Romero to remake Argento’s Deep Red?!

George A. Romero and Dario Argento are unquestionably two of the most beloved and influential genre filmmakers in history. Romero is best known of course for defining the cinematic zombie in his two masterpieces Night of the Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead. Argento on the other hand is famous for his own masterpieces – the nightmarish supernatural horror flick Suspiria and the Giallo classic Deep Red (Profundo Rosso).

The two directors are still working today: Argento has recently announced a 3D Dracula project, while Romero continues his “… of the Dead” series. Neither filmmaker however has been able to recapture the heights of their earlier work.

Now comes news from Cannes that Romero is in advanced negotiations to direct a remake of Argento’s 1975 Giallo classic Deep Red. Not only that, but Romero’s remake will be in 3-D.

According to Variety, the project has been set up by Dario’s brother Claudio, who has written the new screenplay and is set to produce. Dario has no involvement in this new project.

Interestingly, Dario re-cut Dawn of the Dead for its European release back in 1978, getting rid of all that pesky subtext and metaphor in favour of more gore and action (he also co-funded the picture). Romero reportedly claimed that Argento never really understood his film. The two went on to co-direct Two Evil Eyes in 1990.

So does that mean we can expect Romero to infuse his version of Deep Red with some bristling social satire? God I hope not. These days, Romero’s version of satire is so heavy-handed he may as well just stand on screen and tell the audience about the wrongs of modern society as the zombie hordes are mowed down behind him.

The original Deep Red follows a music teacher (David Hemmings) as he attempts to unravel the mystery surrounding the murder of a psychic. Although not as popular as his other films, many (myself included) consider it to be among Argento’s best films, alongside Suspiria.

Deep Red truly is one of the most unsettling horror films ever crafted, utilising some disturbing first-person camera work and several spectacularly gory set pieces (it’s also worth mentioning the memorable score by Goblin and the recurring lullaby that acts as a warning of impending mayhem).

If Romero can recreate Argento’s dreamy, haunting camerawork (particularly the first-person murders), this could be an interesting 3-D experience.

Deep Red 3-D is expected to hit screens in 2011.

Discuss: Is this a good idea, or is Romero playing with fire?