Night of the Living Dead - Criterion Edition

[Mike70]

If you have HBOMax, ya should probably check this out, if ya haven't already seen Criterion's beautiful edition of Night 68. HBO is a bit misleading is how this is labeled. I ignored it for months (been there, done that on Night 68) until one snowy Friday night I fired it up and found, to my delight, the familiar Janus Films opening playing.

Criterion, as usual, has done Night 68 right. I'm not saying more in case you haven't seen it, but this is one to turn the lights off to and settle back. Night 68 won't ever be any better than this.

[bassman]

Indeed, the restoration on the Criterion release is amazing. I highly recommend picking up the Blu ray release. Amazing quality and features. As you say, Night will never look better than this.

[MinionZombie]

Allow me to chuck in my agreement, too - the Criterion restoration and Blu-Ray were stunning.

There were lines of dialogue I'd never really been able to hear before, that now had proper clarity, and the print revealed various little details that had previously been lost to just murky darkness - and all without robbing the film of its beautiful black & white photography. It really was a super restoration, sensitively done while also getting the maximum out of the source materials. Fantastic.

Possibly the best restoration I've ever seen.

[Moon Knight]

This on HBO Max? I have to see this!

[shootemindehead]

Aye. It's possibly one of the greatest Criterion efforts that I own.

I wasn't going to bother getting it, which when I think of it now sounds feckin crazy. But 'Night of the Living Dead' must be one of those movies that I've owned on every single format ever and in multiple releases too. But watching it on the Criterion disc was like seeing the film for the first time. The picture was so crisp and, dare I say it, made the movie appear far more professional than I'd ever imagined it before. It really did feel like rediscovering the film. Quite remarkable considering just how many times I've watched it over the years.

You can tell that it was restored by people who love the movie for people who love the movie.

[bassman]

This on HBO Max? I have to see this!

Indeed, it is. It’s in what is probably my favorite section, the TCM hub.

[Moon Knight]

Finally got to see this version. Looked like a brand new movie. Impressive!

[shootemindehead]

Finally got to see this version. Looked like a brand new movie. Impressive!

It really is isn't it?

I actually can't stress enough to fans of the film (I'm sure there might be a few on here :D ) how great the Criterion restoration is. It's well worth picking up.

[Mike70]

It really is isn't it?

I actually can't stress enough to fans of the film (I'm sure there might be a few on here :D ) how great the Criterion restoration is. It's well worth picking up.

Me too, man. I passed this by for months on end. Versions of Night 68 are a dime a dozen. BUT- This is the fuckin' mad man (to steal a phrase from Eric Stolz). This is like filet mignon in a sea of overcooked round steak. Janus Films has always stood for the highest quality and most their films beat other versions into 1st round submission. This is a kill shot on other versions. They've been rendered Pfffft. This is damn beautiful to watch and as MZ said, you can finally hear what everyone is saying without nearly blowing a speaker.