Due to the genre's typically disturbing subject matter and often metaphorical motifs, assessing the appeal of any given horror film is highly subjective. However, most horror fans can name a few films that have undoubtedly influenced the genre.
For example, Collider recently published a ranking of the "four most important horror films that define the genre," which included «The Exorcist » 1973, «"Psycho"» 1960 and «The Silence of the Lambs »", released in 1991. The film took first place on the list «Night of the Living Dead» 1968, filmed George A. Romero . According to the publication, fans of zombie films and TV series can thank «Night of the Living Dead» for creating several stereotypes associated with the undead.
The film "Night of the Living Dead"« received a 95 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes and 89 percent on Metacritic.
George A. Romero stated that he did not intend for the creatures in Night of the Living Dead to be zombies.
Although «Night of the Living Dead »"While often considered the best zombie film, Romero, who died in 2017 at age 77, admitted that he actually thought the creatures in the film were "ghouls.".
«"I thought I was creating a completely new monster. You see, the neighbors suddenly turned into flesh-eaters, into ghouls. And that's what I call them in the film. And I thought they were completely new," the director said in an interview. Grolsch Global in 2013.
He clarified that he started calling these creatures zombies in the sequel. «Nights of the Living Dead », «Dawn of the Dead »", which premiered in 1978. He also explained that it wasn't until "the second film" in the creepy franchise that he established that the undead monsters were wandering souls rejected by Hell.
«"'When there's no room left in hell, the dead will walk the earth,' and that was actually the tagline for the second film, when I finally gave in and decided to call them zombies," the director said.
This article was originally published by Parade on June 4, 2026, in the Entertainment section. Add Parade to your list of recommended sources by clicking here.