Amazon.com reviews for
Night of the Living Dead (1968) More at IMDbPro »

Night of Living Dead (vhs):

Amazon.com video review: George Romero's classic 1968 zombie-fest (shot in black and white) offers some disturbing images, even decades later. In a Pittsburgh suburb people are being stalked by zombies ravenous for human flesh. In a house whose occupant has already been slain, two separate groups of people unite and board themselves in, hoping to fend off the advancing ghouls. Through radio and TV reports they learn that radiation from outer space is thought to be responsible for the wave of zombie attacks all over the eastern United States. Once the humans are trapped, Romero shifts the focus to the internal feuding between them as they decide how to handle their dreadful situation. What unfolds is an examination of human nature, and of the fear and selfishness that keep many citizens from getting involved in the world's problems. Appropriately, both the zombies and the authorities who later hunt them are equally soulless. This film could also be read as a criticism of white males--it is not merely a coincidence that the film's two most rational, constructive characters are a woman and a black man. It is also no coincidence that the sequel takes place in a mall infested by the undead--a perfect analogy for consumer culture. --Bryan Reeseman

Fright Night Horror Classics (dvd):

Amazon.com video review: This package contains three films, one a bona fide classic, one an interesting first film by someone who would go on to greatness, and, um, one other one. This set would be quite a bargain if the transfer to DVD weren't so crappy. It appears that these films were transferred from tape. Since the whole idea of DVD is higher definition, that pretty much defeats the purpose of owning these discs, unless you can't find these titles in a higher-quality version. Luckily, the best of these three, the George A. Romero classic about flesh-eating zombies, Night of the Living Dead, is available in an exquisite pressing with THX sound and lots of extras. It is also available in this version for the cost-conscious consumer: Night of the Living Dead. It's nice to have a copy of Francis Ford Coppola's feature debut, Dementia 13--at least it would have been, if the transfer to DVD hadn't been so botched that you could see the frames rolling out of control and the tape bunching up in the last 15 minutes of the film. So on the level of the films themselves two out of three ain't bad. Which is to say that Revolt of the Zombies is so dull, it'll have even zombies checking their watches. --Jim Gay

Night of the Living Dead (dvd):

Amazon.com video review: We can hardly imagine how shocking this film was when it first broke into the film scene in 1968. There's never been anything quite like it again, though there have been numerous pale imitations. Part of the terror lies in the fact that it is shot in such a raw and unadorned fashion that it feels like a home movie, and is all the more authentic because of that. It draws us into its world gradually, content to establish a merely spooky atmosphere before leading us through a horrifically logical progression that we hardly could have anticipated. The story is simple: Radiation from a fallen satellite has caused the dead to walk, and hunger for human flesh. Once bitten, you become one of them. And the only way to kill one is by a shot or blow to the head. We follow a group holed up in a small farmhouse who are trying to fend off the inevitable onslaught of the dead. The tension between the members of this unstable, makeshift community drives the film. Night of the Living Dead establishes savagery as a necessary condition of life. Marked by fatality and a grim humor, the film gnaws through to the bone, then proceeds on to the marrow. Unfortunately, this version is somewhat marred by a poor transfer. If you're on a budget, this is adequate. Otherwise, you'll probably be happier with the collector's edition with THX sound, put out by Elite: Night of the Living Dead. It is complete with two commentaries, one by the filmmakers and the other by the "zombies" themselves. It's also packaged as a Fright Night Horror Classic along with Francis Ford Coppola's Dementia 13 and Revolt of the Zombies. --Jim Gay

Night of the Living Dead (30th Anniversary Edition) (dvd):

Amazon.com video review: It's hard to imagine how shocking this film was when it first broke on the film scene in 1968. There's never been anything quite like it, though it's inspired numerous pale imitations. Part of the terror lies in the fact that this one's shot in such a raw, unadorned fashion it feels like a home movie, and all the more authentic for that. Another is that it draws us into its world gradually, content to establish a merely spooky atmosphere before leading us through a horrifically logical progression that we could hardly have anticipated. The story is simple. Radiation from a fallen satellite has caused the dead to walk, and hunger for human flesh. Once bitten, you become one of them. And the only way to kill one is by a shot or blow to the head. We follow a group holed up in a small farmhouse to fend off the inevitable onslaught of the dead. And it's the tensions between the members of this unstable, makeshift community that drive the film. Night of the Living Dead establishes its savagery as a necessary condition of life. Marked by fatality and a grim humor, it gnaws through to the bone, then proceeds on to the marrow. Anchor Bay's 30th Anniversary Edition presents this horror classic in a pristine, newly remastered print, rescored and reedited with over 15 minutes of new footage directed by the film's writer and co-editor John A. Russo. This is a controversial "modified" version of the original film, and should be considered separately from George Romero's definitive version, released on DVD by Elite Entertainment. --Jim Gay