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
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
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
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
