[Uncensored Downloadable] Creators Unite Magazine Issue 06 THE FLESH & BLOOD ISSUE by Creators Unite

Creators Unite 06 F&B Issue

Darlene C. Deever Editor-in-Chief & Publisher Roy Bheer Executive Editor Emilie Flory Creative Director Tony Newton Editor-at-large Christopher Zisi Editor-at-large Christopher Bourez Lorenza Florida Editor / Translator Kelly B Editor-at-large Eric Alfonsi Business Development Director Charlotte Trends Community Manager AStyanaX Graphic Designer Dub Meter Ex-Echo

Chantal Handley Sooz Webb Jim Towns Andrew David Barker Richard Mogg Dustin Ferguson Jason Figgis Kieran Johnston Lydia Buckley Proofreader Nikki Brett Correspondent Patricia Lelievre Correspondent Berglind Palsdottir PR Specialist Biscuit C Translator

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EDITORâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S LETTER

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Dear reader(s), To start 2019, we chose to offer you an exceptional issue that pushes back the limits of creation: with this issue 06, we try out new features more targeted and more technical (Tech Secrets) so that you can delve into the trade secrets of work and discover unconventional universes such as the firearms universe. Creators are used to building bridges between remote areas, to mix techniques or use elements that seem unrelated to art. Thanks to them, we discover that there are no boundaries between the subjects and passions we all have. Art feeds on life and we bring you here a publication made of flesh and blood featuring the fascinating Kurando Mitsutake who restores the prestige that is currently lacking to the Cinematographic Art. Mitsutakeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s brilliant work is first of all, both in substance and form, a violent and aesthetic shock. His films refrain from nothing as you will see in our restricted Screening Room 106 (the whole topic is available in our downloadable uncensored issue). A Flesh & Blood issue also had to give to Caesar what belongs to him and we chose to pay an exclusive homage on our pages to George A. Romero, the father of the zombies, Creator among the creators if there ever was one. You will find this tribute before our last section Supertreat, a new concentrate of pure and simple fun. Our issue 06 also features the winner of the Art & Horror Creation Award Contest 2018. This year, Chantal Handley was elected most innovative artist of the year. If you want to vote for your favorite artist or enter the 2019 competition, please, visit our Patreon and Facebook pages where you will find all our terms and conditions. Our wish is that you should enjoy even more reading us;-)

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Creators Unite 06 F&B Issue

TABLE OF CONTENTS

P. 002 Masthead P. 003 Editor’s Letter P. 006 The Studio: AHCA Contest: Chantal Handley most innovative artist of the year P. 012 Exclusive: Starfucker award winning 60s To Die Film [available exclusively in Creators Unite] P. 014 Highlight: Wait Wait Wait by Cai Xu Kun 蔡徐坤

P. 017 MASTERS AT WORK : WEBTALK | SH O W R O O M | TECH SECR ETS | SCR EEN IN G RO O M 106 (+18)

Special Feature dedicated to Kurando Mitsutake’s work

by Christopher Zisi, Sooz Webb, Christopher Bourez, Emilie Flory & Roy Bheer

▪ WEBTALK: Interview with Kurando Mitsutake by Christopher Zisi ▪ TECH SECRETS: Gun Woman Gun Critic by Christopher Bourez & Emilie Flory [SH O O TIN G PR ACTICE | GU N FIG H T | GU N PSYCH O LO G Y | SP ECIAL Q & A | AR SEN AL ]

▪ SHOWROOM: Reviews by Sooz Webb & Christopher Zisi ▪ THE SCREENING ROOM 106: Restricted Photo Exhibition (+18)

©︎ Fukuzo Productions ©︎ Kurando Mitsutake ©︎ MAXAM, Inc. ©︎ Torin and Jumpei Tainaka

Special Tribute to George A. Romero by Tony Newton, Jim Towns, Dustin Ferguson

Jason Figgis, Andrew David Barker, Richard Mogg, Kieran Johnston & Chantal Handley

P. 254 SUPERTREAT by Emilie Flory, Christopher Bourez, Roy Bheer & Nikki Brett - The Sound of Desire: Majid Jordan’s All Over You | Robyn’s Honey | Flume's Remix of Disclosure's You and Me | Klangkarussell feat. Will Heard Sonnentanz | Crazy Sexy Show: Totally Crazy unities in one dazzling show the quintessence of the CR A Z Y ’s most iconic acts! | Mouthwatering Art: Jessica Dance Textile Artist/Model Maker/Prop Stylist | Robot Goddesses: SO P H IA | JIA JIA | MA R K 1 | EM M A | HA R M O N Y P. 279 Shocker: Mariko Denda | SAMURAI AVENGER: THE BLIND WOLF ©︎ Kurando Mitsutake (+18) Creators Unite 06 F&B Issue

THE STUDIO

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THE STUDIO

Creators Unite Magazine is proud and delighted to announce that the winner of the Art & Horror Creation Award is the great horror & surf artist Chantal Handley, designed most innovative Creator/Artist of the year. For her outstanding cover and artworks published in Creators Unite, Chantal received our golden certificate award and the AHCA 2019. An exhibition dedicated to her work will follow soon on the pages of the magazine. For the Flesh and Blood issue we asked Chantal, to tell us more about her work and stunning achievement, here is for you an appetizer of the vision of this remarkable artist and gorgeous woman. “If you are a horror fan, then chances are you know or have seen my pastel artworks! I’m originally from Nottingham, England but have lived and worked in Australia since 1990. I am qualified graphic artist and animator, graduating from the Queensland College of Art with a Bachelor of Animation from Griffith University. I found I would much prefer to direct my time and energies in to the traditional arts and bring to life the wonderful, fearsome creatures that inspire me. I love the faces of horror movies, frozen in terrifying smiles, screams or stares, from the demonic vampire of Fright Night to the possessed Regan that haunts everyone who has seen the Exorcist. I regularly attend Comic-Con and Supa Nova across Australia each year and my work has been featured in publications and publishing houses in the U.S. and Europe. My fully illustrated horror art book with KE N S IN G TO N GO R E PU B L IS H IN G will be released later this year (2019).”

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THE STUDIO

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THE STUDIO

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THE STUDIO

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Our next contest begins in March. You can vote, support our creators and/or enter into the competition. For more information visit our Patreon Page. If you want to be featured, contact us through our website, or email us by clicking on the Email Icon. Get ready, the next winner may be you!

