ADDITION: Optimum Blu-ray - October 08': Firstly, this Blu-ray is coded for region 'B' and will only play on Blu-ray machines supporting that region (Africa, Southwest Asia, Europe (except Russia), Oceania and their dependencies.)

This new Optimum looks pretty good - reaching about as high as it can for the pragmatic film's debut in 1080P. Detail is one of the most noticeable improvements (blows away all over SD-DVDs) but I was especially keen on the contrast being a full notch more pure (the Millennium Edition looks a little green). It may also be marginally brighter and grayscale has more depth. Overall it is a full leap better than the old Elite SCE in my opinion. Unlike other reviewers I saw no edge-enhancement 'halo'ing'.

Audio-wise we have a DTS HD Master Audio Mono 2.0 to compliment a Dolby Digital 2.0. I MUCH prefer this to a fake 5.1 Surround option. It maintains the limited production 'feel' with, often, muffled dialogue and flat sound presentation... but its is very clean as if you are hearing it in the theater for the first time.

Extras: Only one supplement - that, by the way, is in PAL. I believe the 83 minute One For the Fire The Legacy of the Night of the Living Dead is the same documentary on the Diary of the Dead. It doesn't have the enjoyable commentaries on previous SDs.

Akin to what we advised about The Shawshank Redemption - this is slated for a Region 'A' Blu-ray release (if you are capable of playing that Blu-ray region) with more supplements. If the transfer is significantly different - we will add to this comparison. For those in Region 'B' it probably won't get much better than this. The film tends to come to life a heck of a lot more in high-definition.     

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ON THE SD-DVDs: The colorization is damn impressive (I would put it on a par with Carnival of Souls ... maybe a notch below, also by 'Off Color Films'), but the sharpness is easy in the Elite camp. Personally, I prefer the Elite Special Edition a shade more than the Elite Millennium Edition (contrast) - but, of course, it is negligible. As we have stated, DVDBeaver does not condone or recommend films that have been manipulated by colorization. Just as we do not recommend censored films, non-original audio or aspect ratio manipulated films. Colorization can look silly at times, attempting to give texture where there often is none. So why buy the Fox edition? Fans of Mystery Science Theater 3000 will know Mike Nelson and his commentary on the Fox edition may sate a hunger for his brand of sarcasm. No, it is not the definitive edition for image, but 'Off Color' probably knew that before they started their process. This is for fans of Mike Nelson and die-hard fans of the film - after all you get both an original and color versions. As with my Carnival of Souls viewing, the color can bring a new dimension to the film, almost like an initial screening. I don't think the film loses any of its genre-ific strength and the color results are intriguing.