3) Fox Home Entertainment - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP RIGHT

4) Dimension Films/Genius Products - Region 1 - NTSC BOTTOM LEFT

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

ADDITION: Criterion Blu-ray - January 18': Firstly, this Blu-ray is available in Region 'A' and two weeks later in Region 'B' (UK). This is advertised as a 'new 4K digital restoration, supervised by director George A. Romero, co-screenwriter John A. Russo, sound engineer Gary R. Streiner, and producer Russell W. Streiner' also with a 'new restoration of the monaural soundtrack, supervised by Romero and Gary Streiner'.

Night of the Living Dead was restored by the Museum of Modern Art and The Film Foundation. Funding provided by the George Lucas Family Foundation and the Celeste Bartos Fund for Film Preservation.

This Criterion has two Blu-rays - the first has both the feature (theatrical and commentaries) and it includes the 11-minute shorter Night of Anubis, a never-before-presented work-print edit of the film, also in 1080P. The second Blu-ray has more supplements.

We've compared many captures below with previous digital editions including the Studio Canal (through Optimum) Blu-ray from 2008. The Criterion 4K has a max'ed out bitrate and looks marvelous on my new system. It looks like a modern film trying to look like an older film the quality is so crisp and clear in-motion. The grain is not overwhelming but exists. Contrast is marvelous and may be the area you see the most improvement over the UK BD. It shows more information in the frame - although the work-print shows even more as well as the negative edges. The 'Work Print' 1080P is less technically robust and the image frequently looks blown-out with plenty of damage (see below) but it works as a fascinating curiosity for fans of the film.

Criterion use a linear PCM (24-bit) that supports the film's modest effects and original music by Harry Bluestone and Emil Cadkin, William Loose and Jack Cookerly plus Spencer Moore. It is authentically flat - but even and carries some pleasing depth. The 'Theatrical' edition has optional English (SDH) subtitles. The 'Work Print' has lossy Dolby audio and no subtitle options. The North American sold Blu-ray edition is Region 'A'-locked and the UK version is Region 'B'-locked.

Criterion include a brand new 24 minute featurette entitled "Light in the Darkness" featuring filmmakers Frank Darabont, Guillermo del Toro, and Robert Rodriguez discussing the importance of this seminal film, never-before-seen 18 minutes of 16mm dailies including raw footage and alternate takes with a 4 minute intro by Gary Streiner. Criterion have added a new 12 minute program, "Learning from Scratch", which remembers the early days of Latent Image, with partner, co-writer, director, editor George A. Romero and John Russo. There are also the two previously released audio commentaries from 1994 featuring Romero, Russo, producer Karl Hardman, actor Judith O’Dea, Marilyn Eastman, John Russo. They are both informative and contain lots of lighthearted back-and-forth banter. We get archival interviews with Romero and actors Duane Jones and Judith Ridley New programs about the film’s style and score. "Tones of Terror" is an all new 11 min featurette where Cirronella delves into the skillful music of existing library music used in scoring Night of the Living Dead. There is also a new 13 minute program (produced by Jim Cirronella) titled "Walking Like the Dead" about the direction of ghouls, featuring 10 members of the cast and crew, shot for the 2009 documentary "Autopsy of the Dead" New interviews with Gary Streiner and Russell Streiner. 12 minute new video essay by Tony Zhou and Taylor Ramos. They examine the style of Night of the Living Dead. 18 minutes of excerpts from an episode of NBC's Tomorrow with Tom Snyder. 3/4 Hour TIFF 2012 event hosted by Colin Geddes, featuring an interview with George Romero. There is half a minute featuring relevant information on the 'Venus Probe', mentioned in the film, a VHS recording of silent b-roll 16mm film shot for Pittsburgh Broadcast News with original music by Jeff Carney, 2 Trailers. 5 radio spots, and 2 TV spots. The package contains a liner notes booklet featuring an essay by critic Stuart Klawans.

A 4K restoration with a max'ed out bitrate on Blu-ray of an iconic horror with the inclusion of the, never before presented, 'work-print edit' of the film, plus a second Blu-ray of extras - you hardly require my endorsement. Buy with anticipation and a high level of confidence! Easily the best package of the early year.

Colin Zavitz and Gary Tooze

***

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.

***

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.