Night of the Living Dead (1990) (35th Anniversary Steelbook) (4K UHD Review)

Reviewed by: Tim Salmons
Review Date: Oct 30, 2025
Format: 4K Ultra HD

Director

Tom Savini

Release Date(s)

1990 (September 23, 2025)

Studio(s)

21st Century Film Corporation/Columbia Pictures (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment)

Film/Program Grade: B+
Video Grade: A+
Audio Grade: A
Extras Grade: A

Review

Back in the late 1980s, the thought of remaking Night of the Living Dead was, in the eyes of horror fans, right next to rewriting the bible. As times have changed and the frequency of remakes, horror or otherwise, has increased and pretty much become the norm, the 1990 version of Night of the Living Dead seems so tame by comparison. Made by many of the folks who were involved with the original, including George A. Romero, John Russo, and Russell Streiner, with make-up effects guru Tom Savini on board as a first-time director (on a feature film), the results were not the financial powerhouse they were hoped to be, receiving fairly negative reviews upon release. The film did, however, gain a cult audience who appreciated the efforts of its makers, updating aspects of its story and its content without destroying what was already there.

The impetus behind remaking Night of the Living Dead in the first place was due to the fact that George Romero and his partners didn’t make all that much money off of the original film due to copyright issues. It’s a problem that continues to this day, though the company has a little more control over its content than it used to. However, back in the 1980s, it was still an ongoing problem, and the idea of remaking the film came into being. Tom Savini, who had directed episodes of the TV series Tales from the Darkside, was handpicked by Romero to helm the project. As the fates would have it, Savini was due to participate in the make-up effects for the original film, but was drafted before the production was under way. He chose to stick to the basic structure of the original story, but turn it on its head wherever he could to defy expectations.

Above all else, Night of the Living Dead 1990 benefits from strong performances, particularly Patricia Tallman, who takes over the role of Barbara, and Tony Todd, who portrays Ben. Barbara became a much more useful character than in the original, in less of a catatonic state and more of a proactive and hardened person. Ben, as well as the other characters, suddenly became much less useful in comparison to Barbara, who tries to convince them that leaving the farmhouse is the best course of action. Meanwhile, Ben is constantly arguing with Harry Cooper (Tom Towles), who is a little more overtly villainous in this film, even slapping his wife Helen (McKee Anderson) at one point while she keeps a vigil next to their injured daughter (Heather Mazur). Also among the cast are Bill Moseley as Johnny, William Butler as Tom, and Katie Finneran as Judy. There are also a pair of cameos by actors from the original film, Russell Streiner and Bill Cardille.

The basic premise of a group of people stuck in a farmhouse surrounded by zombies who are trying to get in is punctuated with slicker production values, much more realistic make-up effects, and alternate scenarios and outcomes for the characters, particularly Barbara and Ben. Unfortunately, Tom Savini was hamstrung by the producers who wouldn’t allow him to do everything that he wanted, based solely upon the length of the shooting schedule. Matters weren’t helped by the MPAA who demanded that all of the moments of bloodletting, mostly blasts from guns and in one case a head explosion, be trimmed. It wasn’t until the workprint surfaced that many saw the completed effects, which added up to around 12 seconds of screen time.

Whether you prefer the original or not, or both, Night of the Living Dead 1990 is a go-for-the-throat piece of material with top notch make-up effects and performances. It obviously did not, nor could it have, the same cultural impact as the original, but it was made at the right time by the right people and excels at what it’s trying to achieve. If you’re look for a poor example of what to do with Night of the Living Dead, look no further than the 30th Anniversary Edition released in 1998, and Night of the Living Dead 3D released in 2006. The less said about those, the better.

Night of the Living Dead was shot by cinematographer Frank Prinzi on 35mm film using Arriflex 35 BL3 cameras and spherical lenses, finished photochemically, and presented in the aspect ratio of 1.85:1. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment debuts the film on Ultra HD with a new 4K scan of the original camera negative in its original theatrical version and a new uncensored version, available for the first time. Both versions have been graded for High Dynamic Range in HDR10 and Dolby Vision, and encoded to a triple-layered BD-100. Seamless branching appears to have been utilized to include both versions on one disc since the differences are minor, but impactful. The uncensored version now opens in black and white, up to the moment when the first zombie attacks in the cemetery. The extra material is 12 seconds of cuts made by the MPAA. Regardless of which version you prefer, it’s a powerhouse presentation that finally rights all of the wrongs of previous home video releases, especially on Blu-ray where color and contrast were sorely hampered. This is a gorgeous and organic presentation with solid levels of grain and detail. Bitrates tend to sit in the 70 to 100Mbps range with old some occasional mild speckling. The HDR passes allow the wide color gamut to blossom with much richer shades of red and green, as well as various browns and tans inside the farmhouse. Blacks are super deep and contrast is perfect. The image is stable and clean, and the only minor differentiation in the uncensored footage is a slight change in color that usually only lasts half a second, if that. It doesn’t always happen, but in order to see it, you may need to pause and step forward through the footage in order to spot it. It does not, however, tarnish such a resplendent 4K presentation of the film.

Audio for the theatrical version is included in English Dolby Atmos, English 5.1 and 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio, German 2.0 mono DTS-HD Master Audio, and Italian and Spanish 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio. Audio for the uncensored version is included in English Dolby Atmos and English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio. The new Atmos tracks manage to widen the original sound design without altering it entirely, giving the height speakers some nice overhead during key moments, and boosting sound effects and score with some appropriate LFE. There’s no stereo soundtrack option available for the uncensored version, but the Atmos and 5.1 tracks more than make up for it. Subtitle options for both versions include English, English SDH, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Korean, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish (Castilian), Spanish (Latin American), Swedish, Thai, and Turkish.

Sony’s Night of the Living Dead: 35th Anniversary Steelbook release features the original theatrical poster for artwork, along with a 1080p Blu-ray featuring the same restoration and the bulk of the extras, and a Movies Anywhere Digital code on a paper insert. The following extras are included on each disc:

DISC ONE (UHD)

Audio Commentary with Tom Savini (Theatrical Version)
Audio Commentary with Tom Savini and Michael Felsher (Uncensored Version)

DISC TWO (BD)

Audio Commentary with Tom Savini (Theatrical Version)
Audio Commentary with Tom Savini and Michael Felsher (Uncensored Version)
Savini’s Night (HD with Upscaled SD – 27:54)
Being Barbara (HD with Upscaled SD – 16:27)
Oh Brother! with Bill Moseley (HD with Upscaled SD – 11:51)
Return to the Living Dead (HD with Upscaled SD – 21:00)
Time with Tom with William Butler (HD with Upscaled SD – 15:56)
Flesh & Blood (HD with Upscaled SD – 23:51)
In Living Dead Color: Remaking a Horror Classic (HD with Upscaled SD – 18:08)
Cutting the Dead with Editor Tom Dubensky (HD with Upscaled SD – 19:57)
The Dead Speak! The Zombies of Night of the Living Dead (HD with Upscaled SD – 16:41)
The Dead Walk: Remaking a Classic (SD – 24:52)
Theatrical Trailer (HD – 1:05)

The commentary for the theatrical version with Tom Savini dates back to the original DVD release from 1999. It’s a great solo track that covers a lot of ground on the production, but also useful in seeing how Savini felt about the film then in comparison to today. The new commentary for the uncensored version also features Tom Savini, now moderated by Michael Felsher. It’s an excellent and upbeat discussion of the making of the film, but there are definitely some gaps, which are likely things deleted for legal reasons (though in one case, the FedEx man interrupted their conversation). Savini reveals how much more satisfied he is with the film in retrospect, especially since he was allowed to go back and finish it for this release.

The interviews are mix of material produced in 2016 and 2025, and interspersed throughout is various behind-the-scenes footage and stills, neither of which has been presented separately. Savini’s Night features a 2016 interview with Savini, who details many of the things that he wanted to include in the film that he wasn’t allowed to, the troubles he went through making the film, and seeing it with fresh eyes today after being unable to sit through it for so long. Being Barbara is a 2016 interview with actress Patricia Tallman who details her excitement for the project and how proud she is of it today. Oh Brother! is a 2025 interview with actor Bill Moseley who discusses trying to make his character more effective for such a short amount of screen time. Return to the Living Dead is a 2016 interview with special makeup effects supervisors John Vulich and Everett Burrell who detail their work in the film in conjunction with Tom Savini. Time with Tom features a 2025 interview with actor William Butler who talks about being a huge fan of Savini and George Romero and how nervous he was to take on the role of Tom. Flesh & Blood is a 2025 interview with actors McKee Anderson and Heather Mazur who delve into the casting process and their experiences with the each other and the rest of the cast on set. In Living Dead Color is a 2025 interview with producers John A. Russo and Russell Streiner, both of whom previous worked on the original 1968 film, who talk about getting involved with the remake and their roles in getting it made. Cutting the Dead features a 2025 interview with editor Tom Dubensky who goes into detail about his cutting techniques and the way various scenes were shot and put together. The Dead Speak! is a 2025 interview with zombie performers Greg Funk “Cemetery Zombie” and Dyrk Ashton “Truck Zombie” about their appearances in the film.

The Dead Walk is a making-of featurette from the film’s initial DVD release in 1999, containing interviews with Patricia Tallman, Tom Savini, John Vulich, Russell Streiner, and John A. Russo. Last is the film’s theatrical trailer. Missing from the 2016 Umbrella Entertainment Blu-ray release is several minutes of behind-the-scenes footage, and not included from the 2012 Twilight Time Blu-ray release is an isolated score audio track.

Sony has finally given Night of the Living Dead on home video the respect it deserves and corrected many mistakes of the past. I actually prefer the new uncensored cut with the black and white opening, but I can understand die-hard fans wanting to stick with the original. Thankfully, Sony understands that and provides us with both options. Not only that, but also a mountain of great bonus materials, courtesy mostly of Red Shirt Pictures. This Steelbook release has been going in and out of inventory, flying off shelves before more can be printed. Rest assured, more copies are coming, so try and avoid overpaying for this release via third party sellers if you can. And rest assured, the Night of the Living Dead 35th Anniversary Steelbook comes highly recommended.

- Tim Salmons

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