Trilogy of the Dead (George A. Romero's) (1968)

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    This is an absolutely superb DVD package of one of the greatest film trilogies of all time. George A. Romero's Trilogy of the Dead includes three of the most iconic and inspirational horror films ever made, each with a different style and subtextual theme than runs deep and still resonates today, decades after the original releases. The violence and effects remain potent and realistic, and the films themselves deserve their status as not just horror classics, but as film classics. Although these films are available individually in other regions with more special features and different cuts, this set includes a great range of special features as well as the original, director-preferred cuts of the films with great video and audio. I thoroughly recommend these phenomenal movies, and this fantastic set.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall

Night of the Living Dead (Umbrella) (1968)

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General		Extras
Category	Horror	Featurette-Reflections On The Living Dead TV Spots Theatrical Trailer Trailer-Black Sunday, Deep Red, Devil Doll, Blood On Satan's Claw
Rating
Year Of Production	1968
Running Time	96:02
RSDL / Flipper	Dual Layered	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	1,2,3,4,5,6	Directed By	George A. Romero
Studio Distributor	Image Ten Umbrella Entertainment	Starring	Duane Jones Judith O'Dea Karl Hardman Marilyn Eastman Keith Wayne Judith Ridley Kyra Schon Charles Craig S. William Hinzman George Kosana Frank Doak Bill 'Chilly Billy' Cardille A.C. McDonald
Case	?
RPI	Box	Music	Scott Vladimir Licina

Siblings Barbra (Judith O'Dea) and Johnny (Russell Streiner) visit a Pennsylvania cemetery to place a wreath on their father's grave, but are attacked by a lifeless tall, pale man, who murders Johnny, leaving a screaming Barbra running into the night. She escapes to an abandoned house, and when stranger Ben (Duane Jones) finds her, it soon becomes clear that all around America the dead are returning to life to attack the living. Barricaded inside the house with a young couple and a family, and with little communication to the outside world, these strangers must fight to survive the onslaught that is the Night of the Living Dead.

Beyond the sociological issues and themes always mentioned in reviews of this film, there's a lot of particularly interesting things rarely discussed. For one, having a black character as the protagonist is unusual, and still seems unusual today, despite how far we've come and the fact that Romero et al. only hired him because he was the best actor they could get on their budget. (Jones is superb, by the way.) The nihilism and gruesomeness of the film is also raw, with the nasty corpse close-ups, the lengthy eating of two major characters, and the final scenes involving the child murdering her parents are all indeed unsettling, which is unexpected for a film of the era. (Next decade's The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is renowned for gruesomeness even though it features very little, particularly compared to this.) But none of it is exploitative or gratuitous, it all serves the plot and delivers the expected impact. The effects and soundtrack are all excellent, as are the slowly rotting zombies that appear human at first and get considerably nastier as the film goes on.

This is simply a fantastic film, a classic that lives up to the title. I don't want to say too much about it - if you have not seen it and you're a horror buff, you owe it to yourself to see it.

Video

   This is an excellent transfer, although not flawless, it definitely does the source material justice. It's a very strong, detailed video transfer of the film, retaining sharpness across the entire film as well as keeping high levels of detail in all scenes, including darkness. The only better version I have come across is the restored 30th Anniversary Edition, which is a terrible cut of the film and really only slightly better than this, with a slightly sharper transfer.

   There are some film artefacts, usually around scene changes where the original negative was scratched (one example is at 36:25). Otherwise, the film is very clear, with only a few interlacing issues that don't distract from viewing (see 51:20). I am extremely impressed, and glad this is the way I got to view this classic for the first time.

   There are no subtitles.

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

   Like the video, the audio is a very strong mix that, despite lacking surround, is full of life and atmosphere. The phenomenal soundtrack sounds wonderful here, and fits alongside all the lovely zombie moans and lurches and eating.

