[johnboy3434]

Hello, all! I'm something of an avid horror fan (I don't attend conventions and the like, but I'm always in the mood for a good slasher or monster of the week flick), and I'm a bit confused about the issues surrounding the various "Dead" series. Which ones are official and/or legally made?

There seem to be dozens upon dozens of movies that have "...of the Dead," "...of the Living Dead," or some variation thereof tacked onto the end of their titles. After reading the information on Wikipedia, I've come up with the following answer to which ones are official/legal, but I would like for anyone more knowledgeable on the subject to proofread it.

Alright, as I understand it, all of the films made by George A. Romero and John A. Russo are official and have legal backing by whoever owns the copyright. This would include Night/Dawn/Day/Land/Diary and the Return series, as well as Russo's Children, a sequel to his 30th Anniversary edition of the original. The high-profile remakes are official as well, meaning Night/Dawn/Day and the upcoming Army (I suppose they just lump that in with the remakes because it's a sequel to a remake?). Day 2: Contagium is official despite Romero's/Russo's protests because the company making it had the rights to Day of the Dead.

I still have questions, though. How were all the dozens of unofficial "Dead" movies made without consent from Romero/Russo or the company that made the official movies? Are they all illegal? Or does the original film's status as public domain make them legal? Exactly which movies besides Night '68 have legal backing? I'm still fairly lost.