HTF REVIEW: "Return Of The Living Dead" (with screenshots) (1 Viewer)

[Greg_D_R]

Hey Michael,
I just wanted to give you a sincere thanks for all the work you've done to make this ROTLD release happen.
Folks, for those of you who may not know, Michael "evilbaby" Allred has been instrumental in the process of getting this thing made. I seriously doubt that we would be seeing this disc today, looking as good as it does, and with this many features, without his efforts. Over the last year or so, he started petitions, wrote to MGM, and got ahold of Dan O'Bannon himself, and basically hassled every horror and dvd fan he could reach to let everyone know how much affection and interest there is for this movie. It just goes to show you what true dedication can achieve. Check out the story here: http://members.tripod.com/~evilbaby/ROTLD.html
Again, Michael, as a horror fan, and a zombie fan in particular, I salute you!

 

[Gabe D]

My 4-year-old loves this DVD!

Now, before you jump to conclusions, he hasn't seen the movie... He loves it because the cover glows in the dark.

 

[Ken_McAlinden]

BTW, hey Ron, does the DVD have a booklet with it

I'm not Ron, but the DVD does not come with a booklet.

IMHO, The transfer is subject to the film's low-budget 80s origins and was not quite as impressive as Ron described. It is comparable to MGM's "Killer Klowns..." transfer, but with more grain and less stable blacks. That being said, it was much better than I expected. All in all, a great DVD package - especially given that it can easily be found at discount retailers for less than $10. Fans of the film will not be disappointed.

Regards,

 

[Chris M]

but the DVD does not come with a booklet.

I'll confirm this. Though The Fog does. Oh well, I think I'm starting to get used to MGM not providing inserts with their movies, and at the price point you get these movies for, who cares? I picked it up for $12.99 CDN! Can't beat that for a new DVD release!

Chris.

 

[Terrell]

Have any of these old low budget films had complete restorations? Am I correct or incorrect? I would think studios are reluctant to shell out the money for a complete restoration of these low budget films, the way they do for many of their classic films. Hence, it's doubtful you'll ever get reference quality transfers.

 

[Michael Allred]

Well the transfer O'Bannon supervised was not used for the DVD, color corrected and all that.

The new soundmix was an improvement,

especially during Frank's suicide now that we can hear his death scream clearly.

The picture was a bit grainy in a few scenes, I really only noticed it when Burt and Spider make a run for the police car in their escape from the cemetary.

I enjoyed the audio commentary and I'm glad fans get an opportunity to hear O'Bannon's humor ("Spielberg woud've gotten a tan jogging suit....I got stuck with a purple one.")

I would've enjoyed a more robust "making of" doc but considering the time they had, it's well enough.

and yes, I too liked the glow in the dark packaging. If I'm not mistaken, this is a rarity with DVD covers, yes?

 

[Dave_P.]

I didn't know the cover glowed in the dark. That's pretty cool.

 

[Gabe D]

Chris, my glow-in-the-dark copy came from Canada. Are you sure yours doesn't glow?

 

[Augustin Rodriguez]

I just got my copy yesterday after going to 3 stores to find it. I did notice that there is no insert in this DVD. Is this the way it is supposed to be? Does any one else have an insert? I have never seen a DVD without an insert so I was just curious. Thanks for the input.

 

[Chuck Mayer]

I had to fight to find it as well...which is usually the case for catalog titles. Must make room in Best Buy for their 600 copies on Van Wilder...570 of which will be there tomorrow. One gent assured me it was being released in October...they'll never get my business again. I had to wait for a backroom hunt at Border's, but they found their copy, and I got it
I'll watch it tonight...wife was home too early yesterday, and this isn't her thing Thanks for the review, Ron. Thanks for the effort, Michael. I bought it for you
Take care,
Chuck

 

[Inspector Hammer!]

Talk about a bitch to get!! For the very first time I had to resort to ordering a dvd online because of lack of availability. If a place sells dvd, I called them. I am out of options.
This really pisses me off because this is one of those titles that I must have NOW!! Not Tuesday of next week.
This is a real problem that must be addressed, why does Best Buy order 100 copies of films like BattleField Earth and only, get this, THREE copies of 'ROTLD'!? WTF three!? If it's one thing I hate it's being inconvenienced because sombody had the short sightedness to only order three copies.
The biggest problem with films like this is that they are often underestimated by the retailer as being something nobody remembers or wants, I think this is the case for this one.
If I sound agitated i'm sorry, but I am.

 

[Chuck Mayer]

John,
Similar story with The Goonies last year. I ordered Top Secret and Better Off Dead recently to avoid it, but just recently noticed this gem. Online is sometimes the way to go with hidden gems
Take care,
Chuck
And yes, it's frustrating.

 

[Mark M. Smith]

Odd, I found a number of copies at a local Wal-Mart the other day for $10. This is a quite small town, but then again it's also a college town and it has been out for a bit by now.

 

[Bob Smith]

FYI, you can see MORE of Trash in the full frame version. Not that I checked.

 

[JeremySt]

Im not sure if anyone pointed this out yet, but the cover art is GLOW IN THE DARK

 

[Andy Olivera]

Finally watched this the other day and, aside from it looking great, I have one observation. As Michael mentioned, during Frank's death there's a song missing(you can hear the very beginning of it). I'm wondering if anybody else noticed that during the commentary, the song is present? Just curious...

BTW, I do prefer the scene without the music(I never liked that song)...

 

[Inspector Hammer!]

Andy,
I asked this very same question when I heard it. What happened was the commentary track was recorded before Dan O'Bannon made the changes to the films soundtrack. Apparently he wasn't happy with it the way it was.
I don't really mind that one either, it actually works a little better with silence as Frank screams. However the one i'm kinda disappointed with is the change made to the song 'Let's take a walk'. :frowning:
As you may know, in the original version the music starts just as Freddy yells at the paramedics "What are you guy's saying!?", cuts to the gang as they're boarding up the basement door in the warehouse with the music still heard in the background, and the lyrics "Come on baby let's take a walk." start as they all race across the parking lot back to the cemetary.
Now it's completly silent until they run across the parking lot, at which point you can only hear the beat instead of the lyrics. :frowning:
I liked it better in the original version.

 

[Robert Ringwald]

someone said that turning on the spanish track during those scenes gives you the original sound.
considering it wasn't really Trash's body... I don't really mind seeing less.

 

[BarryS]

I've never seen this movie although I'm a big cult horror fan. Especially cult horror movies from the 80s which feature zombies and naked chicks. Strangely, though, I've never crossed paths with this movie. I think it's because my local video stores haven't carried it as far as I can remember. They have Return of the Living Dead 2 and 3 though. I think I'm going to break with my general rule and pick this up sight unseen. Only $10 and I've heard great things so why not?

 

[Chris Xolotl]

Just watched this again. Can't remember anything about the movie except for Linnea Quigley... Yow!