1) Anchor Bay (Anniversary Ed.) - Region 0 - NTSC - TOP

2) Anchor Bay (UE Box-Set) - Region 1 - NTSC - SECOND

3) Koch Blu-ray (part of the 4K - UHD package) THIRD

4) Koch Blu-ray ('Argento 1.33:1 art of the 4K - UHD package) - FOURTH

6) Second Sight (Argento Cut) 4K - UHD - SIXTH

7) Second Sight (theatrical) 4K - UHD - BOTTOM

IN THE Second Sight 'Standard' 4K UHD package:

DISC 1 - THE THEATRICAL CUT (Region Free) 4K UHD

New 4K scan and restoration of the Original Camera Negative by Second Sight at Final Frame New York and London supervised and approved by DoP Michael Gornick
Presented in HDR10+
Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0 Mono - New restoration of the original OCN Optical / DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Commentary by George A Romero, Tom Savini, Christine Forrest
NEW commentary by Travis Crawford
New optional English subtitles for the hearing impaired

DISC 2 - THE EXTENDED ('CANNES') CUT (Region Free) 4K UHD

Produced using 4K scan of the Theatrical Cut Original Camera Negative and 4K scan of the Extended Cut Colour Reversal Internegative
Presented in HDR10+
DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0 Mono
Commentary by Richard P Rubinstein
New optional English subtitles for the hearing impaired

DISC 3 - THE ARGENTO CUT (Region Free) 4K UHD

4K scan of the Interpositive by Michele De Angelis at Backlight Digital, Rome
Audio: DT-HD Master Audio Mono 1.0 / Surround 5.1 / Stereo 2.0
Commentary by Ken Foree, Scott Reiniger, Gaylen Ross, David Emge
New optional English subtitles for the hearing impaired
 

DISC 4 - SPECIAL FEATURES (Region B BLU-RAY)

NEW Zombies and Bikers, with John Amplas, Roy Frumkes, Tom Savini, Christine Forrest, Tom Dubensky, Tony Buba, Taso Stavrakis and a whole host of zombies and bikers! (58:30 mins)
NEW Memories of Monroeville: A tour of the mall with Michael Gornick, Tom Savini, Tom Dubensky and Taso Stavrakis (34:24 mins)
NEW Raising the Dead: The Production Logistics with Michael Gornick, Christine Forrest, John Amplas, Tom Dubensky (25:03 mins)
NEW The FX of Dawn with Tom Savini (12:56 mins)
NEW Dummies! Dummies! An interview with Richard France (12:20 mins)
NEW The Lost Romero Dawn Interview: previously unreleased archive interview (20:28 mins)
Super 8 Mall Footage by zombie extra Ralph Langer with option of archive commentary by Robert Langer and new commentary by Ralph Langer (13:25 mins)
Document of the Dead: The Original Cut with optional commentary by Roy Frumkes (1:31:36 mins)
Document of the Dead: The Definitive Cut (1:42:08 mins)
The Dead Will Walk 2014 Documentary (1:15:02 mins)
Trailers, TV, and Radio Spots (18:37)

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Second Sight's 4K UHD release of George Romero's classic "Dawn of the Dead'' contains 3 4K UHD discs and a bonus Region 'B' Blu-ray. There is another (more expensive) 4K UHD limited edition featuring a booklet and CD soundtracks, (as well as a Region 'B' Blu-ray version) though we will cover the 4-disc set below. Disc one comes from a “new 4K scan and restoration of the original camera negative by Second Sight at Final Frame New York and London supervised and approved by DoP Michael Gornick" and is presented in HDR10+ (unfortunately no Dolby Vision). Thankfully HDR10+ (like Dolby Vision) signals the dynamic range and scene characteristics on a scene-by-scene or sometimes frame-by-frame basis, so there is no one-size-fits all brush applied to the picture as a whole. The Theatrical version shows (eventually Romero's preferred) cut of the film, with much deeper blacks, brighter whites, and a much more vivid color spectrum when compared to previous releases. This is surely the best the film has looked on home video to date. As Tim Lucas stated in a Facebook post:

