Night of the Living Dead Blu-ray Review
DigiPack
Score: 92
from 4 reviewers
Review Date:
Criterion's 4K restoration of 'Night of the Living Dead' is an essential release; phenomenal visuals, remastered audio, and extensive bonus features make it a must-have.
Disc Release Date
Video: 92
The Criterion Blu-ray of 'Night of the Living Dead' offers a stunning 1080p transfer from a 4K restoration, preserving the original 1.37:1 aspect ratio and supervised by Romero himself. The film showcases exceptional detail, stable black levels, organic grain structure, and spotless image fidelity, setting a new benchmark for the classic.
Audio: 89
The Blu-ray's English LPCM 1.0 mono audio, restored and supervised by Romero and Streiner, offers clear dialogue and a crisp presentation, successfully removing age-related imperfections despite the original sound design limitations. Optional English SDH subtitles are also available.
Extra: 92
“This 2-disc set offers an extraordinary collection of extras, featuring new and archival commentaries, interviews, and documentaries that delve into the technical, creative, and cultural impact of Night of the Living Dead, preserving details about the film's production challenges, music, and legacy within the horror genre."
Movie: 89
George Romero's *Night of the Living Dead* Blu-ray by Criterion is a landmark release, featuring a 4K restoration, archival interviews, unseen footage, and critical essays. Despite a modest budget, the film excels in creating a claustrophobic atmosphere and embedding sociopolitical commentary, cementing its classic status.
Video: 92
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.37:1 and encoded with MPEG-4 AVC, George Romero's "Night of the Living Dead" arrives on Blu-ray with a stunning 1080p transfer courtesy of Criterion. Supervising this meticulous 4K digital restoration were George A. Romero, co-screenwriter John A. Russo, sound engineer Gary R. Streiner, and producer Russell W. Streiner, backed by the Museum of Modern Art and The Film Foundation. The transfer primarily utilized the original 35mm camera negative, with only a small portion sourced from a 35mm fine-grain positive due to original element limitations.
The resulting image quality is exceptional, displaying consistently impressive delineation and fluidity typical of high-quality 4K restorations. Grain exposure is finely handled, maintaining an organic film aesthetic without noticeable sharpening artefacts. The grayscale grading is superb, presenting stable and lush blacks alongside detailed nuances in grays and whites. The film appears pristine with no discernable age-related imperfections, significantly enhancing both indoor night scenes and outdoor daylight sequences.
Visually, "Night of the Living Dead" now boasts unparalleled clarity and detail, revealing intricate aspects of production design unseen in previous releases. Depth of field is well-maintained, allowing character positions and movement to convey a sense of three-dimensionality without relying on artificial enhancements. Black levels stand out, especially during nighttime scenes, offering excellent contrast and dynamic range with no signs of crushing. This Criterion release is a testament to skillful restoration, presenting the film in a manner that honors its original 35mm roots while leveraging modern technology to provide an unparalleled viewing experience.
Audio: 89
The Blu-ray release of "Night of the Living Dead" offers an English LPCM 1.0 mono track, underpinning restoration efforts supervised by George Romero and Gary Streiner. This meticulous restoration preserves the original sound design effectively, eliminating age-related imperfections and ensuring the dialog is clear and easily comprehensible. Despite inherent limitations of mono audio, the soundtrack is surprisingly crisp, free from muddiness, hissing, or popping noises between scenes, which is commendable given the film’s vintage. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for accessibility.
As an uncompressed mono track, the audio’s dynamics are remarkably clean, successfully maintaining the integrity of the original mix. The dialog reproduction is vivid, with every spoken word delivering clarity and precision. While there is no low-frequency extension or surround sound presentation typically associated with modern formats like DTS or Dolby Atmos, this track leverages its simplicity to great effect. Utilizing multiple speakers for playback does not alter the sound quality, maintaining a consistent audio experience across different setups. This faithfully restored mono soundtrack ensures an authentic auditory experience true to the film’s original vision.
