Face it: there is nothing else I or anyone can say about Night Of The Living Dead (1968) that has not already been said - except that it is the quintessential flesh-eating zombie movie that started it all… not to mention it’s fucking awesome.

Oh, wait, all of that has been said before.

So then, rather than discussing the now-epic film that spawned four official sequels (if you count Diary Of The Dead) of its own along with several unrelated sequels, remakes, spin-offs, and rip-offs, let’s talk about this all-new 40th Anniversary Edition.

First of all: how does it look and sound?

Presentation
Not a whole lot… at least not in the Audio/Video department: the film is presented in its original 1.33:1 Open Matte Full Frame presentation and the picture definitely looks good - especially when I think about the old VHS print I used to have and even more so if you compare it to one of the countless dupes that are out there (I’m excluding the Elite Entertainment release, of course).  This is probably the best the film will ever look.

Sound-wise, we have a Mono Stereo soundtrack which sounds fab-a-roo.  Optional English (SDH) an Spanish subtitles are included.

I should also like to take this opportunity to point out that the back cover is somewhat inaccurate: not only does it say that the main feature has a 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound audio track (wrong!), but it also reads (and I quote) “Widescreen Version: Presented in a format preserving the 1.33:1 Aspect Ratio of its original theatrical exhibition.”  For those of you who don’t know what that means: widescreen can not be 1.33:1.  1.33:1 is considered to be the standard format.  Full Frame.  The square-looking box.  No black bars at the top and bottom of the screen.  And yet it says “Widescreen.”  (sigh)  Ironically, the name of the company that designed and manufactured this cover art for The Weinstein Company is called Genius Products!

Now then, probably the biggest question on everyone’s mind is: are the “All-New Bonus Features” really all-that-new?

Extras
No… but they are good.  There two Audio Commentaries included on this disc are the exact same commentaries that were included on the two-previously issued Elite Entertainment releases.  If you’ve heard them, you know how fun they are.  Several other Special Features bear the familiar Recycled Products emblem: such as the Original Theatrical Trailer (1:49); Ben Speaks: The Last Interview With Duane Jones (16:46) - an intimate, audio-only recording from the film’s hero that is set to still images from the film; and the last Seen-It! Extra is the Original Screenplay in .PDF format (DVD-ROM Feature).

And now, finally, the moment you’ve all been waiting for (and probably skipped ahead to): “all-new” Bonus Features!!

One For The Fire: The Legacy Of Night Of The Living Dead (83:48) is the gold winner for this release and is a wonderful feature-length documentary which opens up with Russell Streiner (complete with driving gloves) and Judith O’Dea returning to the famed Evans City Cemetery 40 years later (the beginning shots of this docu closely match - if not exactly match - the original opening shots in the movie) and goes on to interview or explore the lives (and in some cases, the deaths) of principal cast and crew members (even some non-cast/crew folks show up - such as Bill Moseley, Greg Nicotero and Alice Cooper to name a few).  Everyone gets their chance to tell their side of the story… with the exception (oddly enough) of co-star Judith Ridley (Judy) - who is not even mentioned once (did she really piss someone off or what?).  As great as the documentary is, I felt that there wasn’t quite enough about Keith Wayne (Romero is the only one who talks about him - and his description of him is redundant at best), the actor who played Tom (who committed suicide in 1995).  The documentary also marks the last interview of Karl Hardman (Harry Cooper), who passed away shortly before the docu was finished.  The footage of the late actor shows him to be in ill-health and it is nothing but tear-jerking when he starts to discuss his fondness of Duane Jones.  Karl also gets the last word in the famous Basement Debate.

Also new is Speak Of The Dead: A Conversation With George A. Romero (15:48) a Q&A Session with George recorded at the Bloor Cinema in Toronto, Canada with Stuart Andrews of Rue Morgue Radio asking the questions.  Both this Featurette and the afore-mentioned Documentary are presented in anamorphic widescreen with optional English Subtitles.

The last new Extra (and the jury’s still out as to the “new” content here) is a Still Gallery.  The disc opens with (skipable) non-anamorphic Trailers for Diary Of The Dead, Inside, Automaton Transfusion (the worst zombie film to date!), Rob Zombie’s overrated remake of Halloween (2007), and WDZ (a title that many people will have trouble with either pronouncing or displaying on a marquee).

The Bottom Line
At least it isn’t that appalling 30th Anniversary Edition from Anchor Bay.