   The dialogue is all perfectly synced and audible, never missing a beat. Everything works together and sounds fantastic, despite the simplicity and age of the film. I know the age of the film shouldn't make any difference, but consider how good this film sounds and looks compared to something state-of-the-art that was made recently and ended up on a terrible DVD, like War of the Worlds - incredible.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Reflections of the Living Dead (80:00)

TV Spot (0:57) and Theatrical Trailer (1:47)

Umbrella Trailers - Blood on Satan's Claw (2:53), Black Sunday (3:25), Deep Red (2:43), Devil Doll (2:01)

   I must make additional mention here not to buy the aforementioned 30th Anniversary Edition DVD of the film, which despite including a slightly better transfer, has 15 horrible minutes of horrible new footage shot in the horrible 1990's and not by Romero, as well as a horrible new score that could bring the dead back to life. Never, ever buy this. It is sacrilege.

   The video and audio are excellent.

   Although there are few extras, the main event is a feature length documentary that fans will find worth the asking price.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall

Dawn of the Dead (Umbrella) (1978)

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General		Extras
Category	Horror	Main Menu Introduction Main Menu Audio & Animation Audio Commentary-George A. Romero, Tom Savini And Chris Romero Audio Commentary-Richard P. Rubinstein (Producer) Featurette-The Dead Will Walk Gallery-Photo-Montage Biographies-Cast & Crew Theatrical Trailer-2 Notes-Original Reviews Radio Spots
Rating
Year Of Production	1978
Running Time	127:02
RSDL / Flipper	Dual Layered	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	1,2,3,4,5,6	Directed By	George A. Romero
Studio Distributor	Umbrella Entertainment	Starring	David Emge Ken Foree Scott H. Reiniger Gaylen Ross David Crawford David Early Richard France Howard Smith Daniel Dietrich Fred Baker James A. Baffico Rod Stouffer Jesse Del Gre
Case	?
RPI	Box	Music	Dario Argento Goblin Agostino Marangolo

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	English Dolby Digital 2.0 (192Kb/s) English Dolby Digital 5.1 (224Kb/s) English Audio Commentary Dolby Digital 2.0 (192Kb/s) English Audio Commentary Dolby Digital 2.0 (192Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	1.78:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio	1.85:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	None	Smoking	Yes
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

   George A. Romero's follow-up to his brilliant Night of the Living Dead is the brilliant Dawn of the Dead, a semi-remake of the first film set in an enormous shopping mall in which four survivors of the zombie-apocalypse settle to stock up. Trading the desolation and anxiety of the first film for a more over-the-top, saturated style, Romero finds subtext in his zombies flocking to the abandoned mall where the protagonists hide: the brainless succumbing to consumerism and the protagonists finding that the real enemy is not the brainless minions, but the dark elements of humanity itself.

Much longer and less focused than the original film, Dawn of the Dead is a great twist on the same theme with an entirely different style, very clearly inspired by Dario Argento and Italian horror. The gore is much more over-the-top and less realistic, often cartoonish, which is well matched by the score done by Argento's The Goblins. Never are Romero's films brainless horror - they're always endowed with smart characters, clever situations and fantastic themes that run far below the surface, and always carry impact.

As with Night of the Living Dead, I'd prefer to say as little about Dawn of the Dead as possible in case people are yet to see it, except that it's an excellent entry into Romero's Trilogy of the Dead and a must-see horror film for genre fans.

I must note, though, that three versions of this film exist - the 139 min "Extended version", the 127 min “U.S. Theatrical Cut”, and the 118 min “Dario Argento Cut”. The version included here is Romero's preference, the U.S. Theatrical Cut, which is also my favourite. The major changes are that the original Extended Edition was slightly rushed for Cannes and includes more humor, but also more horror elements and an altered score, while the Argento cut is basically full on horror with some other changes. They're all available in the R1 Ultimate Edition, which completists will demand, but general fans can be satisfied that we're getting the director's original vision and final cut with this DVD set.

Video

   This is a very strong transfer that improves as the film continues. The colours are strong and vibrant, which is important as this is a very colourful film. The transfer isn't consistently sharp but is usually very detailed, except suffering from some darkness issues, in which detail is lacking but fortunately has no low level noise (see 18:13).

   There are occasional issues with interlacing, and sometimes cross colouration is an issue (see 21:49 for one example), however I believe that this is an issue with the film itself rather than the DVD as it is evident on other DVDs as well. There is very little grain and there are few film artefacts, that do not detract from the viewing.