Extra: 92
The Blu-ray extras for "Night of the Living Dead" are expansive and meticulously curated, appealing to both aficionados and newcomers. The set includes two archival commentary tracks that dive deep into the production and anecdotes of the film, one featuring George Romero and key cast members, and the other with producers and actors. Also notable is the "Night of Anubis," an uncorrected work print including an insightful introduction by Russell Streiner. Disc Two boasts contemporary and archival featurettes like "Light in the Darkness," which showcases discussions by acclaimed directors Guillermo del Toro, Robert Rodriguez, and Frank Darabont. Other highlights include raw dailies with alternate takes, deep dives into the film’s music and technical challenges, and a wealth of interviews and essays exploring the movie’s legacy.
Extras included in this disc:
Commentary One: Archival track with George Romero, Karl Hardman, Marilyn Eastman, John Russo.
Commentary Two: Archival track with Russell Streiner, Vincent Survinski, Judith O'Dea, S. William Hinzman, Kyra Schon, Keith Wayne.
Night of Anubis: Uncorrected 16mm work print.
Light in the Darkness: Directors discuss the film’s legacy.
Dailies: Silent 16mm reel with alternate takes.
Learning From Scratch: Interview with co-writer John Russo.
TV Newsreel: Pittsburgh news footage.
Walking Like the Dead: Interviews with actors playing zombies.
Tones of Terror: Discussion on the film’s music.
Limitations Into Virtues: Visual essay on technical obstacles.
Tomorrow: Archival TV show episode with Romero and Coscarelli.
Higher Learning: 2012 interview with George Romero.
Duane Jones: 1987 audio interview with the actor.
Judith Ridley: Archival interview.
Venus Probe: 1967 newsreel on Mariner 5 findings.
Trailers
Radio Spots
Poster/Essay by Stuart Klawans
Movie: 89
George Romero's "Night of the Living Dead" (1968) fundamentally redefined the zombie genre, introducing concepts that would serve as the blueprint for countless future films. The storyline, while straightforward – a group of survivors barricades themselves in a farmhouse amidst a zombie outbreak – served as a microcosm for societal tensions and human fragility. The film masterfully uses its low budget to its advantage, creating an immersive, claustrophobic atmosphere through stark noirish contrasts and a near-documentary visual style. Amidst the chaos, Duane Jones’ formidable performance as Ben constitutes a landmark moment in horror and independent cinema, thanks to the non-tokenistic casting of an African American lead.
Despite technical limitations in sound design and uneven performances, "Night of the Living Dead" benefits from Romero's adept editing and framing techniques, which turn these would-be detriments into strengths that enhance the tension. The film’s visceral impact, juxtaposed with sociopolitical commentary, is profound. It eschews elaborate special effects for gritty realism, making the horror appear brutally authentic. The immensely influential closing sequence alone guarantees the film’s classic status, cementing Romero's work as an essential piece of cinema history that still resonates today.
Romero's genius lies in embedding social commentary within a compelling horror narrative. The survivor drama punctuated by external zombie threats serves as an allegory for contemporary societal issues. The film's enduring legacy is further validated by the Criterion Collection’s 4K restoration, preserving its rawness while enhancing visual clarity. "Night of the Living Dead" remains a pioneering work that ingeniously combines scare tactics with reflective messaging, setting a high watermark for both genre films and independent filmmaking.
Total: 92
Criterion Collection's release of "Night of the Living Dead" brilliantly resurrects this iconic horror film, transforming it into a must-own edition for every cinephile and horror enthusiast. The 4K restoration supervised by George Romero himself, combined with a meticulously remastered monaural track, showcases the film in its best possible light. The clarity and detail in this Blu-ray release are nothing short of astonishing, providing an immersive viewing experience that was previously unattainable through earlier home video formats.
Furthermore, Criterion includes a vault of both exclusive new and valuable archival bonus features, which collectively enrich the viewer's understanding and appreciation of this groundbreaking masterpiece. The set is a treasure trove for any serious film collector, offering audio commentaries, interviews, and behind-the-scenes footage that dive deep into the legacy of the film. Not to be missed is the archival commentary from producer/actor Russell Streiner from 1994, providing historical context that emphasizes just how fortunate we are to witness this era of high-definition home entertainment.