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EXCLUSIVE

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EXCLUSIVE

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HIGHLIGHT

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HIGHLIGHT

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ADVERT MEDIA KIT

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MASTERS AT WORK WEBTALK

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Photo by Jumpei Tainaka

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Interview by: Christopher Zisi | Visual Conception: Emilie Flory & Roy Bheer | Photos Courtesy: ©︎ FukuzoProductions, ©︎ Kurando Mitsutake, ©︎ MAXAM, Inc., ©︎ Torin and Jumpei Tainaka. It is no secret that the Cinematographic Art has lost its splendor: it no longer causes the same enthusiasm since filmmakers, the real ones, those who have a vision and know how to practice their art, have been kept away from the new production and distribution systems that have now become monstrous, due to their uniformity and short-termism. These systems render inoperative the great producers, the connoisseurs and enthusiasts who move heaven and earth to bring out real artists and masterpieces. The audiences are still enjoying themselves with disposable “art” that the system throws them to anesthetize them, but a powerful resistance is now developing. “Life isn't a support system for art. It's the other way around.” said Stephen King... The seventh art is no longer an art, or very little if anything: it is still an art among the independent filmmakers and artists who are ignored by State agencies and right-thinking authorities. The underground, independent system… This is where art is hiding and regenerates itself, thanks to a few hotheads who resist against all odds. Kurando Mitsutake is one of those filmmakers, one of these exceptionally talented creators. Passionate, humble and incredibly human and warm, he knows perfectly well his work in addition to having great technique. His films carry within themselves the great human themes that also dwell in us all. Creators Unite 06 F&B Issue

MASTERS AT WORK WEBTALK

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MASTERS AT WORK WEBTALK Kurando Mitsutake is not a star that everyone knows, but he's a superstar for movie fans who praise him to the skies (they all have at least one of his films in their film library). Watching a movie of Kurando Mitsutake is a shock similar to those you could receive in viewing a Romero or a Hooper movie. Mitsutake is a great among the greats. We had the chance to speak with him in order to deliver you here two exclusive interviews, a few analyses of his films and an incredible photo exhibition of his work, prepared in close collaboration with him. You will find it after an amazing Q&A about the art of firing which he treated us with! We hope you enjoy. Emilie Flory

Christopher Zisi: Spaghetti westerns… 70s exploitation films… Kung Fu epics… you and I have the same tastes, I’m so sorry we have never met. Have you always been fans of these genres? Many of your revenge themed plots seem taken right out of Sergio Leone spaghetti westerns, but you don’t merely make a western… you combine all of the above genres for a bloody good time… is this just straight from the mind of Kurando Mitsutake… or is there a careful and deliberate choreographing of several genres? Kurando Mitsutake: Thank you Chris. Yes, I’m an avid genre film fan. I’m a product of the 80’s rental video shop culture. The 80’s were the era when the B-movie big bang happened. I watched all kinds of cult movies growing up, so definitely Spaghetti westerns, 70’s exploitation films and Kung Fu epics are in my DNA. Sergio Corbucchi, Sam Pekinpah and Bruce Lee are some of my filmmaking idols. My other big influence comes from Japanese Manga comic books. Legendary Manga artists like Go Nagai, Mikiya Mochizuki and Osamu Tezuka are in my blood too.

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MASTERS AT WORK WEBTALK So, I think the stories I like to tell – such as my previous work, Samurai Avenger, Gun Woman and Karate Kill– are sort of hybrid mixtures of cult genre movies and cult Manga comic books. I guess that would be the summary of my narrative. CZ: Asami is an amazing actress, and her performances are often rigorous and extreme. I’ve seen her in Iron Girl, some Lust of the Dead films, and of course Gun Woman and Karate Kill. Did she find you or did you find her? How do you sell Asami on Gun Woman? When you read her the role, was she aghast or did she crack a slight smile? I trust she will be in your future films too. KM: Asami is a force of nature. She is a natural born performer. I was introduced to her by a stunt coordinator friend of mine. We were at a wrap party of a movie this guy was the fight choreographer for. Since I admired her performances on Noboru Iguchi san and Yoshihiro Nishimura san’s work, I was very happy to meet her. Then we were invited to a fan convention in Germany together. When you are stuck in an airplane for 13 hours or so, you become fast friends. It was actually on the return flight to Narita back from Düsseldorf, I pitched the idea of Gun Woman to her. The moment I finished telling her the story, she said “I need to play that character. I’m the only one who can play her.” Asami was in love with Gun Woman from the day zero. Unfortunately, earlier this year, Asami has announced she will be retiring from acting. But I secretly hope to entice her back to performing if I ever get a go to do Gun Woman 2. CZ: When going after a monster, it helps to become a bigger monster. I love that theme. Your protagonists in these revenge films, whether it be the blind swordsman, or the mastermind in Gun Woman, are all haunted and determined. We are on their side in their quests for revenge, but boy do they make us gasp.

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MASTERS AT WORK WEBTALK Your protagonists often become bigger monsters, and that is just fine with us… does that tell us something about who we are? Are your films a mirror in which we have an opportunity to take a look at ourselves and who we really are and apt to become? KM: Thank you. I believe, revenge should only be performed by a person who’s willing to go to hell for that act. So, when you gain such a conviction for your act, you have to become some kind of a monster. I think what I’m trying to symbolize with this narrative motif is the fragility of the border between good and bad. I mean look at Trump America. So, divided. Someone’s good is someone’s bad. I like the saying “everyone is fighting a battle you don’t know about.” Everybody has his or her background stories. So, some assholes might have really good reasons why they are that way. CZ: Your bad guys are also extreme. The 18-year-old boy who blows away his classmates and teachers for no reason, or the rich son of a Japanese industrialist who is into murder and necrophilia. Or Flesher… he doesn’t just rape and kill the Blind Wolf’s beautiful wife… he starts eating her. Are these monsters mere extremes that play well in exploitation films or spaghetti westerns… or are they fair metaphors for what we (as Americans… but probably not limited to us) have come to tolerate as acceptable in our society? KM: My bad guys are super bad for me to make sure that absolutely all of my audience members hate them. To put them on the same team to lure for our protagonists. Since we have such a rich history of exploitation films – from Dirty Harry’s Scorpio to I saw The Devil’s’ Jang Kyung-Chul – in short, we’ve pretty much seen every kind of bad guy. So, you have to go the extra mile to make your bad guys really bad, to make them memorable.

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MASTERS AT WORK WEBTALK CZ: In Samurai Avenger: The Blind Wolf, a few minutes into the story the opening credits roll with the help of three bikini and go-go boot clad ladies. Brilliant! If someone ever films my autobiography, that’s how I want my story to begin. This wasn’t just for gratuitous thrills. How did you decide to introduce your film that way… was everyone on board (actresses who were the dancers, your assistants, etc.)? KM: To tell you the truth, what I wanted to do with the opening title sequence with Samurai Avenger, was a James Bond-ish credit sequence. Dancing girls with a cool theme song. But we did it in an ultralow budget way. The Japanese girl in the silver bikini, Chikako Omura, was the choreographer and all the dancers had a blast shooting the scene. The blue bikini girl, Jenny Mullaney, became one of my regular cast members. She’s in Gun Woman and Karate Kill also. CZ: I have featured 1011 films on my blog since 2013, Gun Woman is one of a handful of films that gets several hits a day. Are you aware of the popularity of Gun Woman and if so, what do you attribute it to? KM: I feel that my second feature Samurai Avenger introduced me to the international genre film scene with the festivals and distributions. Then my third feature Gun Woman secured my place in the scene. It is distributed in over 15 countries and for the US, a genre giant SH O U T FA C TO R Y distributed it so it has created some buzz and following. I really appreciate this because Gun Woman definitely was my passion project. CZ: East meets West… or so it appears in many of your films. On the surface, East seems to be the good guy and West seems to be the perverted antagonist? I’m guessing there is more to it than that… can you talk about this?

