turkman

TO: Fans of Night of the Living Dead

RE: Saving your money and your sanity

If you are a fan of Night of the Living Dead, please, I beg you, DO NOT buy this DVD. It is one of the biggest miscarriages of the concept of "Special Edition" that I have ever seen. For those of you who don't know, some genius got the idea to shoot additional scene for NOTLD last year and add them to the film (you know, like the way Lucas messed up Star Wars). These new scenes are absolutely insipid. We learn in the opening scene that the graveyard zombie is some kind of child murderer (they even used the same actor--who served as the Director of photography on this Special Edition--30 years older, so he goes from old and weathered to young and skinny). That's just the start of the problems. Most of the new scenes don't blend in to the time period in any believable way and seem to exist for the sole purpose of making the film a bit gorier. Also, the new music soundtrack is absolutely horrible. It is too loud and appears to have been added by someone pressing pause and play on a CD player. The so-called "improved audio track" is another shocker. In one scene, when Ben is boarding up an old door over an open window we hear him pounding in a nail, when he has finished hanging the door we continue to hear him pounding the nail(?????). And it just gets worse from there. I could go on, but what's the point (and besides, I've rambled long enough)? Please, I implore you DO NOT buy this DVD if you cherish this film it will absolutely ruin it for you.

--Mike

Sonic

TOO LATE..GWAAA-HAAA-<SNIFF><SNIFF>..I GOT JIPPED!

<small>Sorry for the shouting </small>

soundwave106

The original remastered version (still offered by Elite) from what I've heard is still the best version out there.

Mikey

I am soo thankful for this forum!!! I wasn't sure whether to buy this version or the Elite version, because alot of reviews of the 30th aniversary edition have touted it to be wonderful. However, I could never seem to find any comparisons between the 30th aniversary edition and the Elite version. I became cautious when I downloaded some samples of the new music.. which to me sounded like cheap crap. I therefore think that the new music, as well as new footage probably harm the film more. With that said, I will defintely go for the Elite version. For some strange reason though, I can't seem to find it at Reel.com.... they only offer the 30th aniversary edition and other inferior versions. : (

G. Noel Gross

Well, the reason there's so many versions of "Night of the Living Dead" is because the rights have been in question for quite awhile. George Romero and his writing partner John Russo being at the center of it all. (For those that don't know, George Romero is the genius of the two ... who directed and starred in the horror classic.) When the movie hit it big Romero and Russo fought over the rights and eventually settled that Russo got the rights to the script and to the words "Living Dead," but Romero got the rights to the word "Dead" by itself. That's why Romero's sequels are "Dead" movies ... "Dawn of the Dead" and "Day of the Dead." It's a tangled web.

So, the 30th Anniversary DVD is all the more dubious, because the exclusion of George ... not to mention the "new scenes" and score. Yikes. So that's why you should ....



GET THE COLLECTOR'S EDITION! Elite is the only way to go, with special features including Two audio commentaries by George Romero, John Russo, Karl Hardman, Marilyn Eastman, Bill Hinzman, Judith O'Dea, Keith Wayne, Kyra Schon, Russell Streiner and Vince Survinski; Night of the Living Bread parody; theatrical and TV trailers.

Just thought I'd second y'alls motion. Plus, I'm hoping to see "Return of the Living Dead 3" on DVD someday. -N!

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MY DVDs: A study in addiction
THE FAKE NEWS: An e-zine for NORM MACDONALD fans

4 of 4

'Plus, I'm hoping to see "Return of the Living Dead 3" on DVD someday.'

ME TOO!!!