Night Of The Living Dead DVD Retrospective

[JohnIan101]

PART I: THE 1968 CLASSIC - K P1

Things are far more grim than imagined.

You recall your days of watching horror movies on TV. Thoughts about possible escape scenarios.

Rope to swing on?

Nope.

Rope bridge to another tree?

Also no.

The noises below you have grown; your audience gathering volume as you can see from your vantage more joining; a death jamboree. All in your honor. And no cake.

You search your tattered backpack for something... anything, useful; a few partially eaten candy bars, a dog collar (don't ask), a disposable pen, roll of duct tape and a roll of electrical tape, matches, first aid kit, a worn Jackie Collins' novel, pieces of fish aquarium glass beads (again don't ask), a solar cell to charge your MP3 player, a dried up tube of generic Krazy Glue, three bottles of water and various cans of food, but NO can opener.

It was on the list.

On the surface, climbing into this old tree house was a wise choice. Eating all those found broccoli certainly canceled out any advantage - hours of loud and quite winded flatulence. You might as well had hung a lit neon sign that read 'Eat Me'.

Well, at least they can't reach you. And if you're lucky and silent, maybe. Maybe after a day or so they'll go away. Or at least to a manageable fleeing number. You think this as you eat another handful of broccoli.

Man, you ARE your own worst enemy.



I have no poster art, but I do have the DVD trade advertisement. So there you go. We have yet another documentary on the 1968 motion picture. Worth the greenbacks? A good question.

But first the stats for "Autopsy Of The Dead".

This is a direct to video release.



Released on September 22nd, 2009 from Zero Day Releasing (UPC# 8 84501 18135 8) for $24.95.

The DVD streeted against "Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins", "Paul Newman: The Tribute Collection" and "Private Century".

The release came with no slipcover nor any kind of insert(s). It has thirty-nine chapters. It came in a transparent case which has a double sided wraparound. The inside has the chapter listings. The inside image is the shadow of zombie, Karen Cooper who had just stabbed her mom, blood on the wall.

The motion picture is one hundred forty-four minutes long.

- - -

Extras:

* "Locations Of The Dead: Then & Now" (visiting original filming spots, 13:16 minutes)
* "Behind The Scenes: 1967 Newsreel" (no audio, 2:48 minutes)
* "Archive Of The Dead" (slideshow gallery with video of props & memorabilia [screen specific commenatry by Ella Mae Smith], 10:21 minutes)
* Still Gallery (30 pixs)
* "Profile: Rick Catizone" (interview with the man who did the still frame animated end credits, 6:52 minutes)
* Bloopers (from interviews, 7:51 minutes)
* Theatrical Trailers
* TV Spots
* Radio Spots (1968 and mid 1970s re-release)

- - -

Audio:

* Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo

- - -

NOTES/REVIEW

There are no subtitles.

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

Everything here is presented in full screen.



If you bought the DVD from their website - early on... The first two hundred copies came with a single limited edition 5" x 7" autographed card. There were more than twenty different signatures, which were randomly inserted. My copy did not come with any. Bought from Amazon earlier this month.

Okay.

This was a documentary I had heard about years ago. But didn't have much incentive or enthusiasm to acquire. From what I had read, this was interviews with the minor folks who had bit parts in the horror film - in short, a filler presentation.

But since I no longer have NOTLD subjects to cover, thought it was time to buy. Bought it new for fifteen bucks off Amazon.

Now that I've seen it twice; once just to watch and the second for notes and screen snaps. I really like this. This is not filler, there are some great stories by the smaller people involved. Now, not all of them are great. But each of the interviews are not that long - tied to a part of the production. So even the weaker part do not overstay their welcome.

Before I continue an overview of who participated and what they did in the feature...

Charles Craig - news caster/ghoul and posse extra
Kyra Schon - Karen Cooper
Gary R. Streiner - sound engineer/posse extra
Charles O'Dato - prop master (animal heads in the farm house were his)
Regis Survinsky - special effects (gun shots impacts)
Bill Hinzman - cemetery ghoul
Joseph Unitas - lighting supervisor
Steve Hutsko - news camera man with the posse
Bill "Chilly Billy" Cardille - news reporter with the posse
Dave James - the last ghoul shot (grabs his face)
Bob Harvey - KQV helicopter traffic reporter
Norma Jean Gass - owner of the farm house in the movie
Ken Gass - the son of Norma Jean and Gilbert Gass
Ella Mae Smith - ghoul extra with her husband Phillip
Rick Catizone - end credits still frame animator
Bill Mogush - ghoul extra (zombie clawing at the truck window while Tom started the car) and one of the original ten investors
Lee Hartman - ghoul extra/news room typist and posse extra
Bill Burchinal - ghoul extra (night attack on the farm house inside)
Herbert Summer - ghoul extra (shot by Ben at the gas pump)
Dick Heckard - posse extra with pinned black hat
Lee Hollihan - cricket sound effects

The thing that stand out the most is Charles Craig, he's an old fellow now. But just as sharp as he was then. His contribution to the doc was the most fascinating.



The famous news scene, where the newscaster is interviewing the university professor, Dr. Grimes (Frank Doak - the salesman at Hardman Associates) was mostly ad libbed based on what both men thought might be said if such a thing were to happen. It wasn't really scripted, they were given a basic outline and ran with it. It feels authentic since Craig was a radio news man for years.

Learning that the consumed head prop was left on the top floor for pretty much the whole shoot, on the floor.

The dangers of throwing molotov cocktails full of gasoline (yeah gasoline) out of the second story window; not really thinking how it could've gone wrong. The virtue of being really, really naive.

Blowing up of Ben's truck; they had no idea how huge the blast was going to be. To make it more visual, various bits and pieces were dumped in the flat bed. There could've been serious injuries with flying debris. Kyra Schon talks about how that scene was a regret; she wasn't there when they blew it up. She wanted to see it.

Joseph Unitas was with his wife on set, taking a break; sitting on the edge of a bed. The bedroom was used for mannequin storage, props for long shots (cut from the movie). Lorrane freaks out when one of the bodies sits up in bed. It was actor Duane Jones who was also taking a break. Not a prank, he was just tired. She starts freaking out, screaming.

One of the smaller tales is something I never noticed until it was pointed out. I've seen the movie countless times. Now my eyes go to him, right away. Dick Heckard, his role as an extra.