Stephen King and George Romero, two undisputed masters of the horror genre, were good friends, and collaborated on multiple film and TV projects. King is of course arguably the greatest horror author of all time, and if not that, then at least the most prolific. Romero essentially invented the zombie sub-genre as fans know it today with Night of the Living Dead, and many regard his original trilogy of undead fright flicks to be the zombie movie at its absolute best.
King and Romero first met in the mid-1970s, around the time of Carrie's adaptation into a film by director Brian De Palma. The two hit it off quickly, and their friendship remained intact all the way until Romero's ing in 2017. King and Romero were both very creative, and very ionate about preserving their original visions as much as possible in the final product. Sadly, Romero often had problems in that regard, as Hollywood producers made demands and offered notes.
When two people with such brilliant creative minds meet, chances are they'll eventually collaborate, and what emerges from that collaboration will be memorable. Here's every time the two teamed up on a big or small screen project, whether it be through writing, directing, acting, or sometimes all three.
Knightriders (1981)
George Romero ventured out of horror and into weirdness with 1981's Knighriders, which starred a pre-fame Ed Harris as the leader of a traveling troupe that does things like joust, and tries their best to conduct themselves in a manner akin to medieval times. That is until their leader begins to lose faith in the cause. Stephen King makes a cameo as a heckler at one of their performances, while eating a big sandwich. He's credited as "Hoagie Man," and it's actually his first acting role of any kind. Romero regulars Ken Foree, Patricia Tallman, and Tom Savini also appear.
Creepshow (1982)
King's first - and only - leading role came the following year - in Romero's classic anthology film Joe Hill also makes a cameo in the wraparound story, getting slapped around by genre icon Tom Atkins.
The Word Processor of the Gods (1984)
What some fans only familiar with Romero's zombie movies may not realize is that he actually created and executive produced the well-ed 1980s anthology TV series Tales from the Darkside. "The Word Processor of the Gods" was a 1984 episode based on a 1983 short story by King that was later collected in the Skeleton Crew compilation. Bruce Davison stars as a writer who receives a word processor from his recently deceased nephew as a birthday gift, one which somehow enables him to rewrite and reshape his own reality, allowing him to escape his decidedly unfulfilling existence.
Creepshow 2 (1987)
While Creepshow 2 isn't nearly as good as the first, it's still an enjoyable enough anthology for horror fans who love the sub-genre. The best story in the film, "The Raft," is based on a King short. The other two stories are based on story ideas by King that he had not before written down proper. Romero wrote the script this time, with his frequent cinematographer Michael Gornick directing. King wrote an initial treatment of the script that Romero then fleshed out, and the author also made a cameo as a trucker during "The Hitchhiker" story.
Sorry, Right Number (1987)
"Sorry, Right Number" was an episode featured in the fourth and final season of Tales from the Darkside. John Harrison, another Romero regular, directed, while King himself wrote the script, which isn't based on any existing material, and was written specifically for TV. The story focuses on a woman who receives a mysterious phone call that turns out to have disastrous implications for her life. We won't give away the twist ending here, but while not too revolutionary, it's effective, and feels like a punch to the gut of the viewer.
Tales from the Darkside: The Movie (1990)
Harrison returned to direct Tales from the Darkside: The Movie, which Tom Savini has referred to as the "real" Creepshow 3. One of the stories, "Cat from Hell," is based on a King short, and Romero adapted it for the big screen. The story sees a hitman hired by a wealthy corporate type to take out an unlikely target, a cat deemed murderous. This being a King story, the cat is indeed a proficient killer. "Cat from Hell" was originally planned to be part of Creepshow 2, but was cut from the script over budget concerns.
The Dark Half (1993)
Richard Bachman was revealed to the world in the mid-1980s.
Diary of the Dead (2007)
After four zombie films that built on Night of the Living Dead's apocalypse, Romero rebooted his own franchise with 2007's Diary of the Dead. While no one is likely to call it his best work, as far as found footage movies, it's better than most, likely thanks to having a skilled director steering the ship. King was one of several famous names to make vocal cameos heard over electronic devices in the film, playing a preacher. Quentin Tarantino, Wes Craven, Guillermo del Toro, and Simon Pegg also cameo. Romero would make one more zombie film before his death, 2009's Survival of the Dead, which actually brought back a character from Diary.