   There are no subtitles.

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

   The two audio tracks unfortunately offer little difference despite a change in volume, with the surround usage being very limited and next to no utilization of the subwoofer. The dialogue is fine, mixed well and perfectly in sync, but the lack of rear speakers used for the music and effects - particularly in crowded scenes - means that the overall presentation lacks atmosphere.

   The film's soundtrack by The Goblins still sounds great, even if it isn't delivered perfectly, building up the scenes with heavy beats and emphasising all the over-the-top violence that the film lavishes on the audience.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Animated Menus with Audio

The Dead Will Walk (74:55)

Photo Gallery (2:25)

Biographies

Commentary by George A. Romero, Tom Savini And Chris Romero

Commentary by Richard P. Rubinstein (Producer)

US Trailer (2:37), German Trailer (0:58), Radio Spots (2:42)

Original Reviews

   The video is the best we've ever seen for the film on DVD.

   The audio is not as good, but still makes for an enjoyable viewing experience regardless of stereo or full surround.

   When there is no more room in hell...

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall

Day of the Dead (Umbrella) (1985)

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General		Extras
Category	Horror	Featurette-Behind The Scenes TV Spots-3 Gallery-Photo Theatrical Trailer-3 Trailer-The Hills Have Eyes, The Crazies, Maniac Trailer-Last House On The Left
Rating
Year Of Production	1985
Running Time	101:02
RSDL / Flipper	Dual Layered	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	1,2,3,4,5,6	Directed By	George A. Romero
Studio Distributor	United Film Distrib Umbrella Entertainment	Starring	Lori Cardille Terry Alexander Joseph Pilato Richard Liberty Howard Sherman
Case	?
RPI	Box	Music	John Harrison

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	English Dolby Digital 2.0 (224Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	1.78:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio	1.85:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	None	Smoking	Yes
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

The final film in George A. Romero's brilliant, iconic Trilogy of the Dead (no, Land of the Dead does not count, or, to my mind, exist) is the brilliant, iconic Day of the Dead, a completely different beast to the previous films that examines the nature of humanity and the nature of masculine rage, untamed in both human and zombie. An incredibly smart and unusual horror film, it tones down its violence for the majority of the movie while it examines themes of male power and sexual jealousy, before delivering one of the most violent, explicit, effective and realistic gore-packed half hours ever seen on film.

The acting and plot are first rate, and even those who don't care about intelligence in their horror films - particularly zombie films - can celebrate at the incredible rawness of this film, which delivers scene after scene of ghastly horror. Comparing the tepid, bland Land of the Dead, with all of its enhanced CG and megabudget with the violence in this film is like comparing Play School to The Flower of Flesh and Blood - the violence is so graphic and real and observed (the camera never shies away as people we care apart are pulled to pieces) that is has wonderful impact, and never feels over-the-top or cartoonish.

Once again, I'm staying away from discussing too much of what makes this film great; film fans owe it to themselves to see this entire, fantastic trilogy. Even beyond the horror genre, these are fascinating, timeless and powerful films. Interestingly, this is Romero's favourite of the series, despite it often being overlooked in light of the former two, which is really a shame - Day of the Dead is absolutely superb.

Video

   This is a very strong transfer that begins looking the worst of the trio, with lack of darkness detail and lots of noise (see 11:36) going hand-in-hand with ugly interlacing and grain issues, but soon pans out to look fantastic after the characters go below the surface.

   The gritty, grimy colours are fantastic, and there's high levels of detail in the darkness from about 1/3 of the way in until the end, particularly focusing on the lengthy flee-through-the-dark sequence (which, unfortunately, does contain some low level noise, but it isn't too distracting for the amount of detail). A lack of film artefacts, surprising for a somewhat aged film, and consistently strong detail throughout enhance this viewing experience. You'll be amazed at how good the entrails look.

   There are no subtitles.

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

   This is a well mixed though no-frills audio track; the soundtrack, sound effects and dialogue are all clear and audible and the film is extremely effective as is, though I can't deny that surround might have increased the atmosphere even more. However, it isn't required.

