It must be hard as an artist to know whether to embrace or fight against your reputation. Even harder if what you are known for was a culture defining break through. George A. Romero for example, has been happily milking a zombified teat for the past fifteen years or so, piling more and more shit onto the mile-high mountain of modern zombie horror. Sam Raimi on the other hand, has been stamping his visual style on to big budget blockbusters, progressing away from his horror roots whilst never forgetting their importance.