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MASTERS AT WORK WEBTALK KM: For all my features except the first one, the financing came from Japan. Essentially, they are Japanese films that were shot in the States. Therefore, the good guys are from the East. In the near future, I would love to work with American producers and American money, and make a movie with an American protagonist who goes to Japan and faces off with some bad Japanese guys. CZ: Perusing the credits of your films, you seem to have a loyal following of actors, actresses, and crew. I’m guessing there is a bit of a family dynamic here, as well. Is there a synergy among all of you or is Kurando the mastermind with an obedient and submissive following? KM: No one in the film Industry is obedient and submissive, so no I do not have such a following. But I like working with familiar faces quite a bit. For low budget filmmaking, time is the most valuable thing. And if you work with the cast and crew you’ve worked with before you can save a lot of time because we already know each other from the previous one you did together. I think this is the reason you see many family dynamic-esque teams working together a lot. CZ: I’m guessing your next film won’t be featured on The HALLMARK Channel, is there anything you can tell us about it? Will Asami be in it… and if not… ‘why the Hell not?’ KM: For the last several years, I’ve been trapped in development hell. I have several projects waiting for green lights. Though I can’t talk too much about them right now, I might do more action stuff or I might have a chance to do my first full-on horror project. Let’s see which one gets the go first. And we will see how Asami’s retirement goes. She might really retire or some project might bring her back on screen.

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MASTERS AT WORK WEBTALK CZ: I ask this in a selfish sense, so I hope you have a good answer because I am going to want to use it after my novel comes out in 2019. There is a wonderful and understood relationship between erotica and horror… but how do you justify a relationship between erotica and gore (or to be more specific… blood-soaked beauties in much peril)? KM: I think on this case, gore and horror are the same concept. And I completely agree with you that erotica and horror work together and so does erotica and gore. Like Francisco Goya’s gory horrific paintings, they have certain elements of eroticism. I believe in any sort of immoralities, there will always be an element of eroticism. Bad things are sexy, you know? Good luck with the new book! I can’t wait to read it.

CZ: I remember watching John Wayne plunging into forbidden Indian territory in search of Natalie Wood in The Searchers. I remember that really twisted look on Natalie Wood’s face when she is finally caught up to by John Wayne. Though The Searchers is technically a happy ending, the Natalie Wood character has changed. She will not be rejoining mid-western polite society, going to book club meetings or scrapbooking parties. The rescued woman has changed… she’s different. She is now, at least part wild. Mayumi (Mana Sakura) at the end of Karate Kill presumably has also changed. The body is hers, but that innocence and sweetness we see from her early in the film is gone. Does Mayumi emerge from this film? Where does she go? I’m guessing her dream of becoming an actress is done… but perhaps assassin… saboteur… character in one of my novels? KM: I actually have an idea for Karate Kill 2.

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MASTERS AT WORK WEBTALK In the sequel, Mayumi is in a psychiatric hospital. She was freed from Vendenski’s brainwashing but she’s still in a very fragile state. Then unfortunately, she gets kidnapped again. By the people who want to control Kenji. A Texas jury found Kenji guilty with the use of excessive force in the Capital Messiah case. So, he’s sent to a maximum-security prison in the middle of nowhere in Texas. In the same prison, there is this big time Mexican drug lord who’s been captured. The people who kidnapped Mayumi want Kenji to break out of the prison with the drug lord and bring him safely to the extraction point in the US Mexican border. It’s The Defiant Ones meets Enter The Dragon. Let’s see what kind of adventure Mayumi will face in this action-packed sequel. As you said, she should have gone through some life changes so she will not be a quiet captive. I would also be very excited if you make Mayumi appear in your novel! CZ: Kenji (Hayate) in Karate Kill is superb. Bruce Lee would be proud, no doubt. His Karate could steal the show of any action-epic. Now however, his Texas experience has given him firearms expertise. Is Hayate’s Kenji in your future? KM: I love Hayate! Not only would I love to make the sequel to Karate Kill with him, I would very much like to continue to collaborate with this very talented guy. Before I got to know him, I thought of him as a martial artist who can act. But after I worked very closely with him, I now think of him as a great actor who happens to be a martial art master. CZ: Sadistic cults, snuff films, the soiling of purity… Karate Kill is a great big exclamation point of revenge and eventual vengeance. Mayumi, and Kenji for that matter, lose so much in this film… Have two new monsters been created?

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MASTERS AT WORK WEBTALK Has there been any discussion of setting them loose in a future production? KM: I think I already answered this question prematurely with your earlier question. Yes, I really hope I can get to explore more in the Karate Kill universe. CZ: Choreographing dance in big budget musicals is an art I cannot even comprehend. I love watching Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in those old musicals on TCM. Please don’t tell anyone. Am I way off base here, or was making Karate Kill a labor much like creating a Fred Astaire film containing magnificent dance pieces? KM: Choreography and safety were two very important components to the production of Karate Kill, the same for any action centered production. I assume the same goes for the Astaire dance movies. So, in that sense our movies have something in common. CZ: Your villains are extreme to the max! Vendenski in Karate Kill seemed to pull in elements of Charles Manson and David Koresh. He’s also very smart… which is the really scary part. The creep seems to always be a step or two ahead of our beautiful Mayumi, the heroic Kenji, and alas the Asami Gun Woman character. Did you create him before the good guys in Karate Kill? Am I right about some of the monsters who may have inspired him, or is he more of a hybrid of villains from old spaghetti westerns and exploitation films? KM: When I started to work on the Karate Kill script, I knew I wanted the villain of the movie to be involved with some type of Internet crime. The Internet brought us some good but, in my view, it also killed so many great things – physical CDs / DVDs / books / toy stores, physical media, and human decency to keep our stupid thoughts to ourselves.

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MASTERS AT WORK WEBTALK

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MASTERS AT WORK WEBTALK Then I added the cult leader element to the villain and came up with Vendenski and Capital Messiah. The cult and its leader in Karate Kill weren’t really inspired by some real guys like Manson and Koresh but I paid homage to the Night Slasher character in Stallone’s Cobra. If you look closely, you’ll see Vendenski and Night Slasher use the same knife. It’s my love letter to Cobra and the late George P. Cosmatos. Interview by Christopher Zisi

KURANDO MITSUTAKE Originally from Tokyo, Japan. Graduated with an MFA from California Institute of the Artsand, a member of the Directors Guild of Japan and Screen Actors Guild, Mitsutake made his feature film directorial debut with Monsters Don’t Get To Cry in 2004. In 2008, Mitsutake produced, wrote, and directed his second feature film, Samurai Avenger: The Blind Wolf. The film screened at more than ten film festivals around the world and won multiple awards including Best Picture at Indie Fest USA and Fantastic Planet Film Festival Sydney, as well as the Audience Award at Another Hole in the Head Film Festival in San Francisco, and Mauvais Genre Film Festival in France. Samurai Avenger: The Blind Wolf was distributed in over 15 countries including the United States. Gun Woman is Mitsutake’s third feature film and it was awarded the Special Jury Prize at the 24th Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival in Japan. Gun Woman was also an official selection of the 18th Fantasia International Film Festival and the 47th Sitges Catalonia International Fantastic Film Festival. It opened theatrically in Japan nationwide in July of 2014. Mitsutake has also appeared as an actor in the American TV series Ugly Betty and Heroes.

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By Sooz Webb & Christopher Zisi Visual Conception: Emilie Flory & Roy Bheer | Photos Courtesy: ©︎ FukuzoProductions, ©︎ Kurando Mitsutake, ©︎ MAXAM, Inc., ©︎ Torin and Jumpei Tainaka.

