Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

Night of the Comet 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman September 6, 2023

Shout! Factory is revisiting its release of Night of the Comet from almost ten years ago (!), offering an advertised new 4K scan of the original camera negative for both the 1080 and 4K UHD presentations included in this release.

For my thoughts on the film, please head over to my original Night of the Comet Blu-ray review from 2013. Some parts of that review are repeated below, as appropriate.

Night of the Comet 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Note: Screenshots are sourced from Shout!'s 1080 presentation also included with this release.

Night of the Comet is presented in 4K UHD courtesy of Shout! Factory's Scream Factory imprint and MGM with an HEVC / H.265 encoded 2160p transfer in 1.85:1. As mentioned above, both the 4K UHD and 1080 presentations in this package are advertised as having been sourced off a new 4K scan of the original camera negative, with the back cover of this release further detailing the 4K UHD version offers Dolby Vision. This is a noticeable upgrade from Shout!'s old version frankly in either the 1080 or 2160 formats offered here, but the increased warmth and suffusion of the palette which is already evident when comparing Shout!'s two 1080 versions is only more pronounced in a really lustrous looking 4K UHD presentation. HDR and/or Dolby Vision really add some flavor to the many red tinged sequences which are such a part of the palette, but there are pops of cooler tones which are also quite interesting, including a number of teals and greens which have a slightly different set of highlights in this version. Detail levels are also improved in both the 1080 and especially the 4K UHD versions when compared to Shout!'s old 1080 release, but there is still some prevalent softness that does tend to slightly mask fine detail in some of the more dimly lit or heavily graded sequences. There's also the same slightly degraded looking appearance during the opening optically printed credits sequence that afflicted Shout!'s first 1080 release. Whatever restoration gauntlet was undertaken has also improved some of the age related wear and tear seen in Shout!'s original 1080 release. Grain is heavy at times but nicely resolved throughout.

Night of the Comet 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Night of the Comet features both a lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mix recreating the film's original sound design, as well as a still fairly front heavy DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 remix. The 5.1 mix does have some good surround activity, especially with regard to the ubiquitous wind foley effect, but immersion is not consistent or overwhelming enough to really make a cogent case for why this "upgrade" was considered. Both tracks offer excellent fidelity, cleanly delivering the well prioritized dialogue. Neither of the tracks has any damage to report.

Night of the Comet 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

4K UHD Disc

• Audio Commentary with Actors Kelli Maroney and Catherine Mary Stewart. Though all three of the commentaries on this Blu-ray are excellent in their own way, this is probably going to be the one that most fans will want to listen to (at least first). The two women are very chatty and offer a lot of fun anecdotal reportage about what the shoot was like.


• Audio Commentary with Director Thom Eberhardt. Eberhardt offers a slightly more technical and informational commentary, focusing on how he came up with the concept (including quizzing his own kids and their friends about what they would do if they woke up as the only humans on the planet).


• Audio Commentary with Production Designer John Muto. This is probably the least ostensibly interesting of the three commentaries, but for those who like a little bit more about the nuts and bolts of things like production design. This is still a fairly anecdotal commentary with Mohr recounting his efforts to give the film a look beyond its relatively paltry budget.

1080 Disc

• Valley Girls at the End of the World with Catherine Mary Stewart and Kelli Maroney (HD; 14:59) is a set of fun reminiscences (filmed separately) by the actresses. They both discuss their casting and the shoot.


• The Last Man on Earth? with Robert Beltran (HD; 12:32). Beltran (who's gone completely gray!) jokes about having just done Eating Raoul and talks about how long the process of actually getting cast actually took.


• Curse of the Comet with David B. Miller (HD; 6:32) profiles the film's makeup supervisor.


• Film Photo Gallery (HD; 3:27)


• Behind the Scenes Photo Gallery (HD; 5:02)


• Theatrical Trailer (HD; 1:14)


• Audio Commentary with Actors Kelli Maroney and Catherine Mary Stewart


• Audio Commentary with Director Thom Eberhardt


• Audio Commentary with Production Designer John Muto

Additionally, packaging features a slipcover.

Night of the Comet 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I was kind of glad (relieved, maybe) when I revisited my original review from a decade ago to see that I had approached this property with a modicum of humor, because one of the best things Night of the Comet has going for it is its rather slyly winking tone. This new 4K UHD release is noticeably improved in the video department and retains the same generally excellent audio and supplements from the Shout!'s first 1080 release. Recommended.