"Delved into Second Sight’s DAWN OF THE DEAD box last night, watched the theatrical cut ... My real problem, though, was with the film’s jacked-up color and brightness. I saw DAWN several times theatrically and the brightness was carefully toned down to keep Gaylen Ross’s bare chest in shadow in one shot, keeping United’s advertising honest when it said that the unrated film contained no sex or nudity. Not only is her chest quite visible here, which encourages the viewer to look at her instead of taking in and absorbing the overall tragic and dramatic meaning of the shot, but - more importantly - throughout the film the interiors now look colder and the blood looks pale and watery, both of which would have been cured with a moderately darker presentation. I also noticed, for the first time, pieces of foam rubber visible in the bite effects. DP Michael Gornick approved the transfer, so I have got to wonder what he was thinking. Yes, it’s now brighter, more vivid and crisp, and opens up scads of detail, but would Romero have wanted this? Does such brightness and digitally heightened detail really serve all the film’s departments equally well? Aside from these concerns, the set is a masterpiece of packaging and thoroughness..."

NOTE: 40 more more full resolution (3840 X 2160) 4K UHD captures, in lossless PNG format, for Patrons are available HERE

While Lucas noted below that he was watching the Blu-ray version, I have similar thoughts about this 4K UHD transfer. While I must reiterate that this is surely the best visual presentation of the film, I am not sure that this is the best visual representation of the film. There is a fine amount of grain present at all times, giving the film a nice filmic texture. The occasional vertical lines of damage appear, though these instances are rare and not too conspicuous. Disc Two (also 4K UHD) carries the extended 'Cannes' cut of the film and was produced using a "4K scan of the Theatrical Cut original camera negative and 4K scan of the Extended Cut colour reversal internegative". The added footage appears rather seamlessly integrated, without a noticeable drop in quality unless you really strain your eyes. The added footage can look a little soft, but also benefits from the added brightness/contrast/color levels. Disc Three (4K UHD as well) features the Dario Argento cut of the film and was produced using a "4K scan of the Interpositive by Michele De Angelis at Backlight Digital, Rome". What is significant about this disc is the lack of any HDR10+, in effect giving the film a less bright image, showing a consistently more earthy tone, lacking the pop of colors in the previous two discs. While I have never really preferred the Argento Cut, fans should love that it is included here, as it shows a much tighter, action-oriented edit of the film. The level of detail is still quite admirable, even without the benefits of HDR. Long story short, this is an exceptional set, highly recommended, with the only caveat being that I just wish they could have got the Dolby Vision license and kept certain scenes from being overly bright. All three discs are 66 GB UHD discs, showing rather high average bitrates (59/56/61 for each disc respectively).

Second Sight's 4K UHD Disc One features a DTS-HD Master audio in 1.0 Mono with a new restoration of the original camera negative optical track. The other option is a DTS-HD Master audio 5.1 surround track. Sadly there is no Dolby Atmos option here, but the surround channels are quite effective. My only gripe is that the center channel dialogue seems to sound a little 'dubbed', and separated from the atmospheric noise and soundtrack. I would recommend the mono choice here, but that Goblin music certainly does rock in surround. Disc two has the same choices and my comments above stand. Disc Three (the Argento cut) has more choices, with either a DTS-HD Master audio Mono 1.0 / surround 5.1 / or stereo 2.0 track. Here I tend to prefer the stereo track, though this disc doesn't seem to feature as crisp of a transfer as the first two discs. All three Region 'Free'4K UHD discs feature English subtitles for the deaf or hard of hearing.