Double Feature: Gun Woman & Karate Kill By Sooz Webb

Revenge is a dish best served cold. Or, in the case of director Kurando Mitsutake’s work, revenge is a dish best served with as many of your enemies’ internal organs splattered as violently as you can arrange it. Couple that with a level of gratuitous flesh on show, guaranteed to push the boundaries of bad taste to the limit, and you’re only halfway close to what our double feature of Gun Woman and Karate Kill have to offer.

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GUN WOMAN

Directed by Kurando Mitsutake Written by Kurando Mitsutake, Chiaki Yanagimoto Starring Asami, Kairi Narita, Noriaki Kamata, Matthew Floyd Miller … Seeking retribution for his wife's brutal murder, a talented doctor known simply as ‘The Mastermind’ purchases a prostitute, with the intent of shaping her into the ultimate killing machine. And as you can imagine, her education isn’t all puppy dogs and rainbows. Subjected to beatings and bullying, as well as various methods of combat and weapons training, the young woman becomes an instrument of death, reborn as ‘The Gun Woman’. Her target is the perpetrator of what most in polite society would call pretty heinous acts. The pinnacle of this being his magnum opus: an exclusive erotic club, where patrons get to have their end away with those that have departed this mortal coil. Yep, necrophilia. Apparently, romance IS dead. As her name isn’t on the list, our freshly-honed assassin gains entry to the inner sanctum under the guise of death, with a weapon concealed about her person that’s whereabouts would make your eyes water. Without giving too much away, let’s just say she goes in completely starkers, so it’s not exactly safely stashed away in her pocket! As ‘Gun Woman’ (Mayumi) returns to the land of the living, mayhem and slaughter ensue with a brutal and blood-soaked showdown providing a sweet payoff for those that are watching, for more than just the slaughter. Bonkers, bizarre, bloody and at times brilliant, Gun Woman is a heady mix of balls-to-the-wall action, bombastic bravado, and pure gonzo attitude.

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MASTERS AT WORK SHOWROOM Asami shines as the would (and will) be femme fatale. Resilient and remorseful in equal measure, she secures her reign as J exploitation gore queen, with an understated yet emotive performance. The actress’s capacity to elicit sympathy despite her character’s almost entirely mute status is truly captivating, whilst her ability to kick ass and chew bubblegum is a sight to behold. As she embarks on her gore-laden rampage, as nakey as the day she was born, viscera and body parts pirouette across the screen, flying hither and yon, in an eccentric danse macabre. Practical effects convey the violence with stark realism, but are so over-the-top exaggerated that the sequence is too engaging not to watch! We end up as delirious as our heroine, though thankfully for us it’s not due to blood loss! Kairi Narita portrays the tortured medic hellbent on a twisted version of enacting justice. Although we feel sorrow toward the character, for the cruel way his wife was taken from him, the doc’s methods of forging his own one-woman killing machine leave a lot to be desired. Personally, I would like to have seen him bite the bullet at the hands of the one he created, but that’s just because I like my ladies a bit more ‘vengancy’ than the script obviously allowed. The 80s inspired soundtrack provides a synth-tastic groove, whilst lending a neo-noir crime-thriller type resonance to proceedings, and the end track is an awesome earworm that keeps playing in your head, long after the movie has finished.

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KARATE KILL

Directed by Kurando Mitsutake Written by Kurando Mitsutake Starring Hayate Matsuzaki, Asami, Kirk Geiger, Mana Sakura … Karate Kill carries on the theme of slaughter and payback, only this time it’s on a lone wolfs terms. Learning that his younger sister Mayumi has gone missing, Kenji, a chap who in the words of Donna Summer works hard for the money, quits his multiple jobs and heads to the US of A to try and locate her. He (literally) hits up a few places before discovering his sibling has been kidnapped, by the morally bankrupt cult known as Capital Messiah. Their stock-in-trade is to force abductees to star in snuff films, which are then viewed online by whoever is willing to pay the highest price. Well, big brother isn’t prepared to stand idly by, whilst his sis gets sliced and diced for a sicko’s pleasure on the dark web. So, armed with his mastery of kung Fu he cuts a bloody path, intent on kicking people in the face until he can locate his sister. Thankfully he doesn’t have to go it completely alone, as he finds an ally on the same quest in the form of former soldier Keiko. She herself fell victim to the sect’s nefarious internet exploitation, losing her hand in the process. But what she lacks in limbs, she more than makes up for in hooks, sharpshooting and badass attitude! Cue a training/romance montage, and one of the zaniest locations for a fight scene ever, and Kenji is finally ready to try and take down the cyberspace psychos once and for all.

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MASTERS AT WORK SHOWROOM Whilst Gun Woman tackles the topic of vengeance and retaliation with a grim and gritty flavor, Karate Kill takes the same themes, spins them on their head and forces them to look in a funhouse mirror. Yes, the subject matter, ever-increasing body count and escaping entrails make for some somber viewing, but the whole thing is handled with a knowingly wry smile and a cheeky wink. An intentionally dark vein pumps comedy throughout the movie to the point where situations are so exaggerated they, at times, become amusing. We love to laugh at things that shock us, and the director is only too eager to indulge our sick sense of humor. The serious side of business is taken care of by the action sequences, which are full on and frequent. Hayate stars as the martial arts maestro, his skill in technique impressive to behold. A man of few words, his expertise in hand-tohand combat has a lyricality to it, that transcends verbosity. The violence is fast-paced and frenetic, culminating in a spectacular showdown, defying gravity and logic, making it engaging and truly mindboggling to behold! Fans of the Grindhouse genre or the cinematic offerings of Takashi Miike will undoubtedly lose their minds over Mitsutake’s work. Occasionally bordering on body-horror, the two films transcend the confines of ‘mere action thriller’ to become a grand spectacle of sex, blood, and violence. The harshness of gritty realism is offset by gallows humor so deliciously diabolical that it’s impossible not to be as charmed by the movies, as much as you are grossed out by them.

Sooz Webb

A contributor to Creators Unite, Sooz Webb chats her love for all things loud and scary in podcast Heavy Metal Horror Cast. The show looks at horror from a female perspective, and seeks to promote new music, featuring tracks from heavy rocking or horror themed bands… Follow her and get in touch with her by clicking on the icons below.

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KARATE KILL: Karate & Snuff! By Christopher Zisi

Revenge... spurting blood... limbs flying... swords... martial arts... naked babes (and some soaked in blood). Karate Kill is a revenge drama in which forces from the East delve into the seedier sides of the West. Sure... Presidents can drop atomic bombs on the Land of the Rising Sun, but screw around with the sister of a karate master... you will probably die... horribly. Kenji (Hayate Matsuzaki) arrives in L.A. to find his missing sister. The stunning and clean-cut Mayumi (Mana Sakura)... who will be nude much of this film... came to L.A. to be an actress. This didn't go well... which is a surprise because usually it does... unless Harvey Weinstein gets a hold of you. Trying to earn money she takes a job at a 'Hostess Club' and is kidnapped there by a sadistic cult who runs a web-site featuring babes being murdered for real. The cult is run by Vendenski (Kirk Geiger), a cult leader hybrid of Charles Manson and David Koresh. With much carnage, Kenji is now onto them and heads to Texas to rescue his sister who is slated to be snuffed on camera. Kenji, a karate master, realizes bringing a chop to a gunfight may not be a great idea. He joins forces with a one-armed gun beauty named Keiko (Asami... yep, her). She is the only escapee from the cult and teaches Kenji firearm techniques. Together they will try to raid the compound, kill everyone in it, and free Mayumi and the other captives. Easier said than done and Vendenski isn't as wasted as he comes across. Our hot duo walks in with attitude... but they will be expected. As Mayumi is groped, tortured and humiliated for the pleasure of perverts, Keiko and Kenji are her only hope... though they will be underdogs.

