Anchor Bay Entertainment - Region 1 - NTSC vs. Anchor Bay (UK) - Region 2 - PAL vs. Blue Underground - Region FREE - Blu-ray vs. Synapse - Region FREE - Blu-ray

Anchor Bay Entertainment

Region 1 - NTSC

1.84:1 Original Aspect Ratio

16X9 enhanced
Average Bitrate: 6.61 mb/s
NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s

1.86:1 Original Aspect Ratio

16X9 enhanced
Average Bitrate: 7.39 mb/s
PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s

NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.

Anchor Bay Entertainment

Anchor Bay (UK)

Blue Underground Blu-ray

Synapse Blu-ray

English (Dolby Digital 5.1); English (Dolby Digital

DTS-HD Master Audio English 980 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 980 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 768 kbps / 24-bit)
DTS-HD Master Audio English 2809 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 2809 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 768 kbps / 24-bit)
Commentaries:

Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps / DN -31dB

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen anamorphic - 1.84:1

Edition Details:
• Interview with director Jorge Grau (4:3; 20:24; viewable with or without subtitles)
• TV Spot (16:9; 0:27)
• Radio Spots (2:08)
• Poster and Still Gallery

DVD Release Date: October 24, 2000
Amaray

Chapters 26
 

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen anamorphic - 1.86:1

Edition Details:
• Interview with director Jorge Grau (4:3; 20:24)
• 2 Alternate Opening Title
• International Trailer (4:3; 3:45)
• DON'T OPEN THE WINDOW trailer (4:3; 0:30)
• DON'T OPEN THE WINDOW TV spot (4:3; 0:24)
• Radio Spots (2:06)
• Poster and Still Gallery
 

Chapters 24

NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were obtained directly from the Blu-ray discs.

ADDITION: Synapse Films Blu-ray (June 2022): Synapse Films have transferred Jorge Grau's The Living Dead At Manchester Morgue to Blu-ray. It is described as "Beautifully restored in 4K from the original camera negative, Synapse Films presents the film with the true original English theatrical mono mix and the real opening and closing credit sequences intact." It. easily,. looks the best a full notch or two over the Blue Underground Blu-ray from 2009. Everything is superior from contrast, a resounding jump in detail and colors are tighter (cooler flesh tones, redder blood etc.) and are more balanced. No question this is the best digital edition - notably in the detail as the frame-matched captures below indicate.

NOTE: We have added 94 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Synapse Films offer DTS-HD Master tracks (24-bit) in both the original mono (stated as "restoration of the true original English language theatrical mono mix") and a 5.1 bump (although originally recorded in 4-Track Stereo, unusual for Italian horrors!) It is described as a "surround remix made exclusively for the Synapse Films release" - both tracks are in the English language. This is the first film composition credit for Giuliano Sorgini (of only a dozen features) - it's wonderfully unique and eerie. Notable for being quite innovative, augmenting the intense screams and haunting whispers with the inclusion of human voices (like Grau’s himself) - it's a shame he didn't do many more. There are unnerving separations in the lossless. Synapse Films offer optional English (SDH) subtitles on their Region FREE Blu-ray.

Synapse add two audio commentaries. The first is from film scholar Troy Howarth (author of Splintered Visions – Lucio Fulci And His Films.) It's clear that not only is he an expert ion the genre, but also appreciates Jorge Grau's film. He relates positives and comparisons in Euro cult around the 70s. He's always entertaining and informative. The second commentary is by esteemed Nathaniel Thompson and Bruce Holecheck who likewise extol the film relating minute details surrounding the production from the streaking in the first few minutes to the Grau's own background moaning mixed into the film. They discuss the coy nudity, the effective score, Grau, the screenplay by Sandro Continenza (Hercules in the Haunted World, Hercules and the Captive Women), Ray Lovelock - his musical career, the unintentional, director cameo and much more. Nathaniel is a walking encyclopaedia and he seemingly could talk for hours. Both commentaries are excellent exporting unique, appealing, value. There are more supplements. Jorge Grau - Catalonia’s Cult Film King. This is an extensive feature-length documentary exploring the life and films of director Jorge Grau. The Spanish director, scriptwriter, playwright and painter made the 1965 film Acteón that as entered into the 4th Moscow International Film Festival. The Scene of the Crime has Giannetto De Rossi in discussion from Manchester running just over 1/4 hour. There is also a Giannetto De Rossi - Q&A at the Festival of Fantastic Films, UK for over 42-minutes. Lastly, are a theatrical trailer, TV spots and radio spots. There is a 24-page leaflet of Synapse's catalogue.

