Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

Night of the Living Dead Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman October 25, 2018

Sony has released the 1990 remake of the classic 1968 film Night of the Living Dead to Blu-ray through the studio's MOD (Manufactured on Demand) program. The film was previously released in the U.S. courtesy of Twilight Time, a much-maligned release for several reasons, including color grading and, to a lesser extent, its framing. There is also a region free Australian release courtesy of Umbrella Entertainment which is reportedly superior to the Twilight Time release. Unfortunately, I do not have access to either disc, but I can confirm via Sony that picture and sound are indeed new for this release, at least compared to the Twilight Time disc. The results are incredibly impressive, particularly considering the 1080p video presentation which should leave fans much happier than they were with the Twilight Time disc.

For a full film review, as well as much more in-depth and very articulate summation and exploration of the issues and controversies surrounding the previous U.S. Blu-ray release, please see Jeffrey Kauffman's coverage of the 2012 Twilight Time disc here.

Night of the Living Dead Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Sony's 1080p presentation of 1990's Night of the Living Dead looks terrific. There's a little opening title wobble, one or two insignificant speckles appearing along the way, and rare, but noticeable, examples of edge enhancement; look at a tree branch to the left of the screen at the 7:00 mark for one of the most glaring occurrences in the movie. But the image is, otherwise and overall, a very superior one with precious little room for major complaint, and it would seem many of the areas of concern with Twilight Time's transfer have largely been rectified here, including color grading and an add to textural efficiency and natural, filmic detailing. Sony's image is glorious grainy, and evenly so. It helps yield an accentuating, purposeful, and cinematic appearance that amplifies the image considerably, resulting in a gorgeously textured picture through-and-through. Facial textures are exemplary in close-up and even at medium distance. Skin pores and defects, freckles, sweat, blood...the entire character package looks good enough to feast upon, and conversely, zombie and gory makeup effects are top-rate in terms of visible complexity of all of the ooey-gooey prosthetics that Savini and company have lovingly and painstakingly created for the film. The farm house is a treasure trove of visual delights, too. Accumulated dust, worn paints, peeling wallpaper, faded furnishings, scuffs and variously deteriorated and well-worn and used objects inside and out alike are tangible and intimately presented. The image excels in bringing the best out of every object and surface, which carries over to the exterior too, and beyond, such as grasses and gravel in the surrounding areas.

Nighttime black levels are exemplary. They're deep and dense but maintain excellent low-level detail without ever pushing to paleness or extreme crush. Colors appear much more even and natural throughout in this release compared to what the screenshots reveal from the Twilight Time disc. The palette as a whole lacks intense vitality but much of the film does take place in lower light interiors and nighttime exteriors. That undesirable blue tinting from the Twilight Time release appears to be a thing of the past, and red blood, articles of clothing, objects around the house, and natural greens in daylight offer good saturation and accuracy. Fans should be thrilled with this release; there's very little room for improvement at this resolution. It's a shame Sony didn't release a companion UHD; it would be interesting to see the result at 2160p and with HDR color grading, but even limited to 1080p this Blu-ray is a real looker and probably the best presentation fans are going to see for quite some time.

Night of the Living Dead Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Also new for this release is Sony's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. The track produces fair sonic results. Musical clarity is handled well with honest front-end width but not a significant amount of surround usage, though the back channels do carry some support in more aggressive notes. Action effects, such as gunshots, crashes, hammering nails, and the like, are handled with good essential definition, depth, and stage presence. Dialogue is clear and detailed with quality prioritization and efficient front-center placement.

Night of the Living Dead Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Sony's release of 1990's Night of the Living Dead contains the same audio commentary track from the Twilight Time disc and a making-of not included with that release. Sony's disc does not include the isolated score track found on the Twilight Time release. This release contains no DVD or digital copies and does not ship with a slipcover.

• Audio Commentary: Director Tom Savini discusses the film. As Jeffrey Kauffman said of the track in his review of the Twilight time disc, "This is an informative if awfully dry commentary. Savini may not be reading his comments, but he speaks in a monotone that may put some listeners in a trance after a while. He talks about the filming in Pittsburgh and a lot of the effects shot (his background was largely in VFX before this film). Interesting, but kind of a chore to sit through."
• The Dead Walk - Making Of (1080i upscaled, 4x3 24:54): This supplement was not on the Twilight Time disc. This vintage piece looks back on the original classic and proceeds to explore bringing the remake to the screen, an idea which began to take shape in 1986. There's some terrific insight into the original's copyright mishandling and initial success in the Pittsburgh market. The piece looks at filmmaker doubt behind remaking a classic, Savini's work and how combat photography in Vietnam shaped his career and makeup, cast and performances, various changes and additions to the original story, casting and crafting zombies, and of course plenty of detail behind the film's makeup and prosthetics effects, which is Savini's real wheelhouse.
• Theatrical Trailer (1080p, 1:07).

Night of the Living Dead Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

1990's Night of the Living Dead can't match the classic tonal notes and legitimate chills of the original film, which is an icon in the cinema realm and, of course, spawned the even better Dawn of the Dead as well as a handful of additional Romero Dead films over the decades. Nevertheless, this film is an interesting take on the original, similar in so many ways and an honest, straight remake with Tom Savini's gory, precision touch the exclamation point. The film is a well-rounded compliment to the original, arguably one of the better remakes out there, but obviously in no way a replacement for the original classic. Sony's Blu-ray delivers high-end 1080p video, a good lossless soundtrack, and a couple of very good extras. Highly recommended.