NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: Warner Archive Blu-ray (December 2024): Warner Archive have transferred Michael Curtiz's The Walking Dead to Blu-ray. It is said to have been scanned from the nitrate negative which includes 15-20 seconds of certain scenes not on previous digital editions. We reviewed The Walking Dead on DVD, HERE, as part of Warner's 2009 Karloff & Lugosi - Horror Classics boxset and have compared a few captures below. The SD is vertically stretched and the 1080P has superior detail, grain texture and contrast. It's an easily discernable upgrade and looked very pleasing on my system.

NOTE: We have added 64 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Warner Archive use a DTS-HD Master dual-mono track (24-bit) in the original English language. The Walking Dead has few science-lab effects including crackling electrics providing the intended ambience. It is authentically flat with a score by Bernhard Kaun (Frankenstein, Internes Can't Take Money, The Story of Temple Drake, Dangerous, Doctor X) sounding clean. There is additional muisic with Rubinstein's "Kammenoi-Ostrow" and The Lady in Red whistled by Joe Sawyer. There is consistent dialogue in the lossless transfer. Warner Archive offer optional English (SDH) subtitles on their Region FREE Blu-ray.

The Warner Archive Blu-ray offers a new commentary by Alan K. Rode (author of Michael Curtiz: A Life in Film and Charles McGraw: Biography of a Film Noir Tough Guy) who talks about the strong cast of pedigreed actors and that many had Broadway stage experience. Alan identifies many of the supporting cast and crew, comments on Karloff's performance, tells us where The Walking Dead was filmed (Griffith Park), plenty on Curtiz and this being the first of nine collaborations with him and Irving Rapper plus much more. It's another of Alan's excellent, thorough, commentaries. An excellent new addition. The commentary from 2009 by Gregory Mank (Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff: The Expanded Story of a Haunting Collaboration, with a Complete Filmography of Their Films Together) is also included. He calls the film; part Karloff horror, part gangster film and part religious message. Included is the 2012, 38-minute documentary: Michael Curtiz; the Greatest Director You Never Heard Of directed by Gary Leva. This was originally on the second Casablanca Blu-ray and appeared again on the 4K UHD of that film as well. It has archival footage of Michael Curtiz and input from William Friedkin, Rudy Behlmer, Steven Spielberg, Alan K. Rode, Ben Burtt, Samuel Goldwyn Jr. and others commenting on the career of the director of some of the most memorable films of Hollywood' golden age. There are also two 8-minute Friz Freleng cartoons; The Cat Came Back and Let it Be Me both from 1936. Lastly is an original theatrical trailer.  

Michael Curtiz's The Walking Dead is excellent and echoes James Whale's 1931 Frankenstein in many ways... with the lead, also played by Karloff, uttering stunted speech and shuffling with an awkward gait; when his 'John Ellman' character is reanimated - brought back after death - surrounded by buzzing lab equipment, same composer (Bernhard Kaun,) askew camera angles, and, finally, Dr. Beaumont (Edmund Gwenn - who appeared in four Hitchcock films!) saying, "He's alive". The Walking Dead is an appealing blend of crime, supernatural and revenge. It's superbly executed by Curtiz and a cracker of a vintage horror. The new Alan K. Rode commentary adds further value as do the second vintage one from Mank, documentary and cartoons to start with. This is a strong Warner Archive Blu-ray that we can whole-heartedly recommend this delicious vintage horror gem.

Gary Tooze