George A. Romero: Between Night and Dawn Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

George A. Romero: Between Night and Dawn Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman November 15, 2017

Note: The scores above are averages for the three films in this set. For individual scores, please see the reviews linked below.

Mention the name George A. Romero to just about anyone, and if they recognize it, chances are they’ll be prone to think largely of films like Night of the Living Dead, or indeed prone to think only of that film. The legendary 1968 zombie film was such a watershed moment in the history of horror that it perhaps unavoidably branded Romero and his coterie of Pittsburgh collaborators in ways that any creative artist would probably try to break free from, if only to clearly establish that they were not a “One-Trick Pony” (so to speak). There’s an obvious “and now for something completely different” streak running through the three films that Arrow has assembled in its cheekily titled Between Night and Dawn set. This trio of films consists of the trifecta Romero and his repertory company (both in front of and behind the camera) produced in the wake of Night of the Living Dead. Of the three, the first film to come out after Night of the Living Dead, There’s Always Vanilla, is perhaps the “most” completely different, due at least in part to the fact that Romero didn’t write it (and, notably, considered the finished film something of a disaster). Season of the Witch and (especially) The Crazies arguably have more in common with what’s traditionally thought of as Romero canon, with plot lines that at least touch on science fiction or otherworldly phenomena, and with both addressing a frequent subtext of Romero’s works, the dialectic between an anachronistic individualist and those heeding to societal norms.

For reviews of the three films in this set, please click on the following links:

There's Always Vanilla Blu-ray review

Season of the Witch Blu-ray review

The Crazies Blu-ray review

George A. Romero: Between Night and Dawn Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Video quality of each release is assessed in the above linked reviews.

George A. Romero: Between Night and Dawn Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Audio quality of each release is assessed in the above linked reviews.

George A. Romero: Between Night and Dawn Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Supplements included on each disc are detailed in the above linked reviews. Note that some of the supplements on any given disc are not necessarily tied only to that particular film and may be more general in nature. Each of the releases comes in its own keepcase with collectible insert covers, and as is typical with Arrow releases, the entire package is housed in a nicely designed sturdy chipboard box which also holds a nicely appointed insert booklet.

George A. Romero: Between Night and Dawn Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

While you'd be hard pressed to call any of these three films lost masterpieces, they all have a certain curiosity factor, though parts of There's Always Vanilla play a bit like an amateur audition tape (which the film kinda sorta was), and parts of Season of the Witch are almost weirdly surreal and even campy. The Crazies is an interesting case of Romero kind of playing at the "edges" of some zombie-esque ideas without ever totally going there. There's Always Vanilla has problematic video, but the two other releases look largely great. All three have adequate if uninspiring audio, and as usual with Arrow releases, the supplementary package is quite enjoyable. For Romero completists if for no one else, Between Night and Dawn comes Recommended.