   The music is much more profound and intense than both of the previous films, partially from experience (from Night of the Living Dead, Romero has grown as a filmmaker, as has his crew), but partially because the tone is so different (the cartoonish elements of Dawn of the Dead are lost with this extremely gritty, nihilistic approach to the material) and it works a treat. The sound is great: simple, but effective.

   The dialogue is kept at good levels, and the ambience of the dialogue itself changes the experience and further adds to the atmosphere - the sounds of speech change from setting to setting, and never suffer from sync problems. All in all, the audio track is fine, sufficient for a stereo mix, but without anything extra to speak of.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Behind the Scenes (30:52)

TV Spots (1:33)

Stills Gallery

Theatrical Trailers (1:58, 2:03, 1:09)

Umbrella Trailers - The Hills Have Eyes (2:40), The Crazies (2:54), Maniac (3:46), Last House On The Left

   The video is above average, getting better as the film goes on.

   The audio is simple but effective.

   Unfortunately, there are few extras.

This underrated gem is one of my favourite horror movies, and a fitting conclusion to Romero's Trilogy of the Dead.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall

Document of the Dead (1985)

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General		Extras
Category	Documentary	Trailer-Suspiria, Inseminoid, I Drink Your Blood Trailer-Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things
Rating
Year Of Production	1985
Running Time	84:09 (Case: 96)
RSDL / Flipper	Dual Layered	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	1,2,3,4,5,6	Directed By	Roy Frumkes
Studio Distributor	Umbrella Entertainment	Starring	Roy Frumkes John Amplas Carl Augenstein Steve Bissette David Emge Ken Foree Christine Forrest Roy Frumkes Michael Gornick Joe Kane Nicole Potter Scott H. Reiniger George A. Romero
Case	?
RPI	Box	Music	Rick Ulfik

The documentary begins with a short discussion of Night of the Living Dead and its rise to fame, including the significance of shooting in Pittsburgh, before moving on to Dawn of the Dead and all of the stages of production. Divided into chapters on Preproduction, Production, Postproduction and Distribution, the documentary interviews Romero and various members of the cast and crew as they detail some of the issues and recount stories about filmmaking with Romero, as well as problems faced making films independently. Unfortunately, the documentary is scattershot, taking no particular focus, and subsequently fails to really give any solid information about the process of making the movies, nor the people behind the camera.

The final half-hour of the film, for example, includes discussion with Romero 10 years after the film, while he's working on another piece with Dario Argento, which leads to a lengthy examination of the difficulty of creating a particularly nifty, ghastly impalement injury that has to be reshot three times. Mixed in with this is interviews with Romero's wife, Christine Romero, who talks about issues with casting, and special effects / make-up guru Tom Savini, who discusses various incidents working with Romero. Individually, these are interesting pieces of information, but they're put together in a way that has no coherency or common thread. Overall, Document of the Dead is an enjoyable companion piece to Romero's Dead Trilogy, and it seems that it is mostly released as supplementary material for Dawn of the Dead, where it fits as another featurette on how the classic was made. But by itself, it cannot stand up as a great documentary.

Video

   This is a decent transfer that is unfortunately held back by its low budget, and the many different types of footage used to create it. It suffers from frequent issues with film artefacts such as constant scratches, alongside issues with interlacing, motion blur and a lot of grain.

   The black levels are awful, with very little detail in the blacks and no detail in shadow at all. Low level noise is present often in dark scenes. Keep in mind, however, that this is a documentary from 1985 that has not been in any way restored with the intention of being screened in a home theatre, rather it's a featurette-style piece, and is of low quality. As it isn't intended to be state of the art, these issues, despite being problematic, do not really detract from the viewing experience.

   There are no subtitles.

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

   Essentially a mono-mix spread across the two speakers, this is a very simple no-frills mix that is completely audible but never thrilling. The dialogue in all interviews is at a good level and always in sync, and the music is well mixed to deliver what is expected without issue.

   There's no surround or subwoofer usage, but as before, that isn't the intent. This is, essentially, a glorified DVD extra.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Umbrella Trailers - Suspiria, Inseminoid, I Drink Your Blood, Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things

   The video and audio is satisfactory.

   The disc is barebones.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall