Check out the upcoming George Romero Blu-ray box set from Arrow Video!

  If you are a DVD/BD collector, you probably know that Arrow Video is one of the best film companies out there. They have made some amazing box sets lately, but this upcoming set looks to be one of the best yet!   It's called GEORGE ROMERO:  BETWEEN NIGHT AND DAWN and it features three of his films that he made between his zombie classics NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD and DAWN OF THE DEAD.    The films included are 1971's THERE'S ALWAYS VANILLA, 1972's SEASON OF THE WITCH, and 1973's THE CRAZIES.    This limited edition box set comes with tons of special features!  Here is the complete list:

High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard DVD presentations

English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing

Reversible sleeves for each film featuring original and newly-commissioned artwork by Gilles Vranckx

Limited Edition 60-page booklet featuring new writing on the films

THERE’S ALWAYS VANILLA

Brand new restoration from original film elements

Brand new audio commentary by Travis Crawford

Brand new interviews with actors Judith Ridley and Richard Ricci, producer Russ Streiner and sound recordist Gary Streiner

Digging Up the Dead – The Lost Films of George A. Romero – archive interview with Romero looking at his early films There’s Always Vanilla and Season of the Witch

Trailer

SEASON OF THE WITCH

Brand new 4K restoration from original film elements

Alternate extended cut

Brand new audio commentary by Travis Crawford

When Romero met Del Toro – celebrated filmmaker Guillermo Del Toro sits down with George Romero for this candid career-spanning conversation

The Secret Life of Jack's Wife – archive interview with actress Jan White

Alternate Opening Titles

Trailers

THE CRAZIES

Brand new 4K restoration from original film elements

Brand new audio commentary by Travis Crawford

Romero Was Here – featurette revisiting the Crazies filming locations in Evans City, PA

Never Before Seen BTS footage

2016 Q&A with Lynn Lowry from Abertoir Film Festival

Alternate Opening Titles

Trailers

 GEORGE ROMERO:  BETWEEN NIGHT AND DAWN will be released on 10/24/17, but is available for pre-order now from the MVD webshop.

 CLICK HERE to pre-order the box set

It's Paul Blart vs. Dawn of the Dead!!

  Ha!  I love when people take trailers to comedy films and re-mix them into horror trailers.  This time around the folks at Digital Spectrum Studios have mixed together scenes from PAUL BLART:  MALL COP with scenes from 2004's DAWN OF THE DEAD remake.   Looks like these zombies wouldn't stand a chance if they invaded Officer Blart's mall!  

Check out the trailer and let me know what you think!

DVD Review: FAN OF THE DEAD (2007)

-------------Review by contributing writer Scott Baker------------------
   
FAN OF THE DEAD
Distributed by:  Cheezy Flicks

  Let’s face it: to fans like me, George Romero is almost a deity. The man has an amazing imagination and his track record of films prove it. He is a myth, a legend, and a reality, all rolled into one. So when Hayes offered me this documentary to review, I knew it was right for me.

 

  If you’re not familiar with FAN OF THE DEAD, here is the plot synopsis courtesy of the Cheezy Flicks website:

 

  In 1968, George Romero traumatized a whole generation with his legendary and revolutionary "Night of the Living Dead", which truly marks the birth of modern horror movies. This movie was followed by the cult classic "Dawn of the Dead" in 1978 and the apocalyptical "Day of the Dead" in 1985 and Night of the Living Dead (1990). The George Romero trilogy became instant classics. With a worldwide community of fans, the phenomenon is not without evoking the Star Wars mania! Camera in hand, Nicolas Garreau crossed the Atlantic Ocean from France to realize his dream. Roaming the steep roads day and night of a sometimes lugubrious Pennsylvania countryside, he found the locations and people who made the Romero zombie trilogy come alive. This DVD contains exclusive interviews with cast and crew members and reveals all the filming locations of the trilogy including locations not known to the public, like the missile launch pad of "Day of the Dead" and the real basement used in "Night of the Living Dead - 1968", a guided tour of the mall with Ken Foree and others, along with extras and bonus footage.

 

  I was surprised to find out that this documentary was actually a French-made production. The narrator/director is Nicolas Garreau and this film is actually a compilation of video clips that he put together from a trip he made to the United States a few years back. But what makes Garreau’s trip unique is that he used it to visit several of the filming locations of Romero’s films.

 

  In addition to the DEAD films, Romero had other noted works, such as CREEPSHOW. Garreau visits several locations in the DEAD genre as well as a couple from CREEPSHOW as well. During each visit, he manages to squeeze in some history as well as notable facts for each location.

 

  Probably the best section of FAN OF THE DEAD for me was when Garreau visits the Pittsburgh Comic Convention and gets to interact with several of the stars of the original DAWN OF THE DEAD, including Ken Foree and David Early. He then gets to tag along with them as they visit the mall where much of the film was shot. The stars point out specific locations for scenes in the film and tell interesting stories about the shoot as well.

 

  Because it’s a documentary, there’s really nothing to note as far as cinematography, acting, or special effects go. But there is plenty of information crammed into this hour-long film. Give this one a look if you want to see one man’s pilgrimage to his zombie-Graceland. 

 

-MSB-

 

CLICK HERE to watch the trailer
CLICK HERE to visit the film's official website
CLICK HERE to purchase the DVD