Night of the Living Dead: Special Collector's Edition DVD Review:

After a satellite falls to Earth, radiation starts to kill people around the impact site. As the phenomenon starts to spread and more and more people become infected, survivors start to head for the countryside for safety. As the night starts to draw in the victims of the radiation start to come back to life and there most basic instincts take over, driving them to find food and the food they want is the survivors.

When it comes to defining films in a movie genre, ‘Night of the Living Dead’ is one of those movies.

In 1968 the Zombie movie was brought back to life by a first time filmmaker George A. Romero and it went on to be the film that every other undead movie that followed would be compared to. Like the classic Universal horror movies that had defined the vampire, werewolf and Frankenstein’s Monster folklores, this movie set out the rules and ways a zombie can be killed and how they should behave. Every zombie flick that followed would be influenced and compared to this standard setting film.

While this might not have been the highest budget film and is in fact a quintessential B-Movie of the 60s era but ‘Night of the Living Dead’ is something completely different. This movie has a plot that is grounded in realism. The main emphasis of the story might be complete horror fantasy but it is the way Romero and his team approach it that makes this movie standout. The situation the main group of characters face maybe far fetched but it is the way they respond to it that gives the film it impact.

This is survival horror, there are no heroes armed with every weapon under the sun taking on the Zombies single handed. These are people who are fighting to survive as the undead masses swarm around the farmhouse they are hiding in. As the world goes to hell around them, portrayed via realistic TV and radio broadcasts that update you on the crisis, they board
themselves up in the house and try and make a stand. As the hordes of ghouls get closer, the fear and infighting start making it just as dangerous to be inside as it is out. These elements make this a more human story, with the zombie epidemic serving as a backdrop to the survival story of the people in the house.

There are very few films that can be defined as a classic within a genre but ‘Night of the Living Dead’ is one of those movies. As well as setting the rules for every other zombie film that followed this also made story and character more prominent. This was the start of the survival horror genre and with this film both the movie and video game industries would have never have been the same.

Star Rating = * * * *

PICTURE & SOUND

Presented in Widescreen 1.85:1 Anamorphic with a choice between the original mono and a digitally remastered Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack, the transfer is good but slightly grainy in parts.

BONUS FEATURES

Feature length George A. Romero audio Commentary
Producer Karl Eastman, writer Jack Russo and star Marilyn Eastman to talk about one of the bringing one of the quintessential films of the genre to the silver screen join the legendary horror director. This is a chatty and
informative commentary as the group reminisce about tales of the 1968 classic’s production.

Feature length Cast Audio Commentary
Producer Russ Streiner, production director Vincent Survinski and actors Keith Wayne, Judith O'Dea and Bill Heinzman come together to talk about their involvement in ‘Night of the Living Dead’. This chatty and informative commentary that allows the group to talk about their memories of the shoot and how the film has affected their careers.

Original US Theatrical & TV trailers (2.39 mins)
Watch the original trailers from 1968, which give away most of the film key moments.

Star Duane Jones’ final interview (16.22 mins)
Listen to the final radio interview with Duane Jones who played Ben in the film. He talks about how the film affected him career and private life. He talks about the reaction to the film and how he tried to distance himself from acting after deciding to become a teacher instead. This gives you an insight into a reluctant stars life after starring a cult classic.

Interview cast member Judith Ridley (10.40 mins)
The actress who played Judy in the movie talks about how she became involved with the movie. She reveals how she auditioned for the role of Barbara and tells some amusing stories from the production. She also talks about her short career after the film and her found memories from the time.

Selected scenes from Romero’s lost film ‘There’s always Vanilla’ (4.57 mins)
View scenes from the unreleased film that George A. Romero followed up ‘Night of the Living Dead’ with.

Photo Galleries
View scrapbooks created by Vince Survinski and Marilyn Eastman containing personal memorabilia they’ve collected over the years since the film’s release.

Script Archive
Place the DVD in your PC and you will be able to read the script for the movie.

Prop Shots
A gallery of props used in the production of ‘Night of the Living Dead’

OVERALL

While the commentary tracks are very good but the lack of any real featurettes let down the repackaging of ‘Night of the Living Dead’. The lack of on screen interviews with George A. Romero is a real let down, as a film of this status should have had much more. This aside, the bonus features that are included are ok and the commentary tracks make up for the
shortcomings.



Jamie Kelwick