The Special Collections Library of the Living Dead
June 6, 2019 6:59 AM Subscribe
The University of Pittsburgh Acquires Romero Collection, To Found Horror Studies Center. The University of Pittsburgh’s University Library System has acquired the archives of pioneering horror filmmaker George A. Romero (1940–2017), including correspondence, scripts, footage, promotional material, and props from his legendary films. These include Night of the Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead, both shot near Pittsburgh. The new archive will form the foundation for a future horror studies center, building on collections already housed in ULS archives and special collections and funded in part by the George A. Romero Foundation.
Some preliminary information about the George A. Romero Horror Studies Center.
Some preliminary information about the George A. Romero Horror Studies Center.
Some librarians have all the fun.
posted by AlonzoMosleyFBI at 8:42 AM on June 6, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by AlonzoMosleyFBI at 8:42 AM on June 6, 2019 [1 favorite]
I love that Romero is the most famous filmmaker from my city.
posted by octothorpe at 8:50 AM on June 6, 2019 [4 favorites]
posted by octothorpe at 8:50 AM on June 6, 2019 [4 favorites]
I'm not that much of a horror fan, but my husband is, and watching Dawn of the Dead is always a trip for me because Monroeville Mall was my childhood mall in the early 80s, and it still looked EXACTLY the way it does in the film.
Anyway, brb Slacking around to see what excuses I can drum up to create a partnership between my unit and this new center.
posted by soren_lorensen at 9:23 AM on June 6, 2019 [4 favorites]
Anyway, brb Slacking around to see what excuses I can drum up to create a partnership between my unit and this new center.
posted by soren_lorensen at 9:23 AM on June 6, 2019 [4 favorites]
(posting on an alt account since it'd be fairly easy to ID me IRL based on this -)
I am professionally adjacent to this - literally, my office is on the other side of the wall from (collection coordinator) Ben/Special Collections - and I can confirm that the horror studies thing is Super Happening and it is Very Exciting. As another horror enthusiast at the ULS I can tell you that Ben is absolutely the dude for the job, and it is fortuitous/kind of bonkers that we had someone into this stuff in that department in the first place. So stoked for everyone involved.
On the non-special collections front we're doing a lot of relevant collection development, too - in my area, specifically, expanding our horror film holdings. We're def covering the canon but I am so pleased to be able to say that we're getting a lot of other exciting stuff, too. Right now I'm working on a huuuge list of recommendations (from a PhD candidate here) that is super-heavy on women directors and fills in a lot of stuff we were missing from black filmmakers. Also, Ben is working with some of the librarians to expand our horror fiction holdings. They're really going all-in on this and again I am SO STOKED.
posted by cocotine at 9:42 AM on June 6, 2019 [12 favorites]
I am professionally adjacent to this - literally, my office is on the other side of the wall from (collection coordinator) Ben/Special Collections - and I can confirm that the horror studies thing is Super Happening and it is Very Exciting. As another horror enthusiast at the ULS I can tell you that Ben is absolutely the dude for the job, and it is fortuitous/kind of bonkers that we had someone into this stuff in that department in the first place. So stoked for everyone involved.
On the non-special collections front we're doing a lot of relevant collection development, too - in my area, specifically, expanding our horror film holdings. We're def covering the canon but I am so pleased to be able to say that we're getting a lot of other exciting stuff, too. Right now I'm working on a huuuge list of recommendations (from a PhD candidate here) that is super-heavy on women directors and fills in a lot of stuff we were missing from black filmmakers. Also, Ben is working with some of the librarians to expand our horror fiction holdings. They're really going all-in on this and again I am SO STOKED.
posted by cocotine at 9:42 AM on June 6, 2019 [12 favorites]
“I still joke that 'Mr. Rogers Gets a Tonsillectomy' is the scariest film I’ve ever made. What I really mean is that I was scared sh*tless while I was trying to pull it off.”
posted by Etrigan at 9:46 AM on June 6, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by Etrigan at 9:46 AM on June 6, 2019 [1 favorite]
You only need to watch Zack Snyder's remake of Dawn of the Dead to see how good Romero was. Snyder copied all the text and somehow missed all the subtext.
posted by octothorpe at 10:06 AM on June 6, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by octothorpe at 10:06 AM on June 6, 2019 [1 favorite]
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posted by mfoight at 7:50 AM on June 6, 2019 [2 favorites]