Product: Night of the Living Dead (1990)
Rating: 4.0
This is a remake after all...
Horror remakes never spark excitement among fans or critics, and usually for good reason - remember the horrible "Haunting" and "House on Haunted Hill" remakes? Or the abysmal "Psycho" remake? However, Tom Savini's remake is surprisingly effective and well crafted, it defies the cardinal rule that says horror remakes, invariably, suck.The story has been told numerous times, in both George Romero's and Lucio Fulci's zombie movies. This remake has some notable differences from the original. For starters, the heroin is stronger, more of a fighter than the catatonic Barbara that Judith O'Dea played in the 1968 classic. The other big difference is the blood and make-up effects. Director Tom Savini has only gotten better as a make-up and SFX artist over the years, and he makes each zombie stand out with his prosthetics and make-up attachments. The gore has also been substantially increased. The dialogue, which often borders on the absurd, is also modernized, with plenty of four letter words and colorful lines. Having said all that, this is not necessarily better than original (there is no way it could have been), but it can stand alone as a good, solid horror film. Tom Savini proves with this remake that he can direct as well as do SFX, so it is a wonder that he didn't direct more often.For people buying the DVD, there are some solid extras that make it worth the price tag. The best feature is the feature-length commentary by Director/SFX artist Tom Savini. He is an eloquent speaker, and gives plenty of insight and interesting tidbits. There is also a nice featurette entitled "The Dead Walk", which consists mainly of behind-the-scenes footage. It is neither the best nor the brightest of featurettes, but it is fun nonetheless. What also deserves special mention is the cover art for the DVD, which is fantastic.Horror fans will find a lot to like in this 1990 remake, while cinema purists will no doubt find plenty to dislike the film in equal capacity. For me, I really enjoyed this version, and have always considered it to be a good horror movie in it's own right. The DVD package is good value, and an easy recommendation for any horror enthusiast.