Do you remember a time where you had to go to the video store and hope your favorite movie was in stock? Or a time where you had to play the waiting game until that film was shown for a limited period on premiere cable channels like HBO? Well, those days are gone… for better or worse. Some would say the mainstreaming of the DVD is what really made entertainment available so easily, but honestly it was the advent of streaming which required not even an effort to view anything; it is almost to the point where we do not even need to think to watch anything, and in exchange, everything has become disposable. Those thoughts inside, for many of us, one of those films that always seemed to be a treat to see was 1985’s The Return of the Living Dead. One of the most beloved Horror flicks to come out of the ’80s era, The Return of the Living Dead was one of those films that was late to the party for a DVD. In fact, it was not until 2002 that the first DVD release of the film, when others had been put out on the format at least 2-3 years earlier. Until that time, it was still the waiting game for fans; looking for cable channels to show it, or even hitting messaging boards to find someone who had a VHS copy. Since then, The Return of the Living Dead has certainly been more mainstreamed as far as releases, with a Collector’s Edition DVD released in 2007, 25th Anniversary Edition released on Blu-ray in 2010, and a 30th anniversary Collector’s Edition Blu-Ray released in 2016. Some might say it is overkill, especially dedicated fans who want to have the absolute best copy of the film and all the bonus material included. Don’t look now, but just when you thought it was safe to put away your credit card, The Return of the Living Dead is back with Collector’s Edition 4K UHD + Blu-ray release on October 18, 2022. This time a 3-disc set, put out thanks to Scream Factory, the question is… do you really need another copy of the movie in your collection? Well, when you look at what you are getting with this edition, it might be worth it. Let us dive in and see… So, with The Return of the Living Dead Collector’s Edition 4K UHD + Blu-ray you get a 4K Ultra High-Definition transfer of the film. What does this mean? In this case, it is a 4K transfer of the film from the original negatives, and in truth, it is a completely different viewing experience. It is obvious if you are thinking of purchasing this you have seen the movie; you have probably seen it more times than you would like to admit because you absolutely love it, but do not be ashamed. That in mind, you probably are astute to every detail of the image and sound in the film. Being someone who clearly appreciates this film, it is guaranteed you will immediately notice the difference in the image, and even the sound, as soon as you pop it in the player. In short, the colors are brighter, the picture is sharper, and even the sound seems to be better. So, even if you have studied the film for decades, you can actually look at it in a completely different light after this viewing experience. With the impeccable quality of this 4K transfer explained, this should be enough to win you over. However, there is more because Scream Factory stuffs in audio commentaries with cast and crew, More Brains: A Return to The Living Dead documentary, The Decade of Darkness documentary, and a ton of interviews. Comparing apples to apples, if you took all your editions of The Return of the Living Dead off the shelf and carefully went through every feature on each of them, you would be hard-pressed to find anything missing from this new edition. What does this mean? It means you technically could sell off all the other editions if you wish and would not be short changed on any extra swapping out for this new edition. Although, if you happen to have an older copy signed by cast members… don’t sell that, you should know better! All in all, The Return of the Living Dead Collector’s Edition 4K UHD + Blu-ray set is extremely impressive. As mentioned, the 4K viewing experience of the film is truly spectacular. The only complaint one might have is that the set does not include any fold out posters, lobby cards, or little extras all us fans love. However, those who ordered it from ShoutFactory.com received an exclusive rolled 18×24 poster featuring the original theatrical artwork, but those are now sold out. Either way, become inspired, do not become a streaming zombie, and keep the physical format alive, because Cryptic Rock gives The Return of the Living Dead Collector’s Edition 4K UHD + Blu-ray set 5 out of 5 stars. Return of the Living Dead  Movie: 4K Video: Video: Audio: Extras: Final Score: Being a child of the 1980s, Return of the Living Dead was one of the seminal films of my entire childhood. By the time I was 6 years old (early 90s) my brothers would let me stay up late with them and watch horror movies, so have had the phrase “brains! More brains!” pretty much burnt into my psyche. Not to mention that as a teenager I was attracted to it for a completely different reason (you all know what I’m talking about). Fast forward years and years and I’ve burnt through the VHS, the DVD, the collector’s edition DVD, and the very mediocre MGM disc when Blu-ray first came out. However, I sadly missed out on being able to grab the 2016 collector’s edition Blu-ray from Scream Factory when it debuted and by the time I remembered to grab the film, it was out of print and expensive. However, Scream Factory has gone back with a new 4K remaster of the film’s original elements, and dropped a MASSIVELY feature packed 4K UHD set on us today that is to die for. Over