Top 10 original titles for popular horror movies
By Jeremy Dick
Credit: George Romero / The Walter Reade Organization / Public Domain
Many movies undergo name changes during the pre-production process, and you won’t believe what these 10 horror films were nearly called.
I guess it goes to show just how important a catchy title really is!
For the 10 horror films on this list, their final iconic titles weren’t what filmmakers originally envisioned. No matter how good they might be, you can’t help but wonder if these original titles would have hindered these films, starting with…
10. Monster Flick (Night of the Living Dead)
One of the most iconic zombies movies of all time is the one that started it all, George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead. Coming out all the way back in 1968, the classic horror film is entirely black and white. Still, it’s one of the freakiest horror movies of all time, holding true even to this day.
Its title, Night of the Living Dead, is synonymous with zombies. But this movie was nearly something else entirely. Originally co-written by Romero and John Russo as a horror-comedy, the film was set to be called Monster Flick. Its story was quite a bit different too, featuring aliens visiting Earth rather than flesh-eating reanimated corpses.
As Romero and Russo fleshed out the story, however, the concept shifted to featuring only the recently-deceased as the protagonists. The idea was suggested to have them eat people, creating the modern Hollywood zombie. With the story heading this direction, the pair eventually settled upon the title Night of the Living Dead. From there, naming his official sequels came pretty easy.