Review by Jeff Swindoll, Monsters & Critics
“They’re coming to get you, Barbara!”
When George A. Romero jumped over to Dimension Extreme to make his latest entry in the Dead series (Diary of the Dead) he appears to have brought his original masterpiece with him. Now Dimension has given the classic a digital scrubbing and put some high-class extras on the film and you’ll definitely want to add it to your DVD library.
Johnny (Russell Streiner) and Barbara (Judith O’Dea) are making their annual visit to their father’s grave to lay a wreath. The bickering siblings are approached by a shambling man (Bill Hinzman) who attacks them and Johnny falls down and hits his head on a rock.
Barbara escapes to a nearby farmhouse, when she finds a corpse at the top of the stairs she attempts to flee but is intercepted by Ben (Duane Jones). Barbara falls into a hysterical state on a couch as Ben boards up the house. Ben discovers Harry (Karl Hardman) and Helen (Marilyn Eastman) Cooper, their wounded daughter Karen (Kyra Schon), and teenagers Tom (Keith Wayne) and Judy (Judith Riley) hiding in the basement.
Karen was bitten by one of attackers and is sick. Ben convinces them to come up out of the basement and help secure the house. Once they secure the house they discover that the dead turn on the television and discover that the dead are returning are attacking the living. Now our trapped party has to make it through the night and hope that they’ll see the dawn again.
George A. Romero’s low budget chiller was probably never expected to be a classic of the genre and spawn a whole new genre of movies. The back of the box proclaims it to be the most influential film since Hitchcock’s Psycho and I’d have to agree.
Romero is able to squeeze so much out of the low budget and the film still has the value to shock after all these years. I recall the power the first time I watched it and it was not something that I was expecting to happen with this black and white film from 1968, but it was there.
The film’s copyright was in dispute and therefore tons of releases of dubious quality have been floating around for years. It would appear that when Romero set out to make another sequel in his Dead films for Dimension/Genius Entertainment that Night of the Living Dead came along for the ride.
Now the studio has put out yet another release of the classic but gone is the shoddy transfer. In fact, this version looks pristine. I’ve heard that a Blu-ray copy is on the way and I can’t wait to get my claws on that one.
The release also brings over some old special features, but adds a new documentary that’s worth the cost of the disc alone. If you’re a Night of the Living Dead fan then you’ll be happy as a ghoul in blood at this release.
Night of the Living Dead is presented in fullscreen. Ported over are two commentaries from the Millennium Edition of Night of the Living Dead. The first is with co-writer/director George A. Romero, producer/actor Karl Hardman, Marilyn Eastman, and co-writer John A. Russo.
The second is with producer Russell W. Streiner, producer manager Vince Survinski, and actors Judith O’Dea, Bill Hinzman, Kyra Schon, and Keith Wayne. The next special feature is brand new and well worth the purchase alone. It’s the 83 minute “One for the Fire: the Legacy of Night of the Living Dead” and is an excellent documentary. The 15-minute “Speak of the Dead” is an interview with Romero at the Bloor Cinema in Toronto done on August 26, 2007.
The 16-minute “Ben Speaks” is an audio interview with the late Duane Jones that plays over some stills from the film (also from the Millennium edition). The 2-minute theatrical trailer, a still gallery, and the screenplay (on DVD-ROM) round out the special features.
Night of the Living Dead is a classic by all measures. This release offers a pristine copy of the film and a great documentary and is highly recommended to tide you over until the Blu-ray (hopefully) comes out. The dead live on
