It's one of the most celebrated horror films in the history of cinema. Now, Elite Entertainment has added even more bonus materials and special features to the classic title "Night of the Living Dead." Marking the initial release in Elite's Millennium Edition™ DVD series, "Night of the Living Dead" has been restored with a newly approved THX Transfer, and includes a wide array of never-before-seen DVD features. Considered one of the true, classic horror films of all time, "Night of the Living Dead" tells the story of a group of strangers taking shelter in a farmhouse while the rest of the world is doing battle against an army of hungry "un-dead."

We can hardly imagine how shocking this film was when it first broke into the film scene in 1968. There's never been anything quite like it again, though there have been numerous pale imitations. Part of the terror lies in the fact that it is shot in such a raw and unadorned fashion that it feels like a home movie, and is all the more authentic because of that. It draws us into its world gradually, content to establish a merely spooky atmosphere before leading us through a horrifically logical progression that we hardly could have anticipated. The story is simple: Radiation from a fallen satellite has caused the dead to walk, and hunger for human flesh. Once bitten, you become one of them. And the only way to kill one is by a shot or blow to the head. We follow a group holed up in a small farmhouse who are trying to fend off the inevitable onslaught of the dead. The tension between the members of this unstable, makeshift community drives the film. Night of the Living Dead establishes savagery as a necessary condition of life. Marked by fatality and a grim humor, the film gnaws through to the bone, then proceeds on to the marrow. --Jim Gay, Amazon 

SPECIAL FEATURES:

• Newly Approved THX Transfer
• Trailers/TV Spots
• Dual Commentary Tracks featuring George A. Romero and the Entire Cast
• Film Parody "Night of the Living Bread"
• Original Mono Soundtrack
• Dolby Digital 5.1 Remix
• Still Photo Gallery Featuring RARE COLOR Photos
• The History of Romero's Company, The Latent Image
• Scenes from the "Lost" Romero Film, "There's Always Vanilla"
• Liner notes by George A. Romero and Stephen King
• AND MORE!

Here's what DVD Talk said about Night of the Living Dead, Millennium Edition:

So, you're probably wondering, "Are there ANY versions a fan can purchase in good conscience?" Absolutely, and Elite Entertainment is responsible for BOTH. Their Special Collector's Edition was long the first and best option, but Elite topped themselves with this subsequent release of an even MORE extras-packed Millennium Edition. Well worth the upgrade!

The movie: This is the harrowing story of seven strangers, hiding in a Pennsylvania farm house, who find out what happens when people stop being dead, and start getting hungry. The tale begins with Barbra (Judith O'Dea) and Johnny (Russell Streiner) paying their respects to a deceased relative, when they encounter the first representative of the undead -- who makes it clear he doesn't come in peace. Barbra runs screaming from the cemetery to a nearby house, where she hides from her lurching pursuer. Soon our hero, Ben (Duane Jones), joins her and begins to fortify the house. He's had to flee from a bunch of zombies by plowing through them with his car. Ben successfully keeps the undead at bay via pyrotechnics and a good old fashion club to the noggin. Halfway through the movie, five more refugees emerge from the basement and things get even more interesting. We have a young couple Tom and Judy (Keith Wayne and Judith Ridley), and a family of three, Harry and Helen Cooper (Karl Hardman and Marilyn Eastman) and their injured daughter Karen (Kyra Schon). Harry is a weaselly grump who challenges every decision Ben makes. Should they all hole up in the basement, or work together to board up the house? Try and go for help, or wait out the sieging mob? Accordingly, the conflict INSIDE the farm house becomes every bit as tense as the danger outside. So just how DO you get rid of hundreds of living dead, munching human flesh, all over the Eastern third of the United States? Do the inhabitants of the farm house survive the night? When the credits roll, you'll know the answers and understand why this flick is recognized around the world as a true horror classic.

Notables: Two breasts. Eight corpses. Hordes of living dead. Tire iron brandishing. Flaming ghoul. Gunshot to the stomach. One right cross. Fingers tumble. Bug eating. One three-star general. Molotov cocktail fu. Corpse bonfire. Multiple bullets to the brainpan. Exploding truck. Trowel attack. Zombie barbecue.

