Examines George A. Romero's regional production company Laurel Entertainment and its contribution to American cinema Reframes key academic analysis on auteur filmmaking, cult horror and independent cinema from an industrial perspective Integrates business and economic theory to provide a new paradigm for understanding American film production practices Offers a unique close study of a regional American production company specialising in horror content Presents the first academic analysis of Laurel Entertainment and independent film producer Richard Rubinstein Draws upon original interviews with George A. Romero and his collaborators George A. Romero is recognised as one of the most culturally significant horror auteurs in American cinema. From his debut Night of the Living Dead onwards, he demonstrated a commitment to politically challenging low-budget genre cinema, gaining fan adoration and critical esteem. Romero's cult status may be assured, but the activities of the Pittsburgh-based production company that facilitated a substantial part of his output have largely been untold. George A. Romero's Independent Cinema is the first in-depth analysis of Romero's Laurel Entertainment, revealing the decision-making and business planning that takes place away from Hollywood, while offering an industry-determined analysis of such films as his zombie masterpiece Dawn of the Dead and the seldom-discussed Martin and Knightriders. Tracking Laurel Entertainment across four decades, this book draws upon business and economic studies to critically recast historical developments in the American independent film sector, providing a forensic-level insight into a media production company whose output redefined horror cinema.

The dead walk. Putrid corpses claw their way out of earthy graves and stumble towards civilisation. They are bloody, rotting, and hungry for human flesh - and it's all George Romero's fault. With 1968's Night of the Living Dead Romero unleashed the modern zombie onto cinemas, annihilating their voodoo roots and resurrecting them as passed away friends and dead loved ones. Its sequel, the zombies in a mall masterpiece Dawn of the Dead, took Romero's apocalyptic nightmare further. Its frank depiction of bloodshed changed horror cinema forever and paved the way for such recent offerings as Shaun of the Dead and 28 Days Later. But there is more to Romero than just the living dead. He reinvented the vampire in Martin, took on the American military in The Crazies and has collaborated with horror legend Stephen King on both Creepshow and The Dark Half. Even today films like Land of the Dead have proven Romero to be a fearless anti-establishment filmmaker. He's a maverick, a man who frequently directs outside of the Hollywood mainstream, allowing his films to work as both chilling frightfests and impassioned comments on the American psyche. This Pocket Essential examines Romero's work up to and including his latest Diary of the Dead and explains why filmmakers Quentin Tarantino and Martin Scorsese often refer to him as horror's greatest living director.

George A. Romero is recognised as one of the most culturally significant horror auteurs in American cinema. From his debut Night of the Living Dead onwards, he demonstrated a commitment to politically challenging low-budget genre cinema, gaining fan adoration and critical esteem. Romero's cult status may be assured, but the activities of the Pittsburgh-based production company that facilitated a substantial part of his output have largely been untold. George A. Romero's Independent Cinema is the first in-depth analysis of Romero's Laurel Entertainment, revealing the decision-making and business planning that takes place away from Hollywood, while offering an industry-determined analysis of such films as his zombie masterpiece Dawn of the Dead and the seldom-discussed Martin and Knightriders. Tracking Laurel Entertainment across four decades, this book draws upon business and economic studies to critically recast historical developments in the American independent film sector, providing a forensic-level insight into a media production company whose output redefined horror cinema.