I've become quite a fan of Jorge Grau's The Living Dead At Manchester Morgue. This vastly improved 1080P transfer is part of my appreciation. It's an early hybrid as a Spanish-Italian science fiction zombie horror flic with radiation the cause of the walking dead. It's a justly, highly rated, cult classic now with many digital editions available. This 4K restoration and improved audio options, plus the two commentaries and interviews make is a very desirable Blu-ray. The locations are exquisite in this 1089P; the lush English countryside near Windermere, outside of the hospital at Barnes Hospital in Cheadle, Greater Manchester with some scenes filmed in the Peak District in Derbyshire, not far from Sheffield. Also in Hathersage, Castleton and Dovedale. The Living Dead At Manchester Morgue foreshadows many later Italian zombie films of the 1980s. Synapse Blu-ray is a must-own for fans of the genre and beyond. We strongly endorse this edition! 

***

ADDITION: Blue Underground - Region FREE Blu-ray - October09: We don't have the 2008 Blue Underground 2-disc DVD to compare but thought looking beside these older DVDs would be somewhat revealing.

Blue Underground are continuing to produce some excellent 1080P transfers. This is a significant improvement over SD - rendered to a dual-layered Blu-ray disc with a very high video bitrate. I can't imagine this film will look much better for your home theater viewing. Detail takes a significant leap forward, as do colors -especially blood reds - it is much brighter, and while there is some movement, the Blu-ray has more information in the frame. The DVD is so dark at times that detail is lost in the background. The hi-def  fluctuates between a modest, but always notable improvement, to an extravagant and appreciative one.

The DTS-HD Master 7.1 2268 kbps in English is quite good as well with acceptance to the limitations of the moderate production standards when it was made. The mix has some subtle and not-so-subtle ambitions to the rear speakers and they give the presentation that extra edge of creepiness. It's certainly no demo track but the manifestations of HD audio give that much more crispness and buoyancy - but not enough to distance it from it's pragmatic roots. I think this is a good thing. Bass won't punch like, say, Transformers - but this is to be expected. There are optional English, Spanish and French subtitle choices and my Momitsu has identified it as being a region FREE disc playable on Blu-ray machines worldwide.

Extras appear to mimic the Blue Underground 2007 DVD release with a 45-minute piece, in SD, entitled Back to the Morgue which goes back to visit locations of the film shoot with reminiscences by director Jorge Grau. Zombie Fighter is a 15-minute interview with a healthy looking Ray Lovelock - star of the film. Zombie Maker is an interview with special effects artist Giametto De Rossi running just over 15-minutes and there is a 2000 interview with Jorge Grau running over 20-minutes. The only HD extra is the 4-minute theatrical trailer, There are also a couple of minutes of TV Spots, plus a poster and still gallery. Short of a commentary this is a decent set of supplements.

- Gary W. Tooze

***

ON THE DVDs: Both DVDs offer progressive, anamorphic transfers of the uncut export version (the film was heavily cut by the BBFC on its previous video release). Although the Anchor Bay UK disc has a higher bitrate, the Anchor Bay US DVD looks like it may have been sharpened slightly. Both the 5.1 and 2.0 surround downmix are enveloping and not too gimicky (this was one of the first Spanish stereophonic films but the original English mix was in mono). Both discs feature the same "exclusive" interview and TV spot for the Hallmark DON'T OPEN THE WINDOW release as well as radio spots but the Anchor Bay UK disc offers a few more extras (sourced by Marc Morris). There are two alternate title sequences for the DON'T OPEN THE WINDOW and LIVING DEAD AT MANCHESTER MORGUE prints and a LIVING DEAD AT MANCHESTER MORGUE trailer (making use of psychedelic opticals typical of Italian trailers of the time) as well as a trailer for DON'T OPEN THE WINDOW that does not differ much from the TV spot. The still and poster galleries are the same. Besides these extras, the UK disc comes with a thick booklet of liner notes on the film while the US DVD just has a cardboard insert with a chapter listing on one side and the German poster on the other. Both DVDs represent the film well.

Visitors to Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk will come across these alternate editions: a barebones UK reissue by Anchor Bay (HERE - 25 Sep 2006), a limited edition tin from Anchor Bay (HERE - October 24, 2000), a Blue Underground port of US disc (HERE - April 24, 2007), and Blue Underground's subsequent 2 disc issue which features an SD downconversion of an HD transfer and extras not seen on the previous editions (HERE - February 26, 2008).

 - Eric Cotenas

4) Synapse - Region FREE - Blu-ray - BOTTOM