Night Of The Living Dead DVD Retrospective

[JohnIan101]

PART II: THE REMAKES - A1

Welcome back. This week's "Living Dead" reflection takes us on a trip to a familiar, yet different farmhouse. Today we cover the NOTLD remakes. Because of size issues, this is broken up into three parts.

Since this was made after 1982 I have access to various stats.

Our first redo is "George A. Romero's Night Of The Living Dead". The feature opened on October 19th, 1990. It was made with a budget of $4,200,000 (estimated) and grossed over 5.8 million during its U.S. theatrical run. The movie opened number six at the box office, the following week it dropped to number fourteen.

The feature opened against "Quigley Down Under", "Ghost", "Memphis Belle" and "Goodfellas".

I saw this on opening day, still have my ticket stub. I'm anal. Some things about me; I only see movies in theaters on opening day - I like the rush of a fresh audience and I keep my ticket stubs.

It started with "Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade", May 24th, 1989.

That theater has long disappeared into history. The building was turned into a high end, consumer electronic store. Bought a few laser discs there back in the day. And now?

That store died in 2011, a victim of the bad economy. It's a cool looking building. Would take a lot to renovate it, but it would make a really cool large house. Keep one of the smaller screening rooms and turn it into... a home theater. Sorry, reminiscing. Saw a good chuck of the movies in my youth there.

This building has now becoming the fortified offices of a repo foreclosure company. I'm not joking about it being fortified, looks like a prison. They're the guys who force you out and clean out houses for the banks.

Moon don't look friendly.



Released on October 6th, 1999 from Columbia TriStar Home Video for $24.95 was the special edition DVD (ISBN# 0-7678-2783-X). It came in a common DVD case, normal wraparound.

There was an insert, a two page booklet; production notes and chapter listing, twenty-eight of them. This title was re-released some years later, I'll get to that in a few.

The motion picture is eighty-eight minutes long.

- - -

Extras:

* Newly remastered print
* Commentary: director Tom Savini
* "The Dead Walk: Remaking A Classic" making-of featurette (full screen, 24:52 minutes)
* Talent Files
* Theatrical Trailer (full screen)
* Additional Trailer: "The Tingler" (full screen, black & white, 1959)

- - -

Audio:

* Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround
* Dolby Digital 2.0 (mono; Portuguese dub)

- - -

NOTES/REVIEW

There are subtitles in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Korean and Thai. The odd thing is, the English subtitles is auto on when the film starts, you have to turn them off.

DVD is double sided and presents the movie in anamorphic widescreen on S-A, full screen S-B. The extras are identical on each side. Too bad they couldn't include more. The home video for "Wrong Turn" (2003), same deal - double sided, but S-A and S-B had different extras.

NOTLD disc labels are reversed, full screen is wide and vise versa.

The commentary is solid, Savini talked mostly throughout. Various things pointed out such as the name of the home owner is "M. Celeste". As in the Mary Celeste, yes that Celeste.

Bought from Best Buy for ten bucks, around 2004. For me the featurette just scratches the surfaces. My favorite part was the merging of 1968 footage with 1990, the cemetery zombie that breaks the car's window, quite seamless.

The making-of shows a few poor looking deleted scenes, culled from a VHS tape. They had to make cuts to get an R rating. The original MPAA pass resulted in an X. The lost bit that sticks out is when Tom Bitner (William Butler), Judy Rose Larsen (Katie Finneran) and Ben (Tony Todd) are in the pickup going for gas. Tom is in the flatbed and shoots a zombie, point blank range with his shotgun, its head ceased to exist in a shower of blood.

This title was re-released by Sony Picture Home Entertainment on September 27th, 2005 for $19.94. This has the very same ISBN number. There are four important differences...

1. This is a single sided disc; anamorphic widescreen only
2. It fixes the problem with the auto English subtitles
3. Excludes the booklet.
4. The wraparound is different in the back; same images, but gone is the special features listings and of course now reads Sony Picture Home Entertainment.

All the features from the first pressing.