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Nudity, blood soaked nude babes, and a sadistic misogynist are the antagonist here. Gore and gratuitous exploitation scenes will be thrown at you as is blood shooting out of jugular veins. Kurando Mitsutake's latest revenge epic will surely please fans of these types of films (such as me). Will Kenji save his sister? Will Keiko and Kenji engage in pre-marital sex? If the rescue is successful, will our three good guys remain pure? For a great, bloody good time, see Karate Kill.

SAMURAI AVENGER: THE BLIND WOLF Spaghetti Western with Samurais! By Christopher Zisi

Directed by Kurando Mitsutake Written by John Migdal, Kurando Mitsutake Starring Kurando Mitsutake, Jeffrey James Lippold, Domiziano Arcangeli â&#x20AC;Ś Sarah McCarthy, Jennifer Mullaney and Chikako Omuraâ&#x20AC;Ś the three dancers, clad in shiny bikinis and black go-go boots is a plot device that Kurando Mitsutake utilizes to draw all of us fans of 1970s exploitation in. Sure, they're gratuitous, and eventually they will die in equally as gratuitous fashion. So, let us take a peak at 2009's Samurai Avenger: The Blind Wolf... part spaghetti western... part Kung Fu epic... part 70s exploitation... all fun! In a vicious backstory, a loving husband must witness the brutal murder of his family. He will also be forced to blind himself.

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Seven years later, our left for dead dad is now Blind Wolf... sworn to avenge the murder of his family. The fiend? Nathan Flesher... sadistic psycho. Flesher is due to get out of jail and Blind Wolf is determined to kill him on the spot. Not so fast! Flesher hires seven of the most colorful assassins ever put on film. The aforementioned dancers are merely henchwomen for one of the assassins. Their death by skewering is such a beautiful thing. As Blind Wolf treks toward the jail he is eventually joined by a drifter (Jeffrey James Lippold). This bloke has his own tragic backstory and together they go through assassins like crap through a goose. Don't fret... our three bikini dancers may have assumed room temperature, but other babes will also enter the plot... and you will love Mariko Denda as the hypnotist assassin. These assassins aren't just thugs with guns, each of them has a great story straight out of 70s exploitation. Quentin Tarrantino would be proud. Beware... betrayal and carnage await our duo. Will Blind Wolf make it through gauntlet of assassins and deliver sword justice to Flesher? Just what did Blind Wolf go through in the seven years since his family's demise that made him the world's greatest Samurai swordsman? Can we look forward to the aforementioned bikini babes in future Mitsutake films? If not, I'm going to steal them and make them characters in an upcoming novel. The gratuitous nature of Samurai Avenger: The Blind Wolf speaks to the heart of those of us who enjoy gratuity in our films. For spurting blood, bikini babes, and Samurai justice, see this Kurando Mitsutake masterpiece. Oh yeah... did I mention the zombies?

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MONSTERS DON'T GET TO CRY Predator or Prey? By Christopher Zisi Directed by Kurando Mitsutake Written by Christopher J. Hansen Starring Kyle Ingleman, Bonnie Muirhead, Dean Simone â&#x20AC;Ś I remember it. The late 1980s in Baton Rouge. Two U.S. Marshals at the airport are escorting a convicted child molester off a plane and through the terminal. The video shows the trio walking past a bank of payphones. Then, from one of the payphones a man whirls around and at point blank range, blows away the child molester with a handgun. The two marshals are shocked. The gunman? The father of a boy molested by this fiend. The dad was convicted but a Louisiana judge would not give him jail time. Hence, we look at a Kurando Mitsutake film, 2007's Monsters Don't Get To Cry. Our story begins after a school shooting in which Russ (Kyle Ingleman) kills 10 classmates and teachers. The 18-year-old is then busted out of police custody by Jim (Dean Simone). Uh oh for Russ, one of his victims was Jim's daughter. Like the bloke at the airport in Baton Rouge, Jim believes the American justice system isn't mechanized to inflict justice on the creep who killed his baby girl. Our setting is an out of the way warehouse where Jim intends to interrogate and torture Russ. Jim's ready, he has a briefcase filled with saws, knives, pliers, duct-tape, etc. First... Jim wants answers. Why? Russ is an unrepentant monster and the questioning won't go the way Jim desires.

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MASTERS AT WORK SHOWROOM Russ may be tied up, bloodied, and undergoing horrific torture, but who is in control? Jim, unintentionally, becomes the mouse in a cat-and-mouse game. The interrogation of the monster seems to be going nowhere, but in a sense, Jim ends up interrogating himself. After all, how do you get reason from a soulless fiend? Jim's journey will be dark and headed into an abyss of torture for himself. The torture scenes will cause you to avert your eyes, but the dynamic in the room will change into something many of us will be uncomfortable with.

Just how depraved will Jim get in his search for answers... and do we blame him? Is there anything inside Russ that can provide answers we will provide us closure or satisfaction? Is this a statement of the failed US justice system, or a warning where we might be headed if we don't cling to an imperfect system?

Monsters Don't Get To Cry is a beautiful one-act play that completely reveals two beings who might meet in Hell... and also allows us to pose some important questions to the image looking back at us in the mirror.

Christopher Zisi

Christopher Zisi is an American horror writer from Fredericksburg, Virginia. In 2013 he created the blog Zisi Emporium for B Movies which showcases his thoughts and witticisms of horror, exploitation, and science fiction films. To date, over 800 films have been reviewed on this blog. Mr. Zisi has published four books which include compilations of his reviews and one of his own horror poetry. Before writing about horror full time, Christopher Zisi was a Special Agent for the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

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BONUS TRACK

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MASTERS AT WORK SPECIAL TRIBUTE

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This special tribute is dedicated to George A. Romero "The godfather of the Dead", "Father of the zombie film" ,"King of the zombies". Within this feature, we will have filmmakers and fans talking about what Romero's films meant to them. Contributions from: Jim Towns, Richard Mogg, Dustin Ferguson, Andrew David Barker, Jason Figgis and Kieran Johnston | Editors: Tony Newton, Roy Bheer & Lorenza Florida | Painting: Chantal Handley | Visual Conception: Dub Meter. Images Courtesy of Artfire Films, Romero-Grunwald Productions, Creepshow Films Inc., Laurel Entertainment Inc., Laurel-Show Inc., Warner Bros. The Latent Image, Arrow Films, Laurel, United Film, Image Ten, Laurel Group, Market Square Productions, Off Color Films, Blank of the Dead Productions, Devonshire Productions, New Romero, Sudden Storm Productions, Arrow Video, ADC Films, Gruppo Bema, Dan Mendoza, Michael Allred, Adrew David Baker, Socal Cinema Studio, Shadow Kamera Films, The Adventures of Hannah, RICKMOE Productions, Pop Twist Entertainment, October Eleven Pictures Ltd., Stickmen Pictures, Leomark Studios and Vestra Pictures ©︎ 2018 Tony Newton

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“If one horror film hits, everyone says, 'Let's go make a horror film.' It's the genre that never dies.” - George A. Romero

GEORGE ANDREW ROMERO (1940-2017) THE KING OF THE ZOMBIES by Tony Newton

George A. Romero was born in the Bronx, New York. The American-Canadian filmmaker was, and will continue to be, a reference and an influential figure in horror filmmaking: he was a pioneer of the horror film genre and the creator of the modern zombie film. You can't even think of the word zombie without George Romero springing to mind! While a student at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Romero made short films including his first 16 mm film Slant. He also worked as a grip on Alfred Hitchcock’s North by Northwest in 1959. He received a bachelor’s degree in art, theatre and design in 1960 and shot in 1962 a satirical anthology: Expostulations. He then went on to direct Night of the Living Dead with a very low budget of $114,000. The film would be a turning point and a game changer in George's career… In 1968, George Romero was making horror film history with Night of the Living Dead and set the bar for horror filmmaking, a bar that, to this day, has yet to be reached!

