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                      Night of the Living Dead 
                      30th Anniversary Edition
                                     (1999)
                                     review by Billion$Baby

BE WARNED, THIS REVIEW CONTAINS A MAJOR SPOILER FOR NOTLD. ONLY READ THIS IF YOU ALREADY KNOW THE FILM.

Let me quickly explain something. If I was reviewing NOTLD in it's original form, I'd personally give the fim top marks but this is a new version described on the packaging as "expanded and enhanced." This is a different version with a completely new score, around 15 minutes of new footage added, and even more contraversially, original footage removed.

At one point on "The Phantom Menace" DVD George Lucas
comments that it is actually possible to destroy these things. Not only does that apply to The Phantom Menace but especially to this new version of NOTLD as well.

Remember the cool introduction as we watch Barbra and Johnny make their way to the cemetary? Well you had better remember it because that's gone for a start! It's been replaced by some piss-poor sub-plot that's been created for this new version. Outrageous! And it sticks out like a sore-thumb.

Imagine clips from a new and woeful b-movie being intersliced into NOTLD and you'll understand exactly what it's like. The picture quality of the original footage actually looks very good but the new score isso off-putting. The original score didn't seem anyway near as distracting as this. It's not a bad score
at all but it just doesn't match the film at all. It's way too modern. Imagine a 90's sounding score placed over the top of 60's footage. That sounds silly and it is silly!

This new version has around 15 minutes of new footage yet it still has roughly the same running time. Adding new stuff is contraversial enough but to remove original footage as well?! Some scenes appear to have been edited differently and this different pace just feels so wrong. We fell in love with another film so why would we want this?

I suppose Russo, Streiner and Hinzman wanted to try to update the film for a more modern audience, and Icould even tolerate their changes just to watch an unusual experiment but that new footage really is abysmal. It's awful to watch the film change to that new footage and then back again.

Well at least they kept my favourite scene with Barbra looking at the music box. That's something I suppose! Just a quick side-note. I always liked the irony that Harry, arsehole that he was, had the right idea all along!

The new footage of zombie action wasn't too bad an idea but that footage with the dialogue really is absolute shit. I actually find it embarassing to watch.

Remember the powerful shock ending? Rather than moving straight from that into the great photo-end credits, the film switches across to some of that new footage with dialogue. This makes the film's ending lose all of it's impact and it's a very bad idea.

Not only does that dubious new footage ruin the powerful finale of NOTLD but it's an apparently religious ending which contradicts everything that Romero's films taught us. A priest who was bitten did not become a zombie. We hear that he is no different physically to anybody else, and he tells us that he was saved due to prayers and his wounds being bathed in ho
ly water. So we are left to assume that it was that faith and his religious belief that saved him.

I thought that this was an epidemic which affected all peoples regardless of class, creed or religion. Wasn't that the whole point? This scene even contains some completely inappropriate humour surrounding a small dog. Right, so I've just watched a redneck shoot the black hero of the story, and now Russo, Streiner and Hinzman think that it would be a good idea to include humour! What a load of shite. The whole ending is completely ruined.

I also have to say that Hinzman's zombie acting in this new footage really stinks. Where's Romero when you need him? After this, I had to watch the originalversion of NOTLD to remind myself of the huge difference and to try to pretend that this alternate mess ever happened.

Just in case someone out there is interested even after reading this review, this is the disc's spec:

- Full-frame (of course)
- Photo gallery of the new material set to a track from the new score (4 mins)
- 60 second video clip (advert!) for a very dubious looking feature called Flesheater made by Bill Hinzman. Wow, what a treat!
- Music video for an electronic track which features audio samples and footage from the original film (3mins)
- Behind-the-scenes (new footage only!) with Russo, Streiner and Hinzman (9 mins)

That behind-the-scenes footage is odd to watch. Not only do you discover that Hinzman is nowhere near as funny as he thinks he is, but you hear this:

Streiner - "We thought it might be interesting for some of the fans of the original NOTLD and the 30th Anniversary Edition of NOTLD, to see these beautiful young women without being involved in car crashes and explosions and so forth."
No! It's not interesting in the slightest and I wish you the very best of luck trying to find any fans of this 30th Anniversary Edition. I have never met ortalked to anybody with a good word to say about it. BTW What explosions?!

Russo - "That looks good," whilst looking through the camera. One can only assume that he is talking about a deleted scene.

So irritating extras for the very worst version of NOTLD ever made available. Absolutely nothing on the actual film we fell in love with, as these extras merely relate to the new footage.

I couldn't recommend this disc to even the most ardent NOTLD collector. What awful execution of an awful idea. If I was Romero, not only would I be very annoyed but I'd consider taking those responsible to court. You'd have to be completely insane to choose this version over those available from Elite Entertainment (that or be named Russo, Streiner or Hinzman!)

This is absolutely abysmal. Avoid like the plague. It's not a gift for the fans, it's an insult. "Expanded and enhanced"? Hardly.