Bloody great news!!! One of my all time fave horror flicks is fanally getting an uncut DVD release in its original format for the first time ever! Yes, NEEDLESS TO SAY, I am talking about the (studio) sequel to NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD: RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD!!! It's Second Sight Films in the UK that are putting out the DVD/BLU-RAY. It's scheduled for release 04/06/12 (which everywhere in the world except the USA means means JUNE, not April!).
There's already been several DVD releases of RETURN but they all suffer from not being in the original format one way or another! I have avoided getting any of them because I already had an uncut letterboxed release that contains the original audio, i.e. the UK Tartan video tape! From what I've read the reg. 1 DVDs are in the right widescreen format BUT they suffer from having a truly truncated soundtrack: Some of the COOL punkrock music has been chucked out or changed (Rocky Erickson's awesome "Burn the Flames" has been shortened) and some dialogue has been altered.
The UK DVD from Tartan carries the original audio but is in fullscreen. If I want to see the film in fullscreen I can watch my Australian VHS (that I bought at the Melbourne Video Warehouse in the early 90s, check the scans in this post - although it's of ANOTHER Aussie tape, not mine. It's on eBay right now). Someone might claim the old DVD's were already uncut but I beg to differ: An altered soundtrack means cut in my book! But anyhoo, I for one am looking forward to this release heaps! Hell, maybe it's even time to get one of them hip BLUE RAYS everybody and his ugly cousin is talking about!
I've told you this a dozen times (all the way from the editorial of BANNED IN BRITAIN issue #1 in 1994) but here it is again; The very first time I discovered the fun and cool zombie genre was way back in the late summer of 1988 when I went to a "Dead all night" all-nighter at the old Scala Cinema Club in London (I used to live there in the late 80s and early 90s). The films they showed that night were: NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, DAWN OF THE DEAD, DAY OF THE DEAD, RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD, and ZOMBIE FLESH EATERS (which I missed cos I had to leave for work Sunday morning!!).
Info abut the release from the Second Sight Films website:
THE RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD (04.06.12)
NEWS JUST IN !!!!!
We are excited to announce the inclusion of 'original soundtrack' audio option !!
Available in a Special Limited Edition SteelBook Blu-ray and double disc DVD. The 5 hours of killer extras include:
MORE BRAINS! A RETURN TO THE LIVING DEAD: The definitve 2 hour documentary featuring interviews with cast, writers, producers, as well as behind-the-scenes footage, storyboards, conceptual art, publicity materials and archival documents
MORE BRAINS! 2 HOURS OF KILLER BONUS FEATURES: A conversation with Dan O'Bannon: The Final Interview, They Won't Stay Dead: A Look at Return of The Living Dead Part 11, Love Beyond The Grave: A Look at Return of The Living Dead 3, Stacey Q Live: Exclusive 'Tonight' music video, Even More Brains: Deleted documentary interviews, Return of The Living Dead in 3 minutes, Resurrected Settings: The Filming Locations Today
THE ORIGINS OF RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD with John A. Russo
THE FX OF THE LIVING DEAD with Production Designer William Stout, FX Makeup Artists William Munns and Tony Gardner
PARTY TIME with Music Consultant Steve Pross and 45 Grave Singer Dinah Cancer
Thanks to Derrick King who first mentioned this on Dvdmaniacs.
I've got the US blu ray but this looks mighty tempting....
ReplyDeleteIt sure does! I might even have to buy a blu-ray player because of this. LOL.
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