovers returning from the dead, each segment offers its own unique horror charms. It’s not much of a stretch to call this the greatest horror anthology film of all time, and we’ve got Romero to thank for that.

Years ago, before I’d ever seen Season of the Witch, I asked someone who claimed to be something of a horror cinema expert about it. He sneered and disregarded the film as being awful and pointless. That individual was entirely wrong. 

When I finally had a chance to see Season of the Witch, it was at a screening in Pittsburgh, and there was even an introduction from Suzanne Desrocher Romero, who sadly passed away recently. That indelible memory will stay with me, because the film that followed blew all my expectations out of the water. 

I like to call Season of the Witch one of the most feminist films ever directed by a man, because this is basically the perfect intersection of horror and second-wave feminism. An unhappy, abused Pittsburgh housewife slowly discovers her own power when she joins other local witches. The result is a dizzying emotional kaleidoscope that could have only come out of 1970s America. 

This film would make a fantastic double feature with Anna Biller’s The Love Witch, so conjure up a bewitching night and check out both movies. They are absolutely worth your time.

This list started out with a controversial pick, so let’s end it the same way. Yes, I do wholeheartedly feel that Day of the Dead is not only the best Romero zombie film but also simply the best Romero film of all time. 

Perhaps it’s because I’m such a huge advocate for the underdog, or maybe it’s just because this film is another vastly underrated entry in Romero’s canon. Lori Cardille as Dr. Sarah Bowman is worth the price of admission alone, but the supporting cast, which includes Greg Nicotero, Terry Alexander, and John Amplas, is top-notch as well. 

Exploring themes of militaristic overreach and PTSD, this film is sadly more relevant than ever, and every time I watch it, I get something new from it. An absolute classic from start to finish.

Feature Image: Film still from Dawn of the Dead 1978