George Romero’s Alien Abduction Musical We Never Got To See

The Big Picture

• George A. Romero, affectionately known as the “Father of Zombie Films,” is mainly recognized for his horror flicks, but he also experimented in other genres such as romantic comedy, drama, and science fiction.
• Romero planned to make an alien invasion musical called
  Shoo-Be-Doo-Be-Moon
  , which would have been a parody of movies like
  War of the Worlds
  .
• Because of Romero’s independent style of directing,
  Shoo-Be-Doo-Be-Moon
  may have been too ambitious and a potential creative disaster.

We need genre filmmakers to get out there and get freakier with their movies. Back in the 20th century, this was much more commonplace. John Landis hopped from comedies like Animal House and The Blues Brothers to An American Werewolf in London, Sam Raimi went from Evil Dead 2 to Darkman, and George A. Romero, well, he kind of went all over the place. While Romero most often resided in the horror genre, he tended to break the rules and find new ways to spin old genres. He modernized the mythology of vampires with Martin, found the perfect ’70s spin on sci-fi horror in The Crazies, and, with the help of Stephen King, brought back the feeling of EC Comics to the ’80s with Creepshow. Oh yeah, and he basically invented the modern zombie movie. This was a guy who knew how to chop up well-known genres and tropes and serve them up in a brand-new way.

Of all the unmade Romero movies, there’s one in particular that feels like a totally catastrophic loss. That, or we should be thankful that it was never made. Films hardly ever get this bizarre. But enough rattling on about how this movie could have gone any which way! It was the mid-80s, and Romero was gearing up to make a big studio movie… titled Shoo-Be-Doo-Be-Moon. Not much is known about the project, except for the fact that it was an alien invasion musical that parodied classic sci-fi movies from the 1950s. The film went through numerous different iterations before it, unsurprisingly, completely fell apart. While we love a good Romero genre mix-mash, maybe it’s best that we left this one in the past.

George Romero Is More Than Just the Father of Zombies

Leading up to the 1960s, there were very few filmmakers who actually made a name for themselves in the horror genre. William Castle made the theatrical experience into a theme park ride, Roger Corman drummed up cheap-yet-groundbreaking science fiction horror plots, and Alfred Hitchcock helped create the slasher genre with Psycho. That said, George Romero could be the first true-blue horror filmmaker of the modern age. The obvious point is that Romero terrorized audiences for decades. We all know his Living Dead franchise, but he also made cult classics like Martin, The Crazies, Creepshow, Monkey Shines, The Amusement Park, and more. It’s hard to come across many directors who have done as much with horror as Romero.

While Romero was best known for his spooky pictures, he also had a good amount of experience in other genres as well! In the early ’70s, he dabbled in romantic comedies a bit with There’s Always Vanilla. A few years later, he jumped into the drama pool with Season of the Witch (which came out the same year as the incredibly underrated The Crazies). No one can forget the early ’80s cult classic film Knightriders, a staple for mega-action fans everywhere. He’s undoubtedly at his best when he’s working with zombies, ghouls, and evil militaristic forces, but there was more to Romero than most surface-level fans would expect.

‘Shoo-Be-Doo-Be-Moon’ Would Have Been an Alien Invasion Musical

The thing is, Romero might have tons of movies to his name, but the list of his unmade projects is even bigger. One of the most fascinating projects in this bunch is his ill-fated alien invasion musical, Shoo-Be-Doo-Be-Moon. Yes, that’s the title. While Romero has a ton of experience jumping into an assortment of genres, this one feels like a bit of a stretch. But honestly, a science fiction musical sounds like a tall order for any filmmaker! All of that being said, this wasn’t just set to be another exercise in genre. It was an excuse for Romero to work for a studio, be given a higher budget, and work on a much grander scale than ever.

This would have been a big jump for him in a creative sense. On one hand, this would have laid much more at his disposal. By and large, most of his productions were run independently. Surprisingly enough, none of the Living Dead movies were made through studios. You wouldn’t find the genre-breaking creative choices that were made in those movies in any Warner Bros. or Fox movies from the ’60s or ’70s, though. Romero was the kind of filmmaker that works best whenever he’s left to his own devices. His ideas are often a bit too out there and satirical compared to a lot of mainstream studio fare. He also tells stories best whenever he’s working with lengthy, slow-burn stories, instead of tight studio pictures. There are the occasional exceptions like Creepshow and The Dark Half, but by and large, Romero is like the Martin Scorsese of horror movies. His films require room to breathe. So, while a big studio project like this might sound like it would be a good jump for him, it also could have been a total creative disaster.

‘Shoo-Be-Doo-Be-Moon’ Evolved Into a ‘War of the Worlds’ Remake Before Fizzling Out Entirely

Not much is known about Shoo-Be-Doo-Be-Moon‘s story. We do know that it would have been a parody of alien invasion movies like War of the Worlds, but not much else. Unfortunately, the project ended up fizzling out. Romero went on to attempt an actual War of the Worlds remake instead, which bounced around in development hell, had alien and set designs made, and even pivoted the project into becoming a TV show until it was also canceled. That obviously ended up being taken on by Steven Spielberg in the mid-2000s, leading to a criminally underrated Tom Cruise flick. We all love George Romero, but it’s doubtful that his War of the Worlds, or the fever dream that is Shoo-Be-Doo-Be-Moon for that matter, would have ended up in the same creative stratosphere as Spielberg’s eventual remake.

It’s always fun when an iconic genre filmmaker lets loose and plays around with the storytelling boxes that have been established for decades. Still, everyone has their limits, and it’s hard to imagine that Shoo-Be-Doo-Be-Moon would have done much for his career. Romero is a much more versatile director and general storyteller than most people often give him credit for. Alien invasion musicals, on the other hand, should maybe be left to rest. Those are grounds that very few could operate well under. We love you, George, but we don’t necessarily need that part of you.

Night of the Living Dead is available to stream on Pluto TV in the U.S.

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