Customer Reviews

Night of the Living Dead (Full Screen Millennium Edition)

5 star:		(164)
4 star:		(25)
3 star:		(28)
2 star:		(23)
1 star:		(77)

 

 

As with any other horror genre, the groundbreaking zombie movie is the best. "Night of the Living Dead" is a cult gem that has inspired every zombie movie after it, with its low-budget look and cast of excellent, unknown actors. And, of course, the flesh-eating undead who are rising to kill the living.

A crashed satellite starts emitting radiation, which somehow causes the dead to rise out of their graves to devour the living. Don't ask how, because it doesn't matter. Barbara (Judith O'Dea) is visiting a grave with her brother -- when suddenly a shambling, dead-faced man murders him, and chases her down the road to a farmhouse, where she manages to hide.

But she's not alone -- a kindly man named Ben (Duane Jones), a young couple, and a family are also hiding there. And without weapons or protection, they have very little chance of survival. The refugees barricade themselves for protection -- but now there are hundreds of zombies closing in. They must fight with fire and their wits... but it may not be enough to save them all.

"Night of the Living Dead" is one of those horror movies that chills viewers right down to the marrow. Romero creates a nightmarish, claustrophobic atmosphere in his movie, where no matter where you go, you're trapped -- and the humans might kill you if the zombies don't. The finale is a tragic, but very realistic twist.

Originally filmed in murky black-and-white, Romero manages to make this film feel creepy even when the zombies aren't there. And while they're hiding in the farmhoruse, he takes the time to make it realistic -- the refugees grate on each other in a believable way ("I ought to drag you out there and FEED you to those things!").

But then things get creepy, gross AND action-packed, when they slip out to fight the zombies. Romero switches the tone from eerie to downright terrifying -- the characters just reek of desperation -- and builds it up to a slam-bang finale. And along the way, we get terrified people fending zombies off with torches -- what could be better?

Duane Jones is the standout performance here: he's strong, kindly, take-charge and resourceful, but he also knows how to kick undead butt. By the finale, his character is the one that is remembered. But he was backed by excellent actors in Judith O'Dea, Karl Hardman, and dozens of zombie extras. Those people were amazing!

Stripped-down and stark, "Night of the Living Dead" is the sort of movie that should never be watched at night, and might make you look twice before going outside. Creepy, innovative and bizarre.

This is THE biggest waste of money I have ever encountered. I hadn't seen the film since I was a kid, so I bought it hoping to see a re-enactment of my childhood memories, and it seemed that this wasn't the way I had remembered the film.

So to compensate, I took a chance and bought the Elite Entertainment THX Millennium Edition of "Night Of The Living Dead" to see the way this classic was supposed to be.

Well, to say the least I snapped this "30th Anniversary Edition" in half and burnt the rest of the material in protest. In short, THIS ANCHOR BAY EDITION IS THE MOST HORRIBLE PRESENTATION OF THIS CLASSIC. YOU MUST AVOID!

The MOVIE is 5 stars.

This DVD is 1 star.

This is the re-edited version of the original classic. If you want the original classic them go elsewhere. If you want to see a new "version" - not a remastered version! - but a new "version" with new soundtrack, editing and scenes then this may be for you. If you want the original classic then go elsewhere to look for it!

You have be warned.

As a long time George A. Romero fan I didn't know what to expect when I purchased this DVD. A newly colorized version of "Night of the Living Dead" with 5.1 surround sound and a completely restored black & white version of this 1968 cult classic for one low price. I have never been in favor of colorizing black & white films but after seeing the colorized version I have a new appreciation for this film. If you're a George A. Romero fan what more could you possibly want two incredible versions on one disc at an affordable price. If you don't feel like spending the big bucks for the millennium edition, then this DVD edition is the way to go. The remastered picture and sound are excellent, better than any of the inferior copies out there and definitely better than anything I've ever seen. It's a great effort put out by 20th Century Fox Studio and Legend Films and I'm happy to finally own it.

DVD Features Include:
*All-new color version and restored black-and-white version
*Audio commentary by Mike Nelson of TV's Mystery Science Theater 3000
"Separated at Death" celebrity zombie game
*Vintage horror trailers

My favorite horror film of all time is NOTLD and when I heard of the new colorized version I was naturally curious. The colorized film looks ok, but not all together too natural looking. I found that the colors worked best on inanimate objects such as trees etc, and in outdoor settings. The flesh tones are acceptable but none the less a good effort. Bottom line is that you can almost pass this off in some places as a color film but only for seconds at a time as frequently something will catch your eye that will shatter the illusion. A bright red shirt for example or an off grouping of strange, clashing colors almost make this too surreal in parts. The fire however colored really nice. I think that it would have benefited also if the contrast was toned down slightly as I think the film looks too colorful at times. Instead of blending, the colors clash too strongly sometimes. The colorized version was taken from a restored version of the film thus the quality and sharpness looks quite good and there are 5.1 and DTS audio tracks available. The special features include a restored black and white version of the movie, not as good as the Millennium Edition DVD transfer which is THX approved but this is very good and the next best edition available at the moment for such a cheap price. The B&W edition only offers the original mono track though but no chapter stops. Also included is a game where you have to guess what celebrity looks like one of the zombies from the film. A pretty useless extra that you will only ever look at once. The commentary track by Mike Nelson is pretty useless too in my opinion. It offers very little info besides the names of the actors, all the while Nelson throws out little comments that are an attempt at humor, mostly putting down the film. There are a few funny comments but most of them aren't. This is comparable to sitting around with a bunch of friends making fun of a movie where everyone just throws in their own comment mocking something. But since this is one of the best horror films ever made, there is little to mock. Overall, I enjoyed at least checking out the results of the color experiment, but the B&W original version is where it's at. The price can't be beat and I would definately recommend that you pick it up for the restored B&W version primarily and treat the colorized version as if it were an extra. I don't think you can be disappointed in this if you don't own any other version of NOTLD. Get this for the original B & W restored version of the film. You will not find such a good transfer at such a good price. The film by itself gets the full 5 stars, so I have no problem giving this release 5. The audio on the B & W could have been better but the original mono is acceptable. If this dvd had only include the colorized version I would have only given this 2 stars, because for one, this movie should not be cheapened by offering a colorized version only, (major points for including both) and the color 'experiment' wasn't entirely successful to stand on its own as something extra special.

