Just in time for Halloween, City Council Member Amanda Farías (C.D. 18) hosted a street co-naming ceremony on Saturday, Oct. 12, in partnership with the NYC Department of Transportation (DOT) to honor legendary filmmaker George Romero. The ceremony took place at the northeast intersection of Metropolitan Avenue and Metropolitan Oval in Parkchester, where Romero was raised and began his journey to becoming an iconic figure in horror cinema.

 

“George Romero’s legacy goes beyond film,” said Farías, who, as reported, was appointed majority leader of the city council in January and represents the Bronx neighborhoods of Soundview-Bruckner, Soundview-Clason Point, Castle Hill-Unionport, Harding Park, Parkchester, and Westchester Square. “He influenced generations of filmmakers and sparked meaningful conversations about societal issues. It is an honor to recognize his roots here in Parkchester and ensure his contributions to cinema and culture are forever remembered.”

 

According to officials from the councilwoman’s office, born in 1940 to a Lithuanian mother and a Spanish-born, Cuban father, Romero grew up in Parkchester. Even in his youth, he displayed a deep passion for film, a spirit of adventure, and a commitment to creativity. At just 14, while making his film, “The Man From the Meteor,” Romero was arrested after throwing a dummy off a roof to capture a scene, an early testament to his dedication to the art of filmmaking.

 

They said Romero went on to attend Carnegie Mellon University and eventually became a pioneering filmmaker, earning the title “Godfather of the Dead” for his groundbreaking work in the horror genre. His “Night of the Living Dead” series, starting with the original “Night of the Living Dead”, introduced the modern concept of a zombie apocalypse, and he continues to be celebrated for redefining the zombie in film.

They said his films have sparked generations of excitement and fascination with the undead, cementing Romero’s status as a major contributor to the zombie image in modern culture.

 

Raised in Parkchester, Romero is known as the “Godfather of the Dead” and the “Father of the Modern Movie Zombie,” with a career that spanned over four decades. Officials said his “Night of the Living Dead” series introduced the world to the zombie apocalypse concept and redefined the genre, making a lasting impact on both film and popular culture. Romero died on July 16, 2017, and according to those who honored him, leaves behind a legacy that continues to inspire filmmakers and fans worldwide.

 

For his part, Edwin Pagán, founder-in-chief of Latin Horror, said of the filmmaker, “To many, George A. Romero is the undisputed ‘Father of the Zombies,’ but to me, as a lifelong horror fan and filmmaker working in genre production, he was also a tangible inspiration with whom I could easily identify,” said “I was too young to see his seminal and ground-breaking ‘Night of the Living Dead’ in theaters when it originally premiered, but when I watched ‘Dawn of the Dead’ in 1978 at a local Bronx drive-in, I could not get enough of his “walking dead” stories.

 

Pagán said Romero’s subsequent canon of work mirrored the zeitgeist of the times when the films were made, also making Romero a documentarian who embedded his narrative feature work with historical context. “This ceremonial dedication is a fitting tribute to a son of The Bronx, who, through his creation of the brain-eating Zombies, has kept the world in terror for over five decades, with no end in sight,”  Pagán said.

Meanwhile, Dr. Steven Payne, director at the Bronx County Historical Society  said, “Bronxites have been innovators of many cultural phenomena over the last 100 years — from hip hop to salsa, fashion, graffiti and street art, and so much more. What many folks don’t realize is that the ‘Father of the Zombies,’ George A. Romero, is also a son of The Bronx, hailing from Parkchester.”

 

Payne said the street co-naming was a fitting way to memorialize what he described as Romero’s pivotal role in shaping the modern horror genre, with cinematic depictions of the walking dead becoming the gold standard for zombie flicks thereafter. “The Bronx County Historical Society celebrates Romero’s legacy as one of the most important innovators of horror thus far, right alongside Edgar Allan Poe, whose Cottage in The Bronx, his last permanent home, we are caretakers of.”

 

According to the Bronx County Historical Society, Poe Cottage remains open while roof repairs are ongoing. Visitors should enter through the side door.