Sep 032013
 

this Day of the Dead “Collector’s Edition” has it all between impressive audio/video transfers to a good selection of features that is satisfying to any fan of the series. The movie itself is great full of fun scares and gore though I still have a preference for Dawn of the Dead myself.

 

 

 


Day of the Dead: Collector’s Edition (1985)


Genre(s): Horror, Thriller
Shout Factory | NR – 101 min. – $29.93 | September 17, 2013

MOVIE INFO:
Directed by:
George A. Romero
Writer(s): George A. Romero (written by)
Cast: Lori Cardille, Terry Alexander, Joe Pilato, Richard Liberty

Theatrical Release Date: July 19, 1985

DISC INFO:
Features:
Audio Commentary, Featurettes, Photo Galleries, Theatrical Trailers, TV Spots
Number of Discs: 1

Audio: English (DTS-HD MA Mono)
Video: 1080p/Widescreen 1.78
Subtitles: NA
Disc Size: 40.9 GB
Codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Region(s): A

THE MOVIE

Plot Outline: In Day of the Dead, the third film in the continuing saga of the undead from George A. Romero, a small group of scientists and soldiers have taken refuge in an underground missile silo where they struggle to control the flesh-eating horror that walks the earth above. But will the final battle for the future of the human race be fought among the living or have they forever unleashed the hunger of the dead?

SPECIAL FEATURES – 4.5/5

This release comes with a matted slip cover. Like other Shout Factory releases, the inner cover is interchangeable with the option to use the alternate cover of the original theatrical poster.

Audio Commentaries – The first track includes Writer/Director George A. Romero, Special Make-Up Effects Artist Tom Savini, Production Designer Cletus Anderson and Actress Lori Cardille; the second features Filmmaker Roger Avary (director of The Rules of Attraction and co-story writer of Pulp Fiction). The group commentary is far more interesting delving into the different on-set stories (such as zombie hands grabbing Cardille’s breasts) while Avary’s track is more elemental and goes into more external nuances.

World’s End: The Legacy of Day of the Dead (1:25:26; HD) – This new feature length documentary, produced by Shout Factory, covers the history of the Dead series and has new interviews with various members of the cast and crew recounting shooting the movie, working with one another and delves into the deeper aspects of the story.

Behind the Scenes Footage (30:42; SD) are some video from Tom Savini’s archives. It’s just random shots culled together yet still quite interesting to get a fly on the wall perspective without the interjection of canned sound bites.

Wampum Mine Promotional Video (8:12; SD) is an archival video of the real underground mines used in the film and expanded more in the next featurette.

Underground: A Look into the Day of the Dead Mines (7:37; HD) is a tour of the mines today and also features some more crew interviews.

Last up are some Theatrical Trailers (5:55; HD), TV Spots (1:35; HD) and Still Galleries for “Behind the Scenes”, “Locations”, “Posters and Lobby Cards” and “Miscellaneous”.

VIDEO – 4.25/5

Shout Factory continues its success in releasing classic horror with Day of the Dead presented in its original 1.78 widescreen aspect ratio and an impressive 1080p high-definition transfer. The picture here looks simply incredible. Now, I don’t own the original Blu-ray release, which from reading online, didn’t have the most impressive reviews, so it’s welcoming news that the Shout release received a new transfer. Colors look well balanced and the detail levels are excellent showing each little aspect especially for close-ups while background objects aren’t quite as clear, though it still looks pretty good.

AUDIO – 4.0/5

The disc includes a serviceable DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track which features crisp and clear dialogue, or zombie moaning, while some of the more subtle moments such as carnage, is on displayed well enough. This isn’t going to be a reference lossless track but given the low budget nature as well as the film’s age, this is more than acceptable.

OVERALL – 4.0/5

Overall, this Day of the Dead “Collector’s Edition” has it all between impressive audio/video transfers to a good selection of features that is satisfying to any fan of the series. The movie itself is great full of fun scares and gore though I still have a preference for Dawn of the Dead myself. Even so, this release is deserving of getting picked up on day one and worth the price as Shout Factory has packaged together a deserving new release.

 

 

Published: 09/03/2013

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