Best DVD Of Night Of The Living Dead?

[Dilmo]

I am looking for a release with the best overall quality. Not the remake, but the original classic. With "umpteenth" versions out there, which would you suggest. Thanks in advance for your help.

[Mister Zob]

I think Elite's Millenium Edition is the best.

[SidcupMartin]

Originally posted by Mister Zob
I think Elite's Millenium Edition is the best.

ditto

[Marq]

The best editions are these 2:
- Elite's "Millennium Edition"
OR
- Elite's "Special Collector's Edition"
I have this one with the zombie chick on the cover and its beautiful, but the ME might have a couple more extras (same transfer though, I believe).


Just make sure to avoid AT ALL COSTS, this version:
- Anchor Bay's "Anniversary Edition Limited Edition".
It apparently butchers the film to high heavens. A true mishap to try and "re-edit" an existing masterpiece.

[Neo]

If I'm not mistaken, isn't the ME edition a full-screen format only? Or was Night Of The Living Dead never made using Wide-screen?

[Marq]

Originally posted by Neo
If I'm not mistaken, isn't the ME edition a full-screen format only? Or was Night Of The Living Dead never made using Wide-screen?

NOTLD, a 1968 film, was indeed filmed at a "full-screen" ratio. 1.37:1, I believe. All DVD versions preserve this aspect, but the releases by Elite use a beautifully pristine print.

[Charlie & Tex]

We only have the Elite DVD (which was actually released country-wide here in the UK, despite the sale of US DVDs here being strictly verboten.

It is a nice DVD, and with some good extras. The only reason we haven't picked up the Millenium Edtion yet is due to us still being VERY happy with our 25th anniversary laserdisc for Elite.

Seriously, for packaging, with the gatefold sleeve sporting liner notes from King, Savini & Sam Raimi, plus a genuine colour photo for the front cover and all the gorgeousness of the inner gatefold, it is a joy to behold.

And the picture and sound beat the living shit out of even the great Elite DVD, with a crisper, more detailed picture and better sound. Oh, and the extras.

The Elite DVD had a number of them, but the sheer amount of text pages, detailing everything about the two companies that comprised Image 10 (plus the original, bloody awful red-necker comedy version of the script, how they were totally fucked over by the distributor which left them missing out on the phenomenal profits, how There's Always Vanilla came about and tanked due to Romero's contempt for the horror genre) and an even more generous selection of commercials meant it always bests the smaller disc.

Oh, and does the Millenium Edition contain the fab commerical for the Munroeville mall (from Dawn of the Dead)?

[a.bunker]

Originally posted by Marq

It apparently butchers the film to high heavens. A true mishap to try and "re-edit" an existing masterpiece.

You can eliminate the word apparently. I have seen this version and it in fact butchers the film. Different opening and closing scenes are inserted which include acting that is on par with some soft core cable porn films. I wanted to throw something at John Russo every time one of the new scenes came on. I wanted Duane Jones to smack him with a tire iron. Why try and explain the origin of the cemetary zombie? I certainly didn't need to know and further more didn't care, but if you absolutely had to try and explain it, at least try and make him look the same. Take a look, what the hell is this?

1968 cemetary zombie


1998 cemetary zombie


Oh yeah, and the new soundtrack is horrible.