Ended up using a two disc transparent DVD case. The newer wraparound on the outside with the older cover showing on the inside. Disc one becoming the widescreen only DVD.

This needs is a deluxe edition; longer gorier version, commentary with the cast, production artwork (would love to see that, some of the early drafts on the zombies), home videos, storyboards, bloopers and more featurettes on the making. Better remastered picture and sound. Plus something else?

Can't say for certain... the DVD has an item listed as 'Trailer', the thing is - it feels like a teaser. Trailers tend to be around two minutes or so long. This thing clocks at 1:09 (including the green MPAA rating screen). It feels wrong, teasers are roughly a minute in length.

A big point was gingerly mentioned; Savini had trouble making the movie. Not from the Hollywood end, but from the local mob. They had their teeth in the production. It's only mentioned once, probably for good reason. And maybe that's why we won't get that better version. Dogs best left sleeping.

This was an enjoyable, some have gone as far as saying this equals Romero's version. Can't disagree. It was the first picture to introduce me to Tony Todd. I can't imagine him NOT being Ben.



Barbara (Patricia Tallman) is easy on the eyes. I'm not into short haired girls, but she definitely an exception. Glad she made it beyond the massacre. Actress Katie Finneran as Judy Rose in the background.

Finneran played Sharon Tyler on Fox's "Wonderfalls" (2004), the older sister to Jaye (Caroline Dhavernas).

What shines is the zombie effects. The gaunt, bald fellow who pops through the window (Jay McDowell). I remember seeing that for the first time. My mouth was wide open.

How the hell? 'They're shooting him, skin is breaking, but it's not regular squibs. I see flesh.'

Outstanding!



He looked so freaky, yellowish, skinny, disturbing. As with the half burnt zombie from "Dawn Of The Dead" (1978), this guy became iconic.

There is a weak point, Johnnie (Bill Mosley). Not like that. He was fine. I'm talking about his death. The dummy head that hits the tombstone - breaking the neck, looked too fake.

The problem was it lingered a second too long.

Should've been a very quick cut. Boom! Dead.



The DVD cover, passable. CGI zombies? Yeah, I know, the cover foreshadows things to come. Granted the ghoul with the open maw is traditional drawing.

Cover works, gets the message across, true. But why?

The film's poster was WAY better and ominous.

They should've gone with that.



I have this too, the laser disc, a single disc release (CLV only). It streeted on April 11th, 1991 for $34.95 (#77176) from RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video. In full screen, the horror (no chapters!). The only extra is that same, so called 'trailer'.

An issue I have is with the cover (beyond the lack of chapters and not in widescreen). It gets the job done, but gives away the ending - zombified Ben. Okay, fine - everybody knows that he dies in the end. But since this was a remake, it could've gone a different route as it did with Barbara. What if newbies saw this?

The surprise is gone. Anyhow, the cover IS superior to the DVD's.

Who was the hotter MILF, McKee Anderson or Marilyn Eastman as Helen Cooper? Gonna side with Anderson. I was going to include Johanna Black from the next remake, thought about it... nah. She was perfect for that interpretation and leave it at that, though she seems like a cool person to party with - hilarious.

Okay - why does the dead woman with the doll look like she just broke major foul wind?

- - -

The apocalypse cause was never given. There's been speculation, but no definitive answer(s). As it should; the world came to an end, the reason why at this point is purely trivial - not much you can do about it.

The back of the DVD says different...

Seven strangers are trapped in an isolated farmhouse while cannibalistic zombies - awaken from death by the return of a radioactive space probe - wage a relentless attack, killing (and eating) everyone in their path.

- - -

Often asked; why did Ben turn if he wasn't bitten?

This event; the contagion is airborne. From this point forward - everyone who dies (regardless how) will get back up and feast on the living. It has contaminated our ecosystem. If you're bitten or scratched, you receive a huge dose of the virus which is lethal. Otherwise it's sit dormant, waiting...

Get gnaws at once more next Thursday, if you DARE!

[JohnIan101]

PART II: THE REMAKES - A2

Controversy.



Barbara (Patricia Tallman) has something else to fear besides the ghouls outside.

I do not own this - I'm not into Blu-Rays.

Doesn't do it for me, could go into a long rant, but won't.

Lets dive in...



Released on October 9th, 2012 from Twilight Time (through Screen Archives Entertainment) for $29.95 was the limited edition Blu-Ray (UPC# 8-51789-00332-0), only 3,000 produced worldwide of the 1990 remake. The region A/1 (1080p) came in a common BR case, normal wraparound.

There was an insert, an eight page booklet; production notes by film historian Julie Kirgo.

The motion picture is eighty-eight minutes long.

- - -

Extras:

* Newly remastered print
* Commentary: director Tom Savini
* Isolated Score: composer Paul McCollough
* Theatrical Trailer (in HD)
* Catalog Ad: "The Rains Of Ranchipur" (1955) and "Bonjour Tristesse" (1958)

- - -

Audio:

* 5.1 DTS-HD MA

- - -

NOTES/RANT

Missing from the BD is the making-of featurette, "The Dead Walk: Remaking A Classic", though the Savini commentary carries over.

All of this entry was researched; spent hours online, looking about and reading: blogs, message boards and HD reviews - taking a lot of notes. I believe I can write about this.

There are subtitles in English SDH.

Blu-Ray is not dubbed in any language(s).

It is presented in anamorphic widescreen.

This was the first title from Twilight Time that sold out in eight days (on pre-order). Impressive. A pre-order sold on Ebay for $150.00. It has a current auction price of $95.95. And selling on Amazon for $144.95 new.

The problem hit the web shortly after folks got their copies and watched; upset fans vented their displeasure.



These pixs are from a YouTube video from Auzorann; called "1990 NOTLD DVD vs Bluray Comparison". It's short, thirty-five seconds. Download the HD video; the stills were not altered by myself. The change is explicit, everything has a dark blue tint.

The image details were dimmed by the HD new transfer - which is the opposite that you would expect from high definition.

The trailer isn't Smurfed.

The days that followed, news came out - the company never examined what they were selling.

A step back...

In 2010 Sony Pictures Home Entertainment was working on a deluxe edition of the 1990 flick; 20th Anniversary release. A new transfer was made. The project was supervised by the film's director of photography, Frank Prinzi. He claims this is how the film was suppose to look. I'll get into the contradiction and dissension in a few.

For whatever reason, Sony terminated the project; transfer sat on the self for two years.

Along comes a new company, Twilight Time (releases limited edition BDs of hard to find/vintage films) who learn of the new transfer and want to release a BD. The upstart buys the licensing rights, an exclusive three year contract - which expires this month.

The rest is history.

To combat the MASSIVE negative comments, Twilight Time posted the following on their Facebook page:

UPDATE: As promised, we have discussed NOTLD at the studio and are able to verify via SPE’s Mastering Department, that our Blu-ray is indeed the approved transfer from 2010, generated for the film’s 20th anniversary, and done in consultation with the film’s director of photography. As you will have also seen on this page and elsewhere on the Internet, director Tom Savini has now had a chance to view the end product and declared it "fantastic." As we are aware that some fans of the film will remain disappointed, our offer of a full refund still stands if you wish to return your copy. However, we would caution you with this thought: this is a limited edition run of 3,000 copies, and the title is sold out. Right or wrong, it is a collector’s item, and there are no guarantees this title will ever be repressed. Going forward, if TT encounters another situation where the new transfer differs greatly from the old, we will bring that to collectors’ attention prior to the disc being offered so that you may know of the changes beforehand. Thanks for all your support.

Savini posted on his Facebook:

You know what...I watched it last night and it's beautiful. I can't see anything wrong with it and I watched it on my 70 inch high def Sharp.

- - -

A commenter on IMDb with the moniker Zilla7777 made this post (October 9th, 2012) in the message board for the 1990 movie:

It turns out that Tom Savini "gave his okay" on this version after it was long-sold-out. I know, because I just got done talking to him (I initially contacted him via email, the same one he uses on his public website for contact: tom_savini@msn.com). He also told me that he was PAID FOR HIS "OPINION" by Twilight Time, the label that released this dreck.

That invalidates his quote about how great the transfer is; conflict of interest, damage control.

Here's a quote from the DVD featurette from actress Patricia Tallman:

When we started shooting, we started with the beginning of the script, which was the graveyard scene. This was spring time in Pittsburgh; we wanted to have that gloomy, rainy kind of thing going on - which I believe is the way it is in the original. Instead we had these glorious, sun shining, blue days with birds chirping in the background. Not scary at all. But at the end, Tom loved it, 'cause its the opposite; it was the opposite of what you expected. And that's what he kept doing in that scene.

So this talk about how great the BD picture is pure BS.

Still trying to save face, Twilight Time later posted this on Facebook:

Well, the Blu-ray is an accurate representation of the transfer...obviously things like bright/dark levels are utterly subjective. The transfer was undoubtedly approved by the filmmakers.

An indigo screen is subjective?

Some claimed the situation can be fixed by adjusting their TVs, no; the tint is too far embedded to revert. Worse yet are the folks who see nothing wrong. Don't know what to say to them. The word apathy comes to mind.

A quote from online denizen named Project-Blu:

the scary thing is, some people (the revisionists in this case) just don't understand the betrayed emotions people get when something they love and are familiar with changes. if someone took their pet and shaved it bald, they'd be upset, and others would state if it didn't harm the creature it isn't THAT big a deal.

Apathy. Like those folks who recorded that guy getting beat up on the street with their smart phone - not helping, just recording; wondering how many 'Likes' they'll get.

There is another issue that hasn't gotten as much attention - the audio.

Sound effects are missing/deleted from the new transfer. It's present on the DVD. The clicking sounds from Cooper's shotgun after he fired all his rounds is truant. So is the camera noise from the end credits; the sound effect of a camera's motor, moving the image forward for each end credit still is absent. I have no answer. Are there more deletions? Probably.

Should be in the discount bargain bin at Wal-Mart.

- - -

Twilight Time shouldn't have taken all the heat, but they're not 100% blameless. They should've seen what they were selling before shipping.

And if they did? They should still sell; have a disclaimer and a video comparison and stills (online) for buyers to decide. It would've made money. And all this mess on their heads wouldn't have exist - blame would fall solely on the studio for creating a bad transfer.

Sony had to have known about this image situation; they made it. Perhaps knew this wouldn't go sit with fans and HD connoisseurs.

What if they gave this inferior product to Twilight Time? Let them take the wraith of angry buyers and get some money back with licensing rights. After three years, they'll re-release a collector's edition. Speculation.

They now know that there is a rabid fan base, granted a niche market. The newer title will be done proper and become a good seller.

Not that outlandish since there exist TWO hi-def transfers. The other was not tinted navy blue, both owned by Sony. When was the second made? Don't know, but I can tell you it's on the streaming service VUDU from Wal-Mart.

So questions on the abandoned 20th Anniversary. How many special features were produced before the plug was pulled? Was the bad transfer the tipping point? Sony didn't want to spent the money to fix it and decided to kill the project?

Back to subject; so the film's director of photography is to blame? That's not what the director was going for.

But he did approved the transfer?

Didn't he?

The ugly transfer finally received a legitimate answer; exposed November of 2012 from the website, Cinema Lowdown.

Discord continues next Thursday. See you then.

[JohnIan101]

PART II: THE REMAKES - A3

Continuing...

The movie site had a post entitled "Cinematographer Frank Prinzi ASC Shares His Thoughts On Night Of The Living Dead (1990) Blu-Ray"; November 11th, 2012 (written by Chaz Lipp).

The film's cinematographer took much of the blame at least from Twilight Time's point of view; Prinzi approved transfer.

He dropped a bombshell...

I have to let you know that I haven't seen the transfer on Blu-Ray, on a good screen, yet. I just saw [a] quick clip on the internet and what I saw looked bad. I was consulted verbally a couple of years back but was never given a "first draft" copy of the transfer to give my true feedback. It went from words to visuals. The range of interpretation is limitless. The words “cool” or “darker” can be taken in so many ways that without a visual marker to refer to, one can go in any direction. From what I hear the direction taken did not bring pleasing results to many.

Who's blame?

Some fellow at Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, not Prinzi. More and more, feels like Sony just wanted to dump this new transfer on someone, get back some money from licensing.



See that Sony? She's looking at you.

Trust me, you do not want, nor the trowel little Ms. Cooper is holding.

Fix this, do it right; DVD and BD.

- - - - - - - - - -

SOUNDTRACKS PART III



"Night Of The Living Dead: Original Score From The Motion Picture". A limited CD was released in late August of 2002 from Numenorean Music (#NMCD 002). Only 3,000 was produced (I have it). Not a regular soundtrack, but a redo.

CD is a re-recording by Paul McCollough (composer) utilizing most of the same equipment used during the scoring of the film. The original tapes were preserved, but McCollough believed he could improve upon their sound. I'm okay with that.

The booklet (eight pages) contains liner notes from him. And original artwork commissioned exclusively for this release by Ron Pegenkoop and Cliff Cramp.

Something missing - chase music where Barbara has abandoned the car and has gone on foot, two hungry graveyard ghouls pursuing. Don't have an answer why absent. There was room, the album is 62 minutes long.

My favorite tracks are "Cemetary", "Passage To Normal" and "Pump Run".

Numenorean no longer exit, only releasing three soundtracks before dying. The last CD was in 2003. NOTLD soundtrack is selling, used for $250.00 on Amazon! I paid twenty-four (when you count shipping and tax).

- - -

Tracks

1. Cemetery
2. Farmhouse
3. Tensionizer
4. Twin Geeks
5. The Pity Of Angels
6. Boarding School
7. Talking Points
8. Courage To Go
9. Pump Run
10. Zombies Win! Zombies Win!
11. Passage To Normal



Now a digital only release (March 10th, 2014) from BSX Records; download sells from $8.99. Track 01 was renamed, "Cemetery (Opening Titles) and the name was changed to "Music From The Motion Picture Score".

- - -

I'd like to add some more bits of '90 trivia.

Columbia Pictures was the distributor, they had declined releasing the '68 film since it was black and white, they focused on color only. The 1990 film was offered to American International Pictures, but AIP demanded changes...

1) A happy ending.
2) A romance subplot.

Changes Savini and Romero refused.

Our next remake is often considered an atrocity/abomination (wait until next week). I don't; they went a different direction and was blunt, their intentions.

- - - - - - - - - -

PART II: THE REMAKES - B

The second remake; "Night Of The Living Dead 3D" opened in limited release (145 screens) on November 12th, 2006. It was made with a budget of $750,000 (estimated) and grossed about $215,300 during its U.S. theatrical run. When including foreign receipts, the feature made $1.2 million (not including domestic home video sales). The movie opened number twenty-seven at the box office, the following week it dropped off the chart. Not kidding. The remake is known as "House Of The Dead 3D" in Argentina and "Zombie 3D" in Japan.

The feature opened against "Borat: Cultural Learnings Of America For Make Benefit Glorious Nation Of Kazakhstan", "Flushed Away", "Saw III" and "The Departed".



Released on home video on October 9th, 2007 from Lionsgate (UPC# 0 31398 21889 0) for $26.98 in two separate editions, 3D and 2D. The anaglyph (3D) version came with four pairs of red/cyan glasses. There were reports that some 3D copies didn't have the glasses. Mine did, bought from Wal-Mart, fifteen bucks on release day.

There is no insert/booklet. The DVD has sixteen chapters.

In December of 2011, I picked up the 2D version (UPC# 0 31398 21891 3 00), used, mint off Amazon (reseller).