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GEORGE A ROMERO’S FILMOGRAPHY In 1971, George Romero went on to direct There’s Always Vanilla, a far cry from the zombie horror epic Night of the Living Dead (this film was a romantic comedy feature). The next film George worked on was Season of the Witch. The distributer of Season of the Witch renamed the film Hungry Wives and tried to sell it as a soft-core porn flick! Season of the Witch is a very underrated film, a true bizarre psychedelic mind fuck of a movie with a great score. It’s an exploitation gem! The Crazies, the feature George would direct in 1973, would be once again a visit back to the horror genre! The Crazies is a superb movie, very shocking, gruesome and clever. The film also spawned a remake by Breck Eisner in 2010 with a budget of 20 million USD. George Romero worked on TV specials and documentaries between 1974 and 1976, before working on 1978's Martin. Martin is an art house horror film, which at the time never really got the attention it truly deserved, it is a stylish movie, a unique spin on the vampire genre! The next film Romero would direct would be one of the best films of all time, probably the best zombie film ever made: Dawn of the Dead (Click on the Zombie icon to watch the movie, Ed). George once again changed the face of horror and set the bar even higher with Dawn. Dawn of the Dead would define horror film making, popular culture and zombieism as we know it. Dawn of the Dead reinforced George's zombie mythos, etching and carving himself a place as one of the greatest horror film directors of all time. In 1981, George Romero directed the cult film Knightriders. Once again not a critically acclaimed/huge hit but a really solid film that goes by the wayside.

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George Romero gave horror fans the one and only Creepshow, in 1982. Crafted by George Romero and Stephen King, Creepshow is a tribute to horror comics that combined camp comedy with fulfilling frights. It still stands as the best horror anthology of all time. In 1985, zombie fans were in for a real treat as Romero gave them Day of the Dead, the cult 80's zombie feature with more blood more gore than before!... Day of the Dead sees a team of scientists, soldiers and civilians trapped in a missile silo, trying to ensure the survival of the human race… George Romero made another underrated horror gem in Monkey Shines in 1988. He then, directed the segment The Facts in the Case of Mr. Valdemar, in the horror anthology Two Evil Eyes. Romero teams up in 1993 with Stephen King: he directs King's superb horror novel The Dark Half. The Dark Half is stylish, pretty, dark and very entertaining… We see a very different form for Romero's directing skills, almost a different stylish approach to his directing and it just works: The Dark Half is a great horror film! In 2000, George Romero directed the horror/thriller Bruiser, the story of a man who awakes to his very own nightmare as he is stripped of his face, identity and everything he has ever known. Bruiser was another George Romero movie that seemed to come and go without huge media attention, while not the best thing Romero has directed, it is something different which is really nice. The last 3 films George Romero would direct would all be zombie films… In 2005, Romero directed Land of the Dead, not only one of his best zombie films he ever made… it would be a defining film in the zombie genre! I would put Land of the Dead up there as one of his great works alongside Night, Dawn and Day of the Dead…

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THE GODFATHER OF THE DEAD … I would put the 2004 comedy Shaun of the dead (though not a Romero film but a comedy zombie horror), Romero's Land of the Dead, and ironically the 2004 remake of Dawn of the Dead directed by Zack Snyder, as the three films that both hit the mainstream at the right time and became the reason everyone loves zombies today. The remake of Dawn of the Dead and George Romero's Land of the Dead really struck a chord with a mainstream audience. Before this, you were literally starved for zombie movies and fiction books. Before 2004/05, it was only horror geeks like myself who would be obsessed with zombie films and anything zombie. Since then zombie has been a household name, people would hunt down anything zombie related: comics like The Walking Dead and the TV series… film after film… and even more zombie TV series… and book after book… video game after video game!... Zombies had finally hit with the mainstream in a big way. People who weren't even fans of horror would-be all-over zombies like a rash. No longer were the horror geeks of old, the only ones to get enjoyment from watching a braineating flesh-hungry zombie on the rampage or the thrill of seeing the brain of a zombie explode! Unlike fads like the vampire or werewolves, zombies have stuck with us like the puss oozing from their rotting flesh: zombies are us, they are human, they are dead and we are all going to die!... We are like zombies, working, repeating the same things day in, day out, brain numbing work which we are rewarded with our own feast "money". We follow trends like zombies... be it social media, Smartphones or clothes, appearance or possessions. We are always craving something, be it something physical or to evoke a certain feeling…

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When I look at a zombie, I'm reminded that we aren't immortal… For some reason Zombies have lasted the test of time, they aren't going anywhere. We aren't that much different to zombies! I predict zombies will always be popular. I think people can relate to zombies. In a strange way we see a mirror of ourselves in them and a constant reminder that we are on this earth for only a short while. Although a zombie is anything but human, it's a host to the infection, an empty shell who is constantly craving human flesh, we can relate to the human appearance.

ROMERO’S LEGACY In 2007, Romero gave us a nail-biting edge of your seat modern zombie flick of its time, the underappreciated Diary of the Dead, a clever take on the zombie film made with a very small budget. George Romero directed Survival of the Dead which would be the last film he would direct in 2009. They say “you are as good as your last film”! For Romero, that would be Survival of the Dead, and that is so not true. Before his death, George Romero was in talks to direct another zombie film; it would have been a true return to form. It's a shame that his film career ended on Survival of the Dead! The start of Survival was great. It was a film in two acts. Once we get to plum island, the film falls apart. The thing with George Romero films is we have so much to judge a film against, we will always put any of his later works against the greats like Night, Dawn and Day of the Dead. George really was a master of the horror genre. Without George A. Romero, we would not have zombies as we know them. He created the rules, the modern zombie myth as we know it! George Romero will always be king of the zombies!

