“When there’s no more room in hell, the dead will walk the earth.”
One of the most iconic horror films of all time, George A. Romero’s Dawn of the Dead’s legacy is far-reaching. Shaping horror as we know it today, the film is an absolute masterpiece that has shocked audiences for over forty years. To celebrate the iconic film’s legacy, Second Sight Films have given the film the luxury treatment with a staggeringly beautiful, limited edition boxset release, available in Blu-ray and 4K UHD.
The horrifying and exciting gorefest itself needs no introduction, other than to say it still holds up as one of the scariest and most thrilling horror movies ever made. Packed with stunning effects, richly-written characters, solid performances and a biting satirical edge, the film certainly lives up to its reputation, with each of the three included cuts offering different visions of the film with regards to its pacing, tone and content.
Combining the aforementioned three cuts of the iconic film – Romero’s preferred theatrical cut, the extended cut and Dario Argento’s version – this truly definitive release is available in both Blu-ray and 4K UHD, with mesmerising new scans of all three cuts that look simply phenomenal. Flawless in clarity and colour, the film has certainly never looked this good. The transfers for all three films are utterly gorgeous, while the theatrical cut also boasts a new restoration of the original OCN Optical audio, presented in Mono 1.0, Stereo 2.0 and 5.1, that will delight audiophiles and purists.
A fourth disc packed with special features including archival feature-length documentaries, promo material and oodles of new interviews completes the visual side of the boxset, but the fun doesn’t stop there. 3 CD soundtracks offer all the Goblin tracks alongside the De Wolfe Library Compilation, while a 160-page hardback book featuring new essays, artwork and stills and the film novelisation complete the boxset. This is an absolute treasure trove release.
In a world where streaming and on-demand content are trying to take over the home entertainment market, releases like this prove why there is nothing quite like physical media. This boxset is simply staggering across the board, packed with a ridiculous amount of content and three cuts of one of the finest films ever made. Fans and newcomers to Romero’s undead nightmare will be thrilled with the results here, with the effort put in by Second Sight Films truly worthy of the utmost praise. Frankly, this is unbelievably impressive.
Dawn of the Dead’s influence is undeniable, and this passionate release serves its legacy very well. Words cannot begin to do justice to what is easily the finest physical release in the history of home entertainment.