Product: Night of the Living Dead (1990)
Rating: 5.0
Best horror film of the 90's. Great DVD too.
Im a great fan of the 68 version and this remake by Tom Savini is very impressive. I would have to say that I prefer it the slowly dating original. This film has genuinely good acting and great suspense. Also the Zombies are the best looking ones yet. One thing that I feel must be mentioned about this film in homage to Tom is how technically brilliant it is. The texas chainsaw massacre type soundtrack is very atmospheric and creates a good tension. I was very impressed by John Vulich'es special effects as well. The making of featurette clearly shows that they were aiming for realistic physical contact shots. For example the scene where Johnnie falls onto the tomb stone or the scene where the Uncle Rege zombie falls over the bannister, you really see his head smack on the floor. That would kill any man. Other parts show zombies being smashed in the head with iron bars or baseball bats and being kicked in the stomach. That is clearly the strength of this films special effects and makes up for the lack of head entry gunshots. I think it is very well directed too with great lighting and creepy shots of zombies. There are moments that make me jump as well such as the head hitting the window or the First appearance of a Zombie come to think of it. The Zombies ooze as much character as the protagonists in this version. Tom Savini has really followed the old school horror film guidelines and has crafted a film that in my opinion is as scary and technically proficient as Carpenters Halloween. The film manipulates fans of the original (plot changes) enough to warrant owning both versions. I hope he makes another Zombie or horror film. The picture on this DVD is incredible. Ive never seen NOTLD look this good and the sound is well ballanced. There is a good commentary track that mentions how the film has been strerilised from how it once was and Savini feels that this adds to the films atmosphere because when you dont see the violence you can imagine it in your head allot worse. The extras are enough to satisfy any fan. Id recomend this to any Romero Savini fan. Ill shut up now but I think its about time that this film was hailed in the Classics book. It is the best remake ever. OUT.