Nothing happens in a vacuum.
Success, notoriety, and fame can often create a haze around a creative genius, separating the person's true essence from their deeds and accomplishments. While the exhibit will contain a great deal of Romero's seminal and best-known work, our mission has also been to highlight little-known historical details of Romero's personal life, including his childhood and time in the Bronx, unrealized passion projects, as well as his interests outside the genre of horror.This was the first grounding promise that the Bronx County Historical Society and LATIN HORROR made to Suzanne Desrocher-Romero, Romero's wife and founder/president of the George A. Romero Foundation.
George A. Romero was a complex figure and creative auteur. But long before he became known globally as the "Father of the Zombies," he was a young aimless boy named 'Geo' who was born in The Bronx and called the Parkchester section of the borough home, and who originally had his sights on becoming a dentist (!). This multimedia media showcase explores his years in The Bronx, his transition to a celebrated and prolific filmmaker, as well as the visionary mind that would create a new genre in the horror space.
The Bronx County Historical Society Research Center consists of the Research Library and the Bronx County Archives, both of which provide unparalleled resources for researching The Bronx, its history, and its peoples. Our goal, as part of this endeavor, is to create The George A. Romero Bronx Archive."This initiative would be in partnership with the George A. Romero Foundation, and the Horror Studies Department at the University of Pittsburgh, who served as the official depository of Romero's archives, and maintain and preserve the expansive collection of original content and related materials.