in Louisville, Kentucky, a medical supply plant foreman named Burt (Clu Gulager) is trying to impress his new assistant Freddy (Thom Mathews) by showing him some old cadavers in sealed containment units that the U.S. Army had “accidentally” mis delivered there 14 years ago. Unfortunately one of the containment units fails, spewing a toxic gas over the two men, and seeping out into the surrounding area. Turns out that the gas is actually a super secret military experiment meant to animate the corpses of the dead, in which it succeeds in spades as the entire Sematary comes alive with corpses, and their only purpose in “after” life is to eat fresh human brains for sustenance. The story is REALLY simple at heart. It is mainly two pronged, with Burtk, Freddy, and their boss Frank (James Karen) trying to figure out what is going on, and escape from the living hell they created, with the second set of protagonists revolving around Freddy’s punk rocker friends who were hanging out around the graveyard waiting for Freddy to get off work. The two sets of people have to meet in the middle around the neighborhood crematorium and stay alive long enough to get out and not turn into brain eating zombies themselves. The end. However, it’s really the zombies themselves that are the most influential part of pop culture today. They were one of the first, if not THE first zombie movie that utilizes fast zombies that chase down their victims, and the use of practical effects, gore, and some optical effects make for an ooey, gooey gory mess that has stood the test of time in both it’s nastiness, and it’s enjoy-ability. It’s alone a hysterical mess of nudity (Linnea Quigley was notorious with her red hair and 85% screen time nudity back in 1985), laughs and a mile a minute kinetic ride to the tongue in cheek bottom, making it probably one of THE most talked about zombie movies of all time. Rating: Rated R by the MPAA 4K Video: Audio: Extras: • Audio Commentary With Gary Smart (Co-author Of The Complete History Of The Return Of The Living Dead) And Chris Griffiths • Audio Commentary With Actors Thom Mathews, John Philbin And Make-up Effects Artist Tony Gardner • Audio Commentary With Director Dan O'Bannon And Production Designer William Stout • Audio Commentary With The Cast And Crew Featuring Production Designer William Stout And Actors Don Calfa, Linnea Quigley, Brian Peck, Beverly Randolph, And Allan Trautman • Zombie Subtitles • In Their Words – The Zombies Speak Disc Two - Blu-ray • Audio Commentary With Gary Smart (Co-author Of The Complete History Of The Return Of The Living Dead) And Chris Griffiths • Audio Commentary With Actors Thom Mathews, John Philbin And Make-up Effects Artist Tony Gardner • Audio Commentary With Director Dan O'Bannon And Production Designer William Stout • Audio Commentary With The Cast And Crew Featuring Production Designer William Stout And Actors Don Calfa, Linnea Quigley, Brian Peck, Beverly Randolph, And Allan Trautman • The Decade Of Darkness – Featurette On '80s Horror Films • Theatrical Trailers • TV Spots • Still Gallery – Posters, Lobby Cards, Movie Stills And Behind-The-Scenes Photos • Still Gallery – Behind-The-Scenes Photos From Special Make-up Effects Artist Kenny Myers' Personal Collection Disc Three - Blu-ray Special Features Disc • The Return Of The Living Dead Workprint – Includes 20 minutes Of Additional Footage (In Standard Definition) • More Brains: A Return To The Living Dead – The Definitive Documentary On The Return Of The Living Dead • The FX Of The Return Living Dead – With Production Designer William Stout, FX Make-up Artists William Munns, Tony Gardner, Kenny Myers And Craig Caton-Largnet, Visual Effects Artists Bret Mixon And Gene Warren Jr., And Actor Brian Peck (Expanded Version) • Party Time: The Music Of The Return Of The Living Dead – With Music Consultants Budd Carr And Steve Pross And Soundtrack Artists Plus Musicians (Expanded Version) • The Origins Of The Living Dead – An Interview With John A. Russo • The Return Of The Living Dead: The Dead Have Risen – Interviews With Cast Members Clu Gulager, James Karen, Don Calfa, Brian Peck, Thom Mathews, Beverly Randolph, Linnea Quigley And More… • Designing The Dead – Interviews With Writer/Director Dan O'Bannon And Production Designer William Stout • HORROR'S HALLOWED GROUNDS – Revisiting The Locations Of The Film • A Conversation With Dan O'Bannon – His Final Interview Final Score: Dan O’Bannon’s Return of the Living Dead is a fun juxtaposition compared to the serious drama of George Romero’s flicks (before Romero went full comedy himself later in his career) and his decision to infuse the movie with fast zombies, wacky humor and eye candy turned out to be the right decision. We’ve owned this film in half a dozen formats over the years, but this Scream Factory disc really does it justice (I’ve heard the Blu-ray set Scream Factory released was stellar also), with great video, good audio and a KILLER set of extras that will take you hours to get through. HIGHLY recommended. Technical Specifications: Starring: Clu Gulager, James Karen, Don Calfa, Thom Mathews, Beverly Randolph, John Philibin Directed by: Dan O'Bannon Written by: Dan O'Bannon, Rudy Ricci, John A. Russo, Russell Streiner Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 HEVC Audio: English: DTS-HD MA 5.1, English DD 2.0 Subtitles: English SDH Studio: Scream Factory Rated: R Runtime: 91 Minutes Blu-ray Release Date: October 18th, 2022 Recommendation: Fun Watch
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Return of the Living Dead 4K Review
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