In conclusion, this truly groundbreaking film has had a pretty rough history that has rightfully frustrated its creators as well as many of its countless fans. However, I think that the recent 4K restoration that was supervised by George Romero and this upcoming Blu-ray release will effectively end the frustration because the film now looks simply astonishing. Criterion's technical presentation of the 4K restoration is excellent and as usual there is an impressive mix of exclusive new and archival bonus features. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
Blu-ray.com review by Dr. Svet AtanasovRead review here
Video: 100
The following text appears inside the leaflet provided with this Blu-ray release: "This restoration by the Museum of Modern Art and The Film Foundation, with funding provided by the George Lucas Family...
Audio: 100
I think that some of the native limitations of the original sound design are quite easy to hear, but this is how the film was put together and the end result reflects precisely that....
Extras: 100
The commentary was recorded in 1994 and has appeared on other home video releases of Night of the Living Dead. 1....
Movie: 80
For example, the tiny budget that Romero had at his disposal made conventional special effects unaffordable, but instead of appearing vulnerable because of their omission, the film uses the void to strengthen...
Total: 100
(To put things in the proper context and actually grasp just how lucky you are to be a film enthusiast during the Blu-ray era, listen to the archival audio commentary with producer/actor Russell Streiner...
The Digital Bits review by Tim SalmonsRead review here
Video: 100
Audio: 100
Extras: 100
Movie: 100
Eventually, Night of the Living Dead transformed into a full-blown sociopolitical statement masquerading as a horror film, but from a small, local group of amateur filmmakers....
Total: 100
It’s kind of remarkable that a group of people who primarily made commercials for a living were able to pull off a film that, not only worked, but changed a part of the horror film landscape in general....
High-Def DigestRead review here
Video: 100
The image here looks spectacular, maintaining the look of 35mm film (grain is still evident in every shot, but never obtrusive) while offering a level of detail that I've not seen in any prior release....
Audio: 80
Despite the audio only coming from the front center speaker (although one can arrange their home theater output to come from multiple speakers, although the audio will be identical from each), the sound...
Extras: 100
This is a brand-new video essay in which filmmakers Tony Zhou and Taylor Ramos (via voiceover) discuss the look and shooting style of Night of the Living Dead....
Movie: 100
I've always wondered if Romero's comments about hiring Jones were less about the actual truth and more about the lesson he was trying to get across: that the race (or sex, as the second featured role is...
Total: 100
With a new 4K restoration, a remastering of the monaural track, and some great bonus materials, this release is now the definitive home video version of the movie that every zombie fan is going to want...
Why So Blu?Read review here
Video: 100
The position of characters never feels flat in any way, which speaks to what kind of work was done to not overly sharpen the film or make adjustments that take away anything in the process....
Audio: 100
Even as a mono soundtrack with various limitations, all that is necessary to make this audio track effective is present....
Extras: 100
Limitations Into Virtues (HD, 12:00) – A visual essay with filmmakers Tony Zhou and Taylor Ramos that goes over the difficulties of the production....
Movie: 100
Flaws and all, the film was an incredible achievement for its time that continues to be just as effective for a variety of reasons that stem from the level of its take on being a scary movie to the relevance...
Total: 100
This is the best-looking and sounding version of the film, and that’s not about to be undone....
Director: George A. Romero
Actors: Duane Jones, Judith O'Dea, Karl Hardman
PlotA brother and sister, Barbra and Johnny, visit their father's grave in rural Pennsylvania, only to be suddenly attacked by a strange man. In the chaos, Johnny is killed, and Barbra flees, finding refuge in an isolated farmhouse. There, she's later joined by Ben, who fortifies the house from the advancing menace – reanimated corpses, or 'ghouls,' with an appetite for human flesh. As the two try to comprehend the situation, they discover a television and radio, delivering fragmented news reports of the rising dead across the nation, positing that radiation from a fallen space probe might have instigated the ghastly phenomenon.
Inside the farmhouse, tension arises when they encounter five others hiding in the cellar: Harry and Helen Cooper, their daughter Karen, and a young couple, Tom and Judy. Conflict surges over the best course of action – to stay barricaded in the cellar or defend the upper levels of the house. The group's dynamics become strained under the pressures of survival, with individual philosophies and fear dictating their interactions. Outside, the undead amass in greater numbers, encircling the house, with the survivors' chances of escape and survival diminishing with each passing moment.
Writers: John A. Russo, George A. Romero
Release Date: 04 Oct 1968
Runtime: 96 min
Rating: Not Rated
Country: United States
Language: English