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Review by Hugh Robertson ©2015
Supervising Project Director and Editor: Mike Schneider
Starring: The audio track of the actors from the original Night of the Living Dead
Artistic Contributors: Too many to list here
Distributed by Wild Eye Releasing
IMDb Summary: Night of the Living Dead: REANIMATED features the work of various artists, animators, and filmmakers from around the globe. The mixed media featured include puppetry, CGI, hand-drawn animation, illustration, acrylics, claymation, and even ‘animated’ tattoos, just to name a few. This mass-collaboration approach is less about remaking Romero’s film and more about viewing the classic through an experimental lens. Instead of trying to alter Image Ten’s work, NOTLD:R seeks to showcase the responses that artists from around the world have had to this landmark film.
It’s almost time for Halloween and that can only mean one thing-multiple showings of “Night of the Living Dead”. Because the film is in public domain almost every television station that has horror movies on Halloween shows “Night of the Living Dead” at least once. While the movie is a great film, if you are like me you’ve seen it so many times that when it comes on TV you instantly switch the channel to find something else to watch. But now there is a new way to view this movie-“Night of the Living Dead Reanimated”.
Produced by NeoFlux Productions, this version has nearly 150 different animators and artists re-envisioning their favorite scenes through their artwork. Everything from pixilation, claymation, puppets, oil paintings, CGI, comic illustrations, sketches, to dolls is used. These clips are then edited over the movie’s original audio.
The DVD is introduced by Count Gore De Vol who warns you to “be prepared for a bumpy ride” and a “bumpy ride” it is. Some clips are much better done than others and at times it can be a disconcerting mess with all the different styles of animation. A couple of the claymation scenes are expertly done and some of the abstract animations are stand outs. Yet a pixilated scene with two actors, a clip with “muppets”, a computer animated scene, and a claymation clip near the beginning are poorly executed. A pixilated scene with Barbi and Ken dolls is amusing, but a “Ren and Stimpy” type slapstick cartoon is completely out of place with the theme of the movie.
The movie never gets boring, however, as the amateurish clips do not last long and the visually interesting clips are well interspersed to keep your attention going. Even with the bad scenes it is at least entertaining to see what the artists came up with and the producers do keep the styles mixed within a scene to keep it from becoming monotonous.
“Night of the Living Dead Reanimated” is presented in black and white and in a 4:3 format like the original film. The DVD has an introduction and conclusion by Count Gore De Vol, a couple of commentary tracks, deleted scenes, other short horror films and comics, a “Behind the Scenes” video, and much more. With over two hours of bonus features and the 101 minute feature, the DVD should provide enough entertainment for a long night.
Considering everything you get, if you are looking for a new way to enjoy “Night of the Living Dead” without being bored, this DVD is definitely worth your time. The DVD would also make a great party movie to watch with friends. This Halloween when “Night of the Living Dead” comes on TV for the zillionth time, put “Night of the Living Dead Reanimated” into your DVD player instead and enjoy a new take on this classic film. On the Smash or Trash film scale I give this DVD a 6 out of 10.
You can buy this unique and creative movie HERE.