John A. Russo, sometimes credited as Jack Russo or John Russo, is an American screenwriter and film director most commonly associated with the 1968 horror classic film Night of the Living Dead, which he co-wrote with director George Romero.
Biography from TMDB.
- February 2, 1939 (87)
- Clarion, Pennsylvania, USA
- Writer, director, actor and producer
- 16 on MovieCove · 41 credits in all
Known for
What are John A. Russo's films like?
Across their 15 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Survival and Society.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 1 · Wry 2 · Earnest 12
A split, not a type: Light 4 · Serious 3 · Dark 8
Grounded 9 · Stylized 6 · Heightened 0
A split, not a type: Gentle 4 · Charged 4 · Intense 7
Steady 5 · Shifting 8 · Whiplash 2
Straight-faced 6 · Some laughs 7 · Funny 2
Slow burn 6 · Even-paced 7 · Relentless 2
Casual 8 · Engaged 7 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 6 · Affecting 6 · Heavy 3
Resolved 12 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 1
Roles they play
- Tricksteras Burt in Killer Campout (2017)
Moods and endings
- Happy1
- Bittersweet7
- Tragic3
- Ambiguous3
- Cyclical1
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch John A. Russo's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 14 of their 16 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (9).
- Night of the Living Dead (1968) · actor, writer · free
- The Return of the Living Dead (1985) · writer · free
- Night of the Living Dead (1990) · writer, producer · free
- My Life with the Living Dead (2024) · actor, writer, producer · free
- The Affair (1971) · producer · free
- Midnight (1982) · director, writer · free
- The Night They Came Home (2024) · writer, producer · free
- The Majorettes (1986) · actor, writer, producer · free
- The Red Tide Massacre (2022) · director · free
- Midnight Pulp, show their 3 titles on Midnight Pulp
- Screambox, show their 3 titles on Screambox
- Cineverse, show their 2 titles on Cineverse
- Demand Africa, show their title on Demand Africa
- Full Moon, show their title on Full Moon
- Lionsgate+, show their title on Lionsgate+
- MovieSphere+, show their title on MovieSphere+
Subscription and free streaming for John A. Russo's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
41 credits, 16 with a MovieCove page; 12 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films
Midnight 3 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2026)
View from the Edge (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)
Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
The Night They Came Home(2024)
Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all films
Crackcoon(2024)
Midcredits score: 7th percentile of all films
Slice 2! Children of the Course (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2023)
The Red Tide Massacre(2022)
Midcredits score: 6th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films
Midnight(2020)
Midcredits score: 8th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Night of the Living Dead Live (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)
1-900 Vampire (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)
My Uncle John Is a Zombie! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)
Killer Campout(2017)
Midcredits score: 4th percentile of all films
Another Night of the Living Dead (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)
Midcredits score: 1st percentile of all films
The Mob Boss & the Soul Singer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)
Children of the Living Dead (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)
Night of the Living Dead: 30th Anniversary Edition 1999 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)
Santa Claws (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)
Scream Queens Naked Christmas (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)
Zombie Jamboree ‘93 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)
Midnight 2 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)
Scream Queens Knockout Workout (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)
Scream Queens Swimsuit Sensations (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)
Night of the Living Dead(1990)
Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films
The Inheritor (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)
Monster Make-Up (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)
Heartstopper (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)
Horror Effects: Hosted by Tom Savini (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)
Drive-in Madness!(1987)
Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films
The Majorettes(1986)
Midcredits score: 8th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films
Midnight(1982)
Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all films
The Devil and Sam Silverstein (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)
The Booby Hatch (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)
The Affair(1971)
Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all films
Night of the Living Dead(1968)
Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films
Dead Good Night (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Night of the Living Dead (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Spawn of the Living Dead (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Career shape
A full career of 40 titles, 37 of them dated from 1968 to 2026.
Biggest box office
The Return of the Living Dead (1985)
Highest rated
Night of the Living Dead (1968)
Most popular right now
Midnight (1982)
Film career
- 1986Screen debut· The Majorettes
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.
How do John A. Russo's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 13th percentile, the median of all 16; across their 15 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 18th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up3
- 50th to 74th1
- 25th to 49th1
- Below 25th11
Shape of the crowd
11 of their 16 titles are Mixed.
- Universally Loved1
- Divisive1
- Cult Classic1
- Crowd Pleaser2
- Mixed11
Reviewers score the dialogue 31/100 and the plot and story 36/100 in their films, across 14 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Is John A. Russo's work okay for kids?
Across a limited sample of up to 4 MovieCove titles with content scores.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.
Who does John A. Russo work with?
People who share at least 2 of John A. Russo's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; George A. Romero shares the most, 6.
Directors
- George A. RomeroShared titles: Night of the Animated Dead (2021), Night of the Living Dead 3D (2006), Night of the Living Dead (1990), Drive-in Madness! (1987), The Affair (1971), Night of the Living Dead (1968)See all 6 shared titles with George A. Romero
- Brad TwiggShared titles: Crackcoon (2024), Killer Campout (2017)See all 2 shared titles with Brad Twigg
Writers
- Rudy RicciShared titles: The Return of the Living Dead (1985), The Affair (1971)See all 2 shared titles with Rudy Ricci
Actors
- Russell StreinerShared titles: Night of the Living Dead (1990), Drive-in Madness! (1987), The Majorettes (1986), The Return of the Living Dead (1985), The Affair (1971), Night of the Living Dead (1968)See all 6 shared titles with Russell Streiner
- Gary Lee VincentShared titles: Crackcoon (2024), My Life with the Living Dead (2024), Midnight (2020), Killer Campout (2017)See all 4 shared titles with Gary Lee Vincent
- S. William HinzmanShared titles: Drive-in Madness! (1987), The Majorettes (1986), The Affair (1971), Night of the Living Dead (1968)See all 4 shared titles with S. William Hinzman
- Chris O'BrockiShared titles: Crackcoon (2024), Killer Campout (2017)See all 2 shared titles with Chris O'Brocki
Cinematographers and editors
- Paul McColloughShared titles: Night of the Living Dead (1990), The Majorettes (1986), Midnight (1982)See all 3 shared titles with Paul McCollough
- Jamie LockhartShared titles: My Life with the Living Dead (2024), Midnight (2020)See all 2 shared titles with Jamie Lockhart
Producers
- Rick JermainShared titles: Crackcoon (2024), Killer Campout (2017)See all 2 shared titles with Rick Jermain
Mixed roles
- George StoverShared titles: Crackcoon (2024), Killer Campout (2017)See all 2 shared titles with George Stover
- Tom SaviniShared titles: Night of the Living Dead (1990), Drive-in Madness! (1987)See all 2 shared titles with Tom Savini
- Samuel M. ShermanShared titles: Drive-in Madness! (1987), Midnight (1982)See all 2 shared titles with Samuel M. Sherman