Second Sight's comprehensive release of Romero's classic zombie flick features an all new commentary by Travis Crawford (who has other excellent tracks on 4 Romero films including "The Crazies", "There's Always Vanilla", "Season of the Witch", and "Monkey Shines", not to mention other classic films). As Crawford states early on in the track, he is hesitant to repeat any sort of (typically) screen-specific production details that are covered in the other included archival commentaries. Instead, Crawford chooses to discuss Romero's work in detail, providing many interesting contextual thoughts to "Dawn..." and other notable titles. Even as a fan of Romero, I was surprised to learn that after some commercial failures, Romero decided to film some sports documentaries for a year or two. Crawford delves into many topics, such as Romero's 6 "Dead" cycle of films, zombie films before and after Romero, the multiple different versions of the film (the 3 most notable of which are all included on their own separate discs in this set), as well as the 1970's explosion of the American shopping mall, and its ensuing consumerist culture. Crawford is a natural and even fans of the film that have seen all the documentaries and read all the books (yours truly) will still find a lot of new information and contextual revelations within this phenomenal commentary. The older commentary by George A Romero, Tom Savini, and Christine Forrest also appears. Disc Two features the commentary with Richard P. Rubinstein, while Disc Three (The Argento Cut) features the archival commentary with Ken Foree, Scott Reiniger, Gaylen Ross, and David Emge. The fourth disc in this UHD set is a Region 'B'-locked Blu-ray, stacked to the brim with well-produced extras, both new and old. It should be noted that most of the new documentaries on this disc are courtesy of Severin films 2020. The first of these pieces is a 59-minute "Zombies and Bikers". This piece brings back a lot of the cast/crew (sometimes one and the same, given Romero's relaxed yet utilitarian sets) from the original shoot, with many providing humorous recollections of their time shooting in Pittsburgh/Monroeville. "Memories of Monroeville" is a similarly nostalgic and interesting piece, spending 35-minutes taking a current-day tour of the iconic mall with Michael Gornick, Tom Savini, Tom Dubensky and Taso Stavrakis. Surprisingly some aspects of the mall haven't changed a bit (on a personal note, I have always wanted to make a pilgrimage to the Monroeville mall). "Raising the Dead: The Production Logistics" is a 25-minute featurette with Michael Gornick, Christine Forrest, John Amplas, Tom Dubensky discussing the trials and tribulations of shooting on location. "The FX of Dawn with Tom Savini" is a 13-minute interview with the Maestro of Gore discussing his effects and work on the film. I could listen to Savini describe his work for hours, and I only wish this was a longer segment, though I highly recommend watching. "Dummies! Dummies!" is a 12-minute interview with Richard France, who is interviewed in a mall's store front, with people walking back and forth in the background (nice touch). "The Lost Romero Dawn Interview" is a previously unreleased archive interview lasting 21-minutes featuring the late writer/director discussing "Dawn...". Next up is the archival Super 8 mall footage by zombie extra Ralph Langer with the option of archive commentary by Robert Langer or a new commentary by Ralph Langer. Next up are two cuts of the previously released documentary, "Document of the Dead" with the 66-minute original Cut (with optional commentary by Roy Frumkes) or the 100-minute Definitive Cut. As if that isn't enough, there is yet another 2014 documentary, the 80-minute "The Dead Will Walk". Some trailers, TV and radio spots round out the Region 'B' Blu-ray bonus disc.

This is truly a phenomenal release from Second Sight. While I have a few nitpicks about the 4K UHD image, this is surely the best the film has looked to date. And the third disc, though lacking HDR+, has a more familiar, earthy tone to the image. "Dawn of the Dead'' blew my mind when I first saw it at age 12, and lord only knows how many times I have watched it since. Anchor Bay's previous DVD set with all the cuts was a prized possession of mine (and yes, Ken Foree autographed my copy) but rest assured, this new Second Sight release takes the cake. The new commentary from Travis Crawford is fantastic, as are the exquisitely produced bonus features (thanks to Severin Films). To those without a Region 'B' Blu-ray player, you may be unable to see the 4th discs extras, but the first 3 4K UHD Discs work in any UHD player thanks to the 4K format's lack of Region Coding (a blessing if there ever was one). While I didn't personally have the money to shell out for the ginormous limited edition set, if you can afford it, I assume it's even better (with the added CD's and booklet). Highly recommended to fans, and to anyone who has yet to experience this iconic piece of film.

Colin Zavitz