The motion picture is eighty minutes long.

- - -

Extras:

* Commentary: director/producer Jeff Broadstreet, screenwriter/assistant director/digital effects/editor Robert Valding, director of photography Andrew Parke and actor Sid Haig.
* "Night Of The Living Dead 3D: Behind The Scenes" featurette (anamorphic, 18:48 minutes)
* "Filming In 3D: A Behind-The-Scenes Special Look" featurette (anamorphic, 6:23 minutes)
* "Q&A With The Filmmakers And Actor Sig Haig At The New Beverly Cinema" May 2007 interview (full screen, 11:54 minutes)
* Blooper Reel (full screen, 5:32 minutes)
* 3D Still Gallery (12 images)
* Theatrical Trailer (anamorphic)
* TV Spot (anamorphic)
* Radio Spot
* Home Video Ads: "Fido" (non-anamorphic, 2006), "Zombie Nation" (non-anamorphic, red band, 2004), "Return Of The Living Dead: Rave To The Grave" (full screen, red band, 2005), "Holla" (non-anamorphic, 2006) and "Captivity" (non-anamorphic, 2007).

- - -

Audio:

* Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround

- - -

NOTES/REVIEW

There are subtitles in English and Spanish.

The DVD is not dubbed in any language(s).

It is presented in anamorphic widescreen, but...



Two screen shots (same frame from each). The 3D edition, though widescreen does not touch the sides/boarders, while the 2D version does. What makes things odder still is that while the 3D copy look smaller, it does in fact have more of the image then the 2D, that is weird.

In the end credits (3D) the image does touch the sides. *shrugs*

The remake wasn't made to out do or out class the original; made for one reason only - big coin. The man responsible, Jeff Broadstreet didn't bullshit about great cinema. No, he wanted to make a movie for direct to video that was in public domain, easy money.

An early plan was to remake "I Bury The Living" (1958). But it was changed to NOTLD, more commercial; built in audience.

Appreciate that honesty, damn refreshing. So many Hollywood films have this big spiel of how GREAT their movie is; it's a commentary on [fill in the blank]. C'mon, dude we know it's bull. Unless you're so full of yourself that you believe your own hype; Michael Bay - looking at you.

A different take on the Romero classic. Broadstreet and Valding didn't stick too strongly to the source material; went their own direction, its own movie. I like that. The same way the "Resident Evil" movies are. Will admit, was upset with how they didn't follow the video games (could've very easily re-adapted the novel adaptations by S.D. Perry; good reads).

I was entertained, not gonna argue if was necessary - an entertaining piece of fluff. Zero social commentary, nothing wrong with that.

A back-up plan; should the film's title need to be changed for legal reasons. A working alternative was "Curse Of The Living Dead".

This wasn't even going to be 3D, but the financier changed his minds and wanted it in three dimensions (same amount of money), so it could have a limited theatrical release before going to home video. They had to create new technology to do it.

This is the very first feature to utilize a hand held 3D camera system. Neat. Two custom built 3D rigs; cameras A and B.

It opens with footage from the original film; the beginning, the road - then pulls back revealing the movie is playing on an old black and white TV; we're now in color (and in 3D). The television is playing at an abandoned gas station.

More footage appears at the Copper home, the family is watching the movie; the moment before Barbara (Judy O'Dea) is killed, Johnny (Russell Streiner) returns. I thought that was inspired. It recognizes what it is - a zombie movie.

Folks need to lighten up, stop being so cynical. I suppose at this time, I'm the minority.

Didn't watch with the supplied glasses, still sealed. I'm anal. What I used was something I already had - a pair from 1987; "Eye On L.A." red/blue glasses from their "Hawaiian Swimsuit Spectacular" in 3D! Remember that? (May 16th, '87). You got your glasses from participating 7-Elevens. From boobs to ghouls.

The 3D gags? They were okay. Some were too blatant. As for the zombie effects, they're okay, nothing extravagant.

Make a swift return, next Thursday we get into the meat of this review. *stares at you unblinking*