Night Of The Living Dead DVD Retrospective

[JohnIan101]

PART I: THE 1968 CLASSIC - G P1

Rain.

It has poured hard these past three days. Something like this should be soothing. The loud ambient noise covering up any sounds you could make. And hassle free access to clean water, just have bucket.

A time to take a shower, outside - the temperature is warm enough and you have a bar of soap you've been waiting to break in.

But all of these things are inconsequential at the moment.

You've been seen in the worst possible way.

Living in the sticks has served you well since they rose; keeping away from the death traps that the cities have become. But right now that lack of urbanization is just as bad of an enemy as THEM. Your feet frantically move through the muddy earth, fighting to keep both your balance and traction.

You hope for escape by rushing up a hill, perhaps loosing them... somewhere - anywhere, but here. A quick glance behind reveals the horde, dozens of them, arms outstretched with mouths agape - loudly moaning. You are truly living in a horror movie.

There is a small consolation, unlike yourself they are not coordinated; they fall and rise up to resume comical pursuit. A few might give you pause to catch your breath and watch the spectacle, have a good laugh. But their number are too great. And some of them have begun walking atop the fallen masses - giving their feet hard grips.

Scream?

Would it help?

No.

But such a thing might expend valuable energy you need for flight.

You inch your way to the summit and a distrubing thought surfaces - what if there are more of them on top? Has the rain covered the undead rousing and sloshings behind you???

You will find in a moment...

And then, if you need - you'll scream.



This retrospective offers an oddity; call it inventive or just unnecessary - "Night Of The Living Dead: Reanimated".

There was a very limited theatrical screening on September 1st, 2009. So limited I can not give you any box office stats. I can't even give you the budget on this flick or how much it made domestically, which wasn't much.

The feature opened against "The Final Destination", "Inglourious Basterds", "Gamer", "District 9" and "Halloween II".

So for the most part; this was a direct to video feature. So I'll include stats for that as well.



Released on September 21st, 2010 from MVD Visual (UPC# 7 60137 50159 6) for $17.99.

The DVD streeted against "Community: The Complete First Season", "Alien Autopsy" (British movie, not Fox TV special) and "Falcon Crest: The Complete Second Season".

The release came with no slipcover. It did come with a two page insert; an essay "They're Still Coming To Get Us!: Reanimation, Media, And Horror Fandom" by Peter Gutiérrez.

The DVD has six chapters.

The motion picture is a hundred and two minutes long.

- - -

Extras:

* Introduction and outro by Count Gore De Vol from www.countgore.com
* Commentary 1: Project coordinator Mike Schneider, author Jonathan Maberry, journalist Peter Gutierrez, moderated by Wild Eye's Rob Hauschild
* Commentary 2: Schneider, Corpse S. Chris from Horror Host Graveyard and Hauschild, moderated by filmmaker Keith Crocker
* Artist Call-In Commentary
* Extended/deleted scenes
* Behind-the-scenes video, Ryan Siggs his stop-motion contribution (full screen, 5:07 minutes)
* Behind-the-scenes video, Calum MacAskill his abstract animation contribution (full screen, 5:02 minutes)
* Behind-the-scenes video, Mike Boas his rotoscoping contribution (full screen, 5:46 minutes)
* "The Zombie Encounter Panel" from "Zombie Encounter & Film Festival", a live New Jersey panel discussion from October 10th, 2009 featuring Schneider, Maberry, Hauschild, Gutierrez, doctor/author Kim Paffenroth, author John Joseph Adams and moderated by author David Barr Kirtley (anamorphic, 79:12 minutes)
* FearWerx retro action figure promo (full screen, 1:22 minutes)
* "Night Of The Living Box Art" featurette (non-anamorphic, 32:03 minutes)
* "Night Of The Gaming Dead" fake video game (full screen, 1:18 minutes)
* "Silo" short film by Anthony Amos (full screen, 4:49 minutes)
* "Dawn Of The Ape" short film by Andres Silva (full screen, 3:13 minutes)
* "NOTLD: R Coloring Book Contest Winners" (slide show gallery, full screen, six images)
* "NOLD-R Artist Gallery" (slide show, full screen, 109 images)
* Trailers (full screen)
* Additional Trailers: "Every Other Day Is Halloween" (non-anamorphic, 2009), "Gold" (full screen, 1968), "Blitzkrieg: Escape From Stalag 69" (non-anamorphic, 2008), "The Bloody Ape" (full screen, 1997), "The Electric Chair" (non-anamorphic, 1976), "Gothkill" (non-anamorphic, 2009) and "Horror Host Graveyard" website promo (full screen)
* DVD-ROM: "Zombie And Horror Comics By NOLD: R Artists" (PDF)
* DVD-ROM:"1968 The Year That Changed Horror" article by Peter Gutierrez (PDF)
* DVD-ROM:"NOLD: R Liner Notes (PDF)

- - -

Audio:

* Dolby Digital 2.0

- - -

NOTES/REVIEW

There are no subtitles

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

Now I'm running in times that are frighting. But I won't let that break me.

- Billy Idol

So what is this?

Homage. I suppose. *shrugs*



Mike Schneider had the idea; take the audio from the classic and recreate the film from that framework, the visuals. Roughly a hundred-fifty artists from around the globe contributed elements or rather scenes making a whole. There were 500 submissions made for the project. And took eighteen months to complete.

We get a collage of moments, ranging from sock puppets, toys, acrylics, crude stop-motion animation, video game graphics, sketches, motion comics, rotoscope and everything in between. Including panning on still images. The constant is the audio from the film.

As you can imagine the end result is... different.



The biggest problem I had here was the mixed media presentation. Some were actually quite good and rest looked amateurish. I did like the quick shot of three Furbies munching on a dead one, this happens after the gas pump explosion.

I speak for myself - it was a major chore to finish. Not helping was the poor video quality; whoever mastered the DVD set the bit rate far too low (like watching a poor YouTube video). Anyhow, the idea was a solid notion. It's been done before and done quite well, as in Oscar winning well. Yeah.

I'm speaking of the five minute, 1989 United Kingdom short, "Creature Comforts". It won the 1991 "Best Short Film - Animated" Academy Award. This was directed by Nick Park. Simple concept. Interview a bunch of folks, kids included from a housing development on various topics; build animation around that audio. In this case, all the people interviewed were turned into claymation animals. It's damn cute and funny - bizarre stuff happening in the background.

This took a life of it's own in 2003 when the idea was relauched as "Creature Comforts", a TV series in the U.K.; it lasted two seasons. A total of twenty-six, nine/twelve minute episodes were made. But it didn't end there. In 2007 it was re-re-launched in the States as "Creature Comforts America" on CBS (premiered on June 4th); it lasted one short season - it bombed. The network pulled the show after five episodes. A total of seven half hour programs were made.

These were all made by Aardman Animation, the company responsible for the "Wallace & Gromit" shorts and movies (along with "Chicken Run" [2000], "Flushed Away" [2006] and "Pirates! Band Of Misfits" [2012]).

What I would love to see is Nick Park, animating NOTLD as a full length claymation (you know what I mean) feature with that brand of off-kilter humor. That would be excellent and a step up from Reanimated. I would totally buy that on release day.



Season one of the U.K. series came out in the States (region 1) on September 27th, 2005 (for $19.94). Season two came out on October 24th, 2006 ($24.96). And the America version was released on October 9th, 2007 ($29.95). I own all three titles which were bought years ago at Big Lots! for three bucks each, a great deal for a grand show, very recommended. There is a Christmas Special, don't bother with it; that DVD is a repackage of an extra from the season two.

Sorry, got off topic.