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I think I actually owned and still own every George A. Romero film that was available on VHS. I love collecting and searching for foreign VHS releases of his films with different artwork. I love collecting posters, mainly horror and B movie posters, and once again, I think I own more George Romero movie posters than any other! Just because George Romero is the master of horror, what he said in his films was gospel! Romero films had the power to make you sit on the edge of your seat, or watch from behind a cushion, give you nightmares and make you think long after the movie was over. If you are still thinking about the movie, hours, days weeks or years later, that's a bloody good movie! I only met George A. Romero in person once, and it was at a UK horror and movie convention. I told him he was an inspiration to me and thanked him for giving us the films, his amazing movies that meant so much to his fans! I told him I was working on a zombie book and he wished me all the very best with the project… The strange thing is I never actually finished that particular book. I got sidetracked and prefer to have a dozen unfinished projects on the go rather than one completed or in progress… I picked up the old notepads and began my quest finishing that zombie book the day after I heard George Romero had passed away! George was very friendly to his fans and always had time for photos and a few words. My other half and I had a few pictures with George. Some people you meet at conventions are dicks; you pay them money but they don't acknowledge you or have the time to say a few words to you. For George it was never like that; he always had full lines of people waiting to meet him and to sign endless memorabilia. It's sad that we will never see George A. Romero direct another movie… but boy, what a legacy he left behind! George A. Romero has been a huge inspiration to me growing up with classics like the legendary Creepshow, Knightriders, Dawn of the Dead and Day of the Dead to name but a few. His films have scared me and even brought me to tears.

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George A. Romero was a very versatile director: he could provide scares and shocks in Night of the Living Dead to creating in the semi-autobiographical non-horror master piece Knightriders… "The Legend Lives as long as Someone Believes"… the film’s tagline sums up the film! Knightriders didn't have a great return at the box office and it was this film that kept George Romero focusing on horror movies. Knightriders was first in a three-part deal with United Film Distribution [the second and third would be much more successful]: The second film was Creepshow and the third would be Day of the Dead. George Romero inspired me to write and make films, without his films, I highly doubt I would have this much passion and drive for writing and filmmaking. George Romero introduced me to zombie films and I have been obsessed with zombies ever since. Thank you, George, you are and always will be the King of the zombies! -Tony Newton

A EULOGY FOR THE UNDEAD by Jim Towns

I want to say a few things about George A. Romero. First off, I want to mention that he was really the only modern filmmaker who could pull off that multi-pocket vest thing. I mean seriously: everyone else who tries it really looks like a bit of a pretender, don’t they? Maybe that’s because George was like eighteen feet tall. Then again maybe it’s because he was an unparalleled master of the medium one of the last remaining veterans from an earlier era of horror filmmaking- larger than the rest of us not only in height (which he was), but also in sheer stature and accomplishment.

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Romero trampled down the trail that we all follow today, and such is his level of impact on our chosen subculture that his surname alone is practically its own genre. People will call a certain film ‘Romero-esque’ or say a particular scene or gag is ‘worthy of Romero himself’. The only other filmmaker I can think of whose last name is so synonymous with a particular style is Hitchcock. I don’t have a significant personal Romero story. I wish I did. I met him briefly when I was working with the American Cinematheque in Los Angeles in 2007. We were hosting a special screening for Diary of the Dead. He was waiting to go up and talk to the audience. We said hello. I told him I was a horror filmmaker from Pittsburgh too. He wasn’t surprised. He’s met A LOT of horror filmmakers from Pittsburgh, I’d wager. In fact, I know quite a few of them. But he was congenial and pleasant, with the calm that only comes from being confident in the indelible mark you’ve made on an industry. Here’s the thing: filmmakers, like parachute pants and roller blades, tend to go in and out of fashion. Many are unappreciated until years after their careers have ended. Some are short-term celebrities who are quickly relegated to the ash heap of forgettable horror. But this guy -people knew he was something special from the beginning, and they never forgot it. Were his final films up to the level of his earlier meisterwerks? No, probably not. But that doesn’t diminish the man in my mind in any way, because to me any attempt to dissect the merits of George Romero feels akin to analyzing the usefulness of air; or possibly the benefits of gravity. George has been, and will remain, one of the great gas giants around which the entire horror and film community will forever orbit. -Jim Towns

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MY GEORGE ROMERO by Richard Mogg

How does one equate genius? A writer, director and editor of tremendous talent, George Andrew Romero left the world of the living on July 16th 2017. And like the cinematic flesh eaters he so radically designed in 1968's Night of the Living Dead, Romero not only remains undead too, but as a force that cannot truly die. Like many, I was exposed to Romero's work at a young age. Six years old and already obsessed with horror, I happened upon a videocassette in the basement of my sitter's house. Its cover art stole my eye and overwhelmed my brain. Its mad title almost bled out to me, daring me to watch as I held it in my hand. Creepshow it said. I immediately slipped out the tape, slid it into the VCR and pressed PLAY... A house. A jack-o-lantern. Someone yelling (were they yelling at me?). I fell in love with Creepshow that instant and watched it religiously for months to come, to the slight concern of my parents. Two years later I discovered Martin through way of Savini's "Scream Greats" FA N G O R IA documentary. I distinctly recall seeing Martin before any of Romero's "Dead" films, and I was deliriously ecstatic about finding my new favourite director. Martin was different than Creepshow though, it had thinking moments; things I would later learn called character depth and drama. And Martin didn't have a happy ending yet it was the most perfect ending I could think of. A strange excitement and sadness would come over me whenever I'd watch Martin. They are the same feelings I re-live with Romero's films today.

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Somewhere around age thirteen I rented Romero's Dead trilogy from the video store. With only knowing that Night was black and white, I made the youthful mistake of watching Dawn first. But the order didn't really matter... I was blown away. Absolutely epic in experience, I have never felt as mesmerized by a film as I did with Dawn of the Dead. Playing from a washed-out TH O R N videocassette, I was decimated by the gore, the struggle, the caged freedom and the panic brought on by Romero and his living dead. It stuck with me. Dawn wasn't just a horror film, it was a dramatic presentation of humanity at its fringes. It was about the deconstruction of society... the savagery of man when there is nothing left to hang on to (or no more room in Hell). And of course, it was the gore... the stomach ripping, flesh eating, machete splitting gore. Romero wasn't just a director of scare films, he was a master of the human condition. Day of the Dead followed the next day, though it didn't affect me the same as Dawn (Day has since become my favourite of the three, but it took multiple viewings). Eventually I went back and watched Night as I probably should have from the beginning. And again, I was blown away with appreciation for how the characters were being presented. You see (as I'm sure every Dead fan already knows), Romero's zombie films are not really about zombies but about us as human beings. They're the reflection too dark for us to see. They are us when the horror overcomes. And they are genius. Lastly, I wanted to mention my ultimate George Romero film. The film that has spoken to me beyond all his other works: Knightriders. I sadly discovered this phenomenal film late in my teens, misbelieving that all good Romero films were horror films. I was wrong. Knightriders is the most perfect, arms cheering, tear jerking jewel of cinematic poetry I have ever seen. To me the film is about the fire in our souls, the truth that we must live our lives against and the honor we hold within ourselves.

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There are no finer moments in any film, in any genre, than there are in the last act of Knightriders. I regard the picture as something personal and I believe Romero did as well. It's the kind of film that makes you look into another persons' eyes and feel closer to them because they love it too. Romero gave me that power; gave the world that power. And anyone who sees the power of a George Romero picture is a better person for it. Thank you sir, rest in peace. -Richard Mogg

THE CREATOR OF THE ZOMBIE GENRE by Dustin Ferguson

When I think of the name George A. Romero, I'm reminded of that fuzzy, cosy 80s Horror feeling his films brought to me. When I was a youngster back in the early 80s my parents had a small assortment of Horror VHS tapes stashed in a shoebox under their bed. Every once in a while, they'd let me watch one with them, among those was Night of the Living Dead, and old EP Mode Goodtimes release no less. It would be my first horror memory in my life. The music from the opening scenes would stay in my mind throughout the next couple decades as I would become increasingly more obsessed with horror films, namely those by Romero, Carpenter, Hooper and Craven. It wasn't long after that I obtained a VHS of Creepshow 2 and immediately became hooked on Romero's style, atmosphere, mood and character types. I had the Collector's Edition VHS from STARMAKER which included a really cool "Coming Attraction" for Day of the Dead at the beginning. That would become my next purchase.

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Later, the original Creepshow and Dawn of the Dead followed. I was in love. Even from that young age, I would be touched by the emotional score of Day of the Dead every time I watched it. I can't watch that movie without crying towards the end. In my book, it's the most epic zombie film ever made. Over the years anytime George A. Romero appeared on VHS box art, you knew it was going to be an awesome movie. I became used to expecting a new Romero flick every couple year and for over 2 decades, he provided just that: quality horror. As an adult, anytime I pop in one of his flicks, I'm rushed with feelings of nostalgia, memories of watching them on tape in my dark basement when I was 12 or the many sleepovers I had where Dawn of the Dead was the movie of choice. Every time I watch one of his films, I'm reminded why I love horror in the first place and became a horror filmmaker. In fact, my 2nd short film, which played on TV back in 2009 was called Dead Ending and was my black & white love letter to Night of the Living Dead. The day Romero passed, I was working in my video store OL D SK O O L VID E O . Of course, social media was flooded with articles about him being gone and the news was unescapable. It was at that moment while standing at the front counter of the store that the music from Night of the Living Dead began to play in my head again. I suddenly burst into tears and actually had to close shop an hour early because I couldn't keep it together. George had a humongous impact on the horror scene and he actually invented the undead zombie genre. I was never lucky enough to have the opportunity to meet him but from what I've gathered from his friends and colleagues, he was a kind soul who deserved all the success he had in his life. He will be forever missed by his fans and the horror genre will never be the same without him! R.I.P. George A. Romero. -Dustin Ferguson

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MY FRIEND GEORGE

by Andrew David Barker George A. Romero was a friend of mine. Not literally, I grant you. I mean, I did get to meet him twice, but really, he didn’t know me from Adam. He was a friend of mine in a different sense. You see, George Romero was always there for me. HA S always been there for me. Let’s go back. The first film I saw of his was Dawn of the Dead. I watched it at a ridiculously young age – I was probably eight or nine. My dad had it on pirate. Well, to say it had profound impact on me is probably an understatement. It pinned me back to the wall, turned my mind inside out; washed my imagination in blood. What I found in Romero was a filmmaker that made me want to make my own films; who inspired me to go out and do something with my life. He instilled in me an independent spirit, a drive to create my own art, on my own terms. He was the spark. The guiding light. And continues to be so. When my drive and ambition falter, I can throw on a Romero film, or read about his work aesthetic, his principles, his approach to the art of creation, and I immediately feel the pull again. That’s what kind of friend he was to me. The kind of friend he IS . I know he’ll always be there for me, through all my creative pursuits. His first Dead trilogy is a towering achievement. Both Night and Dawn are not just great horror films, but, I believe, two of the best American movies ever made, in any genre. But I equally feel the pull from Martin and Creepshow and Day of the Dead (which I think is quite an underrated masterpiece). He was a master filmmaker, a great storyteller, and a dear, dear friend to me, and, I suspect, to millions of other people around the world. Goodnight, George. You changed my life. -Andrew David Barker

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GEORGE A. ROMERO - MYTHMAKER by Jason Figgis

The reinvention of zombie lore as a modern myth began when the first reel of George A. Romero's seminal classic, Night of the Living Dead, burned its searing imagery into the collective retina of its 1968 American audiences. No one had seen anything like it before; it was raw, brutal, divisive, incendiary and legend has it that Romero had his zombie extras consume animal flesh for added realism. Its grit filled black and white and heavily contrasted images lent the production a documentary feels and those same audiences spilled out onto the neon lit sidewalks disturbed, rattled and exhilarated. A new film artist had arrived on the scene and with him - a sense that film had taken a new direction; leaving the quaint wooliness of former "horrors" no longer relevant in a world that was dealing with Vietnam and race riots. Romero was about to lead a whole new army of renegade horror directors into the sunlight and shadows; amongst them Tobe Hooper (Texas Chainsaw Massacre) and Wes Craven (Last House on the

Left).

Night for me is still one of the most atmospheric and disturbing films ever made. Anyone who has

seen it will be unable to filter from the mind and eye the horrific sequence that saw child take trowel to mother amidst ear-splitting shrieks of surprise, dread and horror. It is powerful stuff and of course, who can forget its nihilistically bleak ending that sees our black hero cut down by white redneck sharp-shooters (seem familiar?).

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Romero was young and political and fearless. I first saw this classic film as a young boy when the BBC ran its seasonal Saturday night double bills of horror - usually in the summer months (how magnanimous when you consider that we were allowed stay up longer when the forbidding thoughts of school were well out of the psyche). The double bill was usually a UN IV ER S A L STU D IO S creature feature, followed by a colourful HA M M E R from the 50s or 60s (or 70s, if we were very lucky) but this particular night - the colour was replaced by the stark contrast of Romero's black and white imagery. I was stunned by Night and it left an indelible impression that has seen me include a scene (due to its now public domain status) playing on a TV set of several of my own films. I have always thanked Mr. Romero in the closing credits. He brought a Cinema VeritĂŠ bloom to the film which didn't allow us hide behind what former films had proffered us - a safe grand guignol canvas that clearly wasn't real.

Night was too real. In the best possible sense. He was Ken Loach directing horror (if the BBC would allow him shoot in real locations). He was a testing ground for other artists to follow him and create their own genre-busting ideas. He was at the Vanguard of a new wave of horror film directors during a period that saw the likes of Scorsese and Cassavetes carve their own radical niches in gangster lore and social realism. Romero was a social-realist horror film director. If that is allowed. He was an innovator. A maverick. A great filmmaker. He will be missed. -Jason Figgis

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A GENIUS

by Kieran Johnston George A Romero, was a genius. He never fails on delivering amazing horror films. He didn't have a huge budget on his first film Night of the Living Dead. He didn't have any gruesome FX as you would see on The Walking Dead… besides, zombies weren't mentioned in Night of the Living Dead… but he created them. I never saw Night of the Living Dead until I was 18 and I watched Dawn of the Dead on VHS! When I watched Dawn of the Dead, it inspired me to make a horror film… George Romero showed people that you don't need a lot of locations and budget to make movies. I was then living in Birmingham and I couldn't afford a VHS Camcorder but when I moved up to Milton Keynes, I began writing my own zombie film Pandemic. At the time, Milton Keynes used to have a convention called CO L L EC TO R MA N IA . I saw that George was attending… I always went to these conventions… I queued for hours… George took the time to talk to every fan. He didn't rush people or ignore them, he took time listening to them and chatting to them… Then it was my turn and I handed George the box of the Dead (which had Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead & Day of the Dead). George signed it and I said to him: “Your films have inspired me to write a screenplay!” ... I'll never forget to this day what he said to me: “Really, wow! I hope to see it one day. Don’t give up, keep pushing on writing and make your films!”… Those words he told me kept me going making films. When I heard that he passed away, it felt like I had lost my grandparent or a part of my family. Because I watched all his films while growing up… I was devastated. -Kieran Johnston

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