Stephen King’s Choice for Scariest Movie Boosts a Horror Genre (But Not Its Biggest Trend)

Stephen King has shared what he thinks is the scariest movie, and this classic horror movie boosted a specific genre, but not its biggest and most defining trend. In addition to writing some of the most terrifying stories in the horror genre, Stephen King is now also known for sharing his thoughts on horror movies on social media. The seal of approval from the King of Horror is now awaited by horror fans, and King has now shared what, to him, is the scariest horror movie of all time.

In an essay for VarietyKing shared his thoughts and feelings on some classic horror movies and the ones that scared him the most. King explains that he thinks the “scariest” movie will vary according to the age of the audience, as when he was 16, it was The hauntingBut as an adult, The Blair Witch Project took the place. But, King comes that The scariest horror movie is George A. Romero’s “low budget masterpiece” Night of the Living DeadWhich was key to the development of the zombie genre – except for its biggest trend.

George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead never says the word “zombie”

Night of the Living Dead gave its creatures a different name

Night of the Living Dead Directed by George A. Romero and co-written by him and John Russo, it takes viewers to Pennsylvania, where Reanimated, flesh-eating corpses begin to attack the living And make them into creatures like them. Night of the Living Dead Follows Barbara (Judith O’Dea) and Ben (Duane Jones), who take refuge in a farmhouse where they meet Harry (Carl Hardman) and his wife Helen Cooper (Marilyn Eastman), along with their daughter Karen (Kira Shawn), Tom (Keith Wayne), and his girlfriend Judy (Judith Riley), with whom they do their best to stay safe.

Night of the Living Dead is one of the most influential movies ever, and It is credited with popularizing the modern image of zombies And bust the subgenre. Many elements seen in Romero’s “ghouls” are still used in modern movies and TV shows about zombies, but it did not boost the biggest trend: calling them “zombies”. The word “zombie” is never mentioned in Night of the Living Deadand instead, These creatures are referred to as “goals.”

Romero decided to name his creatures “goals” because he saw the flesh-eating characters as something new and different from “zombies” (via Monsters and Mad Scientists: A Cultural History of the Horror Movie). The term “zombie” was later used by fans and critics to refer to the flesh-eating creatures, and it was retroactively applied to the film after Romero’s “ghouls” became the basis for modern zombies.

How Night of the Living Dead redefined zombies

Zombies were different before Night of the Living Dead

The movie considered to be the first feature-length zombie movie is 1932’s White ZombieStarring Bela Lugosi. White Zombie is based on the 1929 novel The Magic IslandBy William Seabrook, who was inspired by a voodoo priestess he met. then, The concept of “zombie” came from Haitian folkloreWhere a bokor (voodoo priest or priestess) could reanimate a corpse into an insensate slave. White Zombie Mixed this with racial and postcolonial anxieties, however Romero’s goals broke the concept of “voodoo zombies.”

The ghouls are not controlled by a person and they are not brought back by the actions of a person, and instead, the ghouls are reanimated as a result of radiation from a space explosion. Of course, zombies have gone through changes and additions since then Night of the Living Dead came out, but the genre would not be the same without Romero’s goals, their origin and their many characteristics.

Source: Monsters and Mad Scientists: A Cultural History of the Horror Movie.