Quotables: Johnny taunts his frightened sister, "They're coming to get you, Barbra ... Look! There comes one of them now!" Overheard during news reports, "We don't know what kind of murder-happy creatures we have here" and "Kill the brain, and you kill the ghoul." Ben doesn't think hiding in the basement is such a good idea, "If you're stupid enough to go die in that trap, that's your business. However, I am NOT stupid enough to follow you. It is tough for the kid that her old man is so stupid. Now, get the hell down in the cellar. You can be the boss down there. I'M the boss up here!" Probably the best lines are from Chief McClelland, and are said to have been improvised, "Put that one all the way in the fire, we don't want it gettin up again" and "Yeah, they're dead. They're ALL messed up."

Time codes: The first zombie appears (5:45). "Fire BAAADDDD!!!" (20:10). Radio news reports detail the extent of the crisis (32:30). The famous nekkid undead chick (46:43). TV report suggests radiation from Venus probe may be the cause (56:00). McClelland leads his ghoul extermination squad (1:19:00).

Audio/Video: Beautiful fullframe, black and white print. What makes the transfer even more astonishing, is the fact that the original master and other reels were lost during a flood. Coincidentally, they were stored in the same basement featured in the movie. Surviving theatrical prints were duped and reduped -- transferred to video and duped all over again. (An indecency the film endured once it fell into public domain). Through the years, critics even acknowledged the filmmakers' documentary style -- in reference to the degraded image, but in reality, the original image had been quite pristine. That's not to say the video is flawless. In a handful of scenes, the picture freezes momentarily, due to the fact that even with the best source material available, some frames were either lost or damaged. However, the instances are so minor, it barely warrants mention.

For the Millennium Edition, Elite adds a brand new Dolby Digital 5.1 track along side the original mono. Ambient noises like rolling thunder and crickets chirping are especially crisp. The disc also includes THX calibration tools to get the most out of your home theater experience.

Extras: As with Elite's Special Collector's Edition, we have two commentary tracks. The first with co-writer/director George Romero, co-writer John (or Jack) Russo and cast members Karl Hardman and Marilyn Eastman (The Coopers). The second with additional members of the cast: Bill Hinzman (Cemetery zombie), Judith O'Dea (Barbra), Russell Streiner (Johnny), Keith Wayne (Tom), Kyra Schon (Karen Cooper) and Vince Survinski (the "I heard a noise" gunman). Each are great to hear as the old colleagues get back together and reminisce. The tracks highlight what a group effort the movie was -- down to set dressing and actors mixing sound. I actually enjoyed the second track a bit more than the first, as the group was much more lively. But the first track is more technically oriented with interesting trivia mixed in. Beyond the commentaries are theatrical and television trailers. And my favorite extra, Kevin O'Brien's 8-minute student film Night of the Living Bread (1990). It's hilarious and a clever addition to the disc.

For the Millennium Edition, Elite expands upon its previous samples of Romero's early commercial work, with a written history of Image Ten/Latent Image/Hardman Eastman Studios, as well as providing eight spots and a silent clip from The Derlick (starring mean ol' Harry Cooper). Fans can also peruse full-color clips from Romero's "lost" film There's Always Vanilla -- one involving, gulp, a speculum (5 mins). There's more than 400 pages (or screens) containing the script and original treatment for the picture as lifted from Russo's "The Complete Night of the Living Dead Filmbook." More than 160 still images from Survinski and Eastman's personal scrapbooks. There's also oodles of images of props, posters and other collectibles. A video interview with Judith Ridley (10 mins). Audio interview with the late Duane Jones, who looks back with reluctant fondness on this strange little film he'd made 20 years earlier (16 mins). It's particularly rewarding to hear Mr. Jones speak about the film, even if it isn't in quite the glowing terms CineSchlockers might hope. Static menus with music and audio quotes from the flick. Unlike the plain-Jane Special Collector's Edition, this new disc HAS a printed insert with liner notes by none other than Stephen King AND actual graphics on the disc itself! Not to mention it comes in a ghoul-worthy blood-red keepcase.

Final thought: The movie that spawned countless copyists and spoofs. The word "classic" is often tossed around too easily, but in the case of this picture, the label is wholly deserved. Truly an absolute must-have for any self-respecting CineSchlocker. Collector Series.