Rating: 
Summary: blasphemy
Review: This 30th anniversary version of NOTLD is a grotesque and venal deconstruction. Here is one of the few truly great horror films ever made; yet John Russo &co. thought it needed improving. So they cut out some of the "slow" scenes and inserted several new ones. The result is an unqualified disaster. These new segments--talky, poorly shot, and poorly acted --subvert all the carefully built-up rhythms of the original. And speaking of rhythms: the new musical score by Scott Vladimir Licina does have a certain eerie, languid beauty; but it's all wrong for this film, and often--as, for example, in the early cemetary sequence--works at cross-purposes with the images it's supposed to be enhancing. I bought this video figuring that there must be something here worth seeing. What I saw instead was a shameless act of cinematic violation. It isn't even worthy to be laughed at--only ignored.
Rating:
Summary: A truly repugnant embarrassment for Russo and Anchor Bay.
Review: I am a filmmaker and fan of NOTLD. I have never been so offended by a "special edition" of a film in all my life. The new scenes are poorly acted and edited, the new score is a laughable MIDI nightmare of its own, and the sound mix has been worsened by bad sync and poorer sound effects quality than the original back in 1968. To those who willingly particpated in this travesty- shame on all of you.
Rating:
Summary: Forget the 30th anniversary.....
Review: Thanks to the many reviews of the 30th anniversary edition of this classic film I've decided to ignore it completely and order the collectors edition released a few years back (on DVD that is, I've owned several copies on VHS).This is a classic.Anyone who is into horror films should own this,
Rating:
Summary: Say it ain't so George! Zombies must be behind this
Review: You'd be much better off buying Madacy Entertainment's poor-quality,budget-minded version. At least that version maintains the integrity ofGeorge Romero's vision. Anchor Bay's so-called "expanded and enhanced" version consists of 15 minutes of the most horrible acting in the history of American cinema. The new "score" doesn't score at all. Worse yet (and that's saying a lot), the DD 5.1 soundtrack relies too much on the center-channel giving the new dialogue (HA!) an unrealistic "tinniness". The transfer quality shows signs of neglect near the bottom of the screen in certain sequences. Buyer beware: spend your ducats wisely. Purchase the THX Digitally Mastered Elite Entertainment version of "Night of the Living Dead" rather than this. Long live DVD!
Rating:
Summary: An absolute TRAVESTY!
Review: I love the original 1968 version, and I was worried when I heard news of the "Special Edition" version being made. After viewing it, I lost all respect for the people involved, with the exception of Romero, who obviously had nothing to do with this rape of a classic. Judging from some of the reviews posted, many view it the same, and it looks as if some of the crew posted their own biased reviews. Someone stated that the new score was "very very good". I beg to differ. The score sounds cheap and unimaginative, even to the point of ripping off some of the Phantasm theme in parts. I won't both asking why the moronic composer was allowed to act in this, but my only question is this..Why did they shoot the new footage on such a clear sunny day and try to mesh that with the moody overcast sky of the original? Stay away form this one, unless you love terrible acting, dull music, weak writing, and terrible directing. I am completely disapointed, and will never watch anything that Russo and company are involved with. Shame on them.
Rating:
Summary: This version sucks.
Review: Warning to readers: The majority of four- and five-star reviews included here refer to the original film, which is an undeniable classic, rather than this pointless bastardization, which I have no choice but to conclude they haven't seen.John Russo is one of the original's creators, and it's the only thing he's ever done that's worth a scratch. He's been sucking the life out of the dessicated corpse of his career for years, surviving on the last shreds of reputability the original classic still has. I submit for your review some of his post-"Living Dead" efforts: "Voodoo Dawn," "Scream Queens: Naked Christmas," and "Backwoods Massacre." The titles really do speak for themselves. This 30th anniversary version is nothing more than the latest in a long line of cynical attempts by Russo to cash in on the reputation of the project; George Romero was not involved in this, AT ALL. The new elements of this production are laughable: the awkwardly inserted new footage detracts badly from the atmosphere of the original, and numerous scenes from the original have been clumsily excised, creating stumbling, erratic rhythms that pull the rug out from under the film as a whole. It truly is a waste of time, and you should run, not walk, away from it. Go track down the original -- the "Elite" version of a couple of years ago is far, far superior, because THEY LEFT THE DAMN MOVIE ALONE. Sorry, but messing with a classic for the sole purpose of money-grubbing gets me really, really heated up. Bottom line: Don't waste your time or money, and don't support a callous leech like Russo. Trust me.
Rating:
Summary: Garbage
Review: Any idiot who gives this pile of monkey spunk more than a star desrves to have paid for it. This 30th Anniversary DVD is the worst thing I have ever seen. I only wished I'd payed attention to the net buzz before I paid for the thing ...
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting new version of a horror masterpiece
Review: I can understand some of the criticisms that have accompanied this anniversary edition of NOTLD, after all, it's one of my favorite horror movies second only to "The Omen". However, I'm also glad that with all the crappy versions of this that have been put out on bargain-priced video and DVD, this one actually gives something new to the viewer. Certainly it would have been preferable to have gotten George Romero involved here, but this was made with the participation of the original film crew. Yes, Bill Hinzman doesn't look much like his 1968 version, and sometimes the score does counteract the on-screen drama (such as Ben describing his first encounter with the zombies), but the picture looks great, and some of the scenes increase the overall scope of the film. In addition, the DVD includes a fair amount of extra features, an insightful booklet, and a rather large soundtrack CD. It doesn't quite beat out the special edition of "Halloween", which I'll be writing a review of shortly. Anchor Bay has done fantastic work with these two special editions, and I can't wait for their job on "Army of Darkness".
Rating: 
Summary: To All The People Who Gave This Version Negative Reviews...
Review: You guