review: NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (40th ANNIVERSARY EDITION)

Weinstein Company  //  Buy from Amazon.com George A. Romero's Night of the Living Dead still sets the standard for all indie fright flicks. This 40th Anniversary Edition authorized by the director himself reanimates the landmark tale of five strangers who struggle desperately against hordes of the walking undead. Re-mastered and loaded with all-new Special Features. It's amazing to me that this film (a) kicked off the entire zombie genre which is so taken for granted nowadays and (b) is a damn good and damn entertaining flick, even 40 years later. Despite its age, despite its low-budget nature, despite it's black & white presentation, this is a surprisingly gripping and taut film, bringing about visceral reactions in viewers (including this one) no matter how jaded we think we are when it comes to horror flicks and zombie films. This film has probably had a dozen different DVD releases over the years (since it fell into the public domain), but there's no question that this 40th Anniversary Edition is the premiere release. Even aside from the gorgeous and surprisingly-strong transfer, the amount of extras is first-rate and the documentary is worth the price of purchase alone. Romero would go on to make probably the best zombie flick of all time with "Dawn of the Dead" but "Night" is where it all began... and it's a damn fine kick-off to a now-5-film series... Video Presented in Romero's preferred aspect ratio of 1.33:1, the film looks surprisingly strong, given its age and low-budget nature. I own one of the previous barebones DVD releases of this film, and the difference between that copy and this newly-remastered version is unbelievable. Audio False advertising on the packing aside (no promised Dolby 5.1 surround mix), the Dolby mono mix is perfect for this genre starter, delivering a clean, solid soundtrack. Extras audio commentary w/ Romero, writer & actors audio commentary w/ producer, production manager & actors "One for the Fire" feature-length documentary "Speak of the Dead" Q&A sessio w/ Romero "Ben Speaks" audio recording of Duane JOnes' last interview photo gallery trailer script (PDF) Closing Thoughts Excellent, still-entertaining film + comprehensive collection of extras = highly recommended for those looking to see where it all began