Great remastering job, and the color was great. Great dvd great price, get this one now.

BY FAR THE ABSOLUTE BEST ZOMBIE MOVIE EVER!!! BEING IN BLACK AND WHITE ONLY MAKES THIS CLASSIC SCARIER.THE MOOD OF THIS FILM IS INCREDIBLE. JUDITH ODEA DESERVES AN AWARD FOR HER ACTING!!SHE GAVE AN EXTREMELY CONVINCING PERFORMANCE.NOT VERY GORY BUT DEFINITELY SCARY!!!!THE SOUNDTRACK IS AWESOME AND IS A BIG PART OF WHY THIS FILM IS SO FRIGHTENING.A DEFINITE TRUE HORROR MOVIE THAT SHOULD BE SEEN AT LEAST ONCE OR TWICE OR MANY, MANY TIMES LIKE MYSELF.A+++++ ALL AROUND!!!! GET THIS MOVIE.

"Night of the Living Dead" is a classic that worms its way into your dreams. Truly amazing stuff. Back when Romero and Russo wrote and films this, they did not yet realize they were created a whole new subgenre of horror. Much as I like the remake, the undead are creepiest in the shadows of black and white film.

I'm writing to respond to one reviewer's nitpick and another reviewer's well-intentioned mistake. Complaining that most of it is in mono is like complaining that it's in black and white. That's how the original was made, plain and simple. Another reviewer complained about how horrible the version with added footage is. That individual is right about that version, but that's the 30th Anniversary Edition and NOT the Millenium Edition. The 30th Anniversary Edition with added scenes and weird, distracting music is too horrible for words, and not even in a "Plan 9 From Outer Space" so-bad-it's-funny way. The Millenium Edition is simply an official DVD made from a cleaned up print, with extras like the interviews. If you want to see the real "Night of the Living Dead" and get some cool extras for your money, this is the way to go.

If you liked the original, if you care about Romero's work or like any of it even in the tiniest axon in the darkest corner of your mind, I implore, beg, and plead with you NOT TO BUY OR RENT (OR VIEW FOR FREE) THIS ABSOLUTE HATCHET JOB ON THE ORIGINAL (I'm sorry to shout, but it's warranted). The extra footage sucks and is ludicrous. The new music destroys the movie. You're not event given an opportunity to revert to the original. After watching it, squirming in my Barcalounger, feeling like Alex being force to watch ultraviolence in A Clockwork Orange, I destroyed the CD and burned the pieces. I won't have it in my house. I won't sell it to some poor unsuspecting schmuck. I won't even bury it where some future civilization may find it and judge us by it. DESTROY EVERY COPY YOU CAN FIND --- PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

George A Romero's zombie horror classic, Night Of The Living Dead, is a watershed film for the genre. It has spawned a few sequels, a remake, countless imitations, parodies, and influenced generations of filmmakers. Of the countless DVD versions of the film that are out there, the Millennium Edition seemed to me, the best best.

Shot in black and white, on a shoestring budget, during the post Kennedy era of the late 60's, the film that had trouble finding a distributor tells a simple story, that still holds up. Seven people secluded in a Pennsylvania farmhouse, face continous attacks from "living dead" corpses, seeking to eat their flesh. The group, which includes a married couple and their daughter, a pair of young lovers, and an African-American man, try to keep their sanity as the zombies try endlessly to enter the house. Soon, it is determined that, the only way to stop the them, is to burn them or issue a severe blow to their heads. News reports on the radio tell of the ever increasing hordes, taking over the eastern United States, while the small band of survivors rapidly loses ground in the battle to both keep peace with one another and somehow stay alive.

Sure, the film has plenty of cliches and over the top dialogue, still, those are part of the reasons the film works. All one has to do is consider the time period the film was made. In my opinion, the film represents the first time truly "shocking" horror was ever attemted. Up to that time the best one could hope for was science gone awry or things like The Blob. The country itself was in the midst of a turbulent period. Anarchy was almost everywhere. Like the times, Romero's zombies were up front, shocking, in your face, and their numbers were growing. The cast, led by Duane Jones, was filled with no names, who seemed to be there, as much for the experience, as anything else.

The audio commentary tracks feature director Romero and snipets from select crew the surviving cast members. They are very good tracks for both fans and newcommers alike. The extras offers an example of, one of the many aforementioned film parodies, called "Night of the Living Bread". The stills gallery includes a few rare color photos from the production. You'll also get some background and history on Romero's company, called The Latent Image, as well as see scenes from his "lost" film, "There's Always Vanilla"-a treat for fans of his filmmaking style. There's 10 minute video interview with co-star Judy Ridley and the final audio interview conducted with reclusive star Duane Jones in the 80's. You will see a poster gallery, complete with both foreign and domestic release materials, original props, have access to the complete shooting script, and cast members' personal scrapbooks. And last but not least, the disc also has, a series of Romero directed TV spots and Short films--making for not only a tribute to the film but Romero as well--a true time capsule on DVD. Don't forget to read the liner notes by Romero and fellow horror legend Stephen King.

The Millennium Edition DVD has something for everyone and is the proper way to enjoy a true classic--Night of the Living Dead