The 1990 remake of the horror classic not only makes it way to 4k, but in its full uncensored state! Hope y’all like head explosions!
In 1968, horror was changed forever with the release of George Romero’s Night of The Living Dead. 22 years later, Tom Savini, a long time collaborator of Romero’s, retooled and remade Night Of The Living Dead for a modern audience, while also honoring his longtime friend.
It was also a film that Savini himself called a “nightmare” behind the scenes. It was a set where producers consistently took the reins and minimized Savini’s input, and an editing room where they sliced the film into something more “palatable”. Now, for the first time in 4k, we are able to see Savini’s uncensored cut of the film!
As a remake, it has its pros and cons. Cons; I’ve always felt that it hems just a bit too close to the original, taking a few too many familiar steps. There is a seemingly forced restraint at times, as Savini attempts to mimic Romero, creating something “artistic”, as he has said, looking to try and distance himself from his “King of Splatter” reputation. The result is big performances that kinda oversell the drama (like of “subtext into text” between the original and this), and just way too many long shots of zombies stumbling in fields, which honestly slows the plot to a crawl more than a few times.
That being said, there are some genuine bright spots here, and it’s mostly when it feels like Savini is actually taking his own chances with the material. This version of Barbara is an improvement over the ‘68 version, through and through. While seemingly another deer-in-the-headlights situation for the first 15 minutes or so, Barbara quickly earns her place in the house, leaning into the violence and chaos around here and taking out any zombie in her way. Instead of making her the leader, though, Savini allows her to be an outsider, watching the panicked responses of the others in the house with near bewilderment.
Another big change is Ben. While the Ben of the ‘68 film is a cool operator, Tony Todd plays him as teetering on the edge of his breaking point, looking to direct all his anger and fear towards someone, anyone. That someone is Tom Towles, playing Harry Cooper, and the two of them continue to lock horns through the entire runtime. Instead of being a case of racism like in ‘68 (or, at least, not only racism), the feud here is more focused on two alpha types not willing to back down, their spot in the pecking order more important than the chaos all around them. In the end, both of their plans fail spectacularly, while Barbara just walks away, as she had pleaded for them to do hours before.
Savini, when able to bring in his own flavor, also shows an eye for incredibly upsetting imagery. The zombies here are not the grotesqueries of Day of The Dead, or the low fi stylings of Dawn of The Dead. Instead, they look more real; the type of bodies you see in the morgue, or in old film reels of war. Savini created zombies that feel like the actual dead coming back, and it is a disturbing sight.
Late in the film, we see what is easily Savini’s most disturbing image, and arguably the best scene in the film; the survivor encampment. While the ‘68 version very much showed the barbarity of man, there is something about the way Savini creates his survivor camp, where you genuinely wonder if Barbara would be safer out in the wild then with these lunatics. While it is a bit of a tired trope in 2025, the way Savini creates it, it feels real; these aren’t blood crazed psychos or apocalyptic storm troopers. These are a bunch of good ol’ boys who are real bored and real loaded, in ammo and booze. The minute “people” became “zombies”, they found their new hobby, which includes lynching and target practice (an incredibly upsetting visual).
The uncensored cut luckily just adds to the pros for this remake. Beyond the added gore gags, which are incredible (because of course), it starts with an alternate opening, this time in black and white. It allows the film to come in on its own terms, keeping the same calm, if not a bit uneasy, vibe of the opening of the original, before throwing us into color and bedlam during the first zombie attack. It is an overall improvement, and very much increased my appreciation of the film.
Specs:
Sony has spoiled us here a bit. Not only do we have a 4k of the original, but a full 4k of the uncensored cut. It looks immaculate, the deep green rolling hills of Pennsylvania looking pristine against all the carnage, and the deep blues of the night of terror popping on screen. The 4k disc only has one feature, but it’s a good one; a new commentary with Tom Savini about the uncensored cut, moderated by Michael Felsher.
Those looking for extra features have nothing to fear though, as they all live on the Blu-Ray, which is genuinely stacked. Several new interviews with cast and crew, 4 different featurettes, and the theatrical trailer. A great haul for those looking to learn more about the production.
Night Of The Living Dead is a bit of an oddity, for sure. A passion project from Savini, it was manhandled and cut to pieces by producers who didn’t care much about Savini’s original ideas, only looking to turn a quick profit. Savini himself has said only 40% of his ideas made it to screen. But what did make it, and what it all became, is an overall interesting, if slightly flawed, remake of a horror classic.
