This underestimated remake of a horror masterpiece finally has the 4K version that it deserves

No kind has more remakes than horror. And often these remakes are surprisingly good: watch “The Thing” by John Carpenter as the first example. However, horror fans can be picky and protective on the remakes of the titles they consider classic, and you cannot really blame them – for each “thing” there is an absolute failure like the remake of “A Nightmare on Elm Street”.

In 1968, George A. Romero changed film forever with “Night of the Living Dead”. A low -budget affair, Romero’s film on zombies trapping a group of desperate people on a farm would become emblematic and extremely influential. He also accidentally found himself in the public domain because someone forgot to include a copyright notice. For this reason, a horde of unofficial remakes of the film in Romero flooded the market. But in 1990, the one and only official The remake has arrived, led by the legendary creator of horror VFX Tom Savini.

Savini, a veterinarian of Vietnam skilled to make Gore, had worked with Romero on his consequences “Dawn of the Dead” and “Day of the Dead”, but did not have the chance to work on the original “Night”. Now he would have the opportunity, working with a script updated written by Romero to recreate one of the most loved horror films of all time. Was it a crazy race? It depends on who you ask.

When Savini’s “Night of the Living Dead” arrived in 1990, the reactions were best mixed. Many criticisms have estimated that he was sacrilege for Savini to try to redo perfection, while others called the unnecessary film because he remained close to the original of Romero. And yet, in the decades that followed the release, “Night of the Living Dead” 1990 won a healthy cult. The film now has the official 4K release that it deserves, with an unconnected cut which restores an additional gore and maintains Savini’s initial intention to open in black and white – like the original – only to suddenly pass in color.

Although nothing can touch Romero’s original, I have always loved the remake of Savini, and I am happy that he has this new version for more viewers to discover. The updated script of Romero retains the same basic premise of people dismissed in a house invaded with The Walking Dead, but there are smart changes. On the one hand, the character of Barbara, played in the remake of Patricia Tallman, is much more developed. In the original of Romero, Barbara, played by Judith O’Dea, passes the majority of the film in an almost catatonic state after watching a zombie killing his brother. In the remake, she becomes a woman of ass from the 90s who is surprisingly good with a firearm when the film ends.

I also always appreciated the overall atmosphere and the taking of Savini of the ambient brings the material. The opening section, where the ghouls begin to appear in broad daylight, is frightening and disturbing simply because we are not used to seeing zombies during the day. The original departures of Romero during daylight too, of course, but black and white cinematography there does not show this fact as much as when we see it in color.

Savini’s “night of the dead” also has other things that are. The late Tony Todd is excellent here, entering Duane Jones shoes as Ben, a guy trying to take control of an uncontrollable situation. And Tom Towles is properly hateful as Cooper, the head of the head that just wants to hide in the basement until everything breathes.

Then there is the gore. Romero’s original has a lot of blood and guts, but in 1990, Gore Makeup FX’s ability increased considerably. While I would not call the remake of Savini too much Gory, he increases make -up work on the ghouls in a creative and disturbing way. The opening scene of the cemetery, where a multitude of zombies slide slowly in the missing part of the members or the revealing autopsy incisions on their chest, is perfectly improved by their unique conceptions. And if you are hungry for more splashes, the unconnected cut restores a moment when the head of a zombie explodes by explosion of hunting rifle.

The “Night of the Living Dead” by Tom Savini may not be held as in high esteem as the original of Romero, but that’s fine. The fact that we were blessed with a new 4K version indicates that whatever the reputation of the film, there is a desire among fans to give a remake of Savini. While we head to the Halloween season, this is the ideal moment to revisit Savini’s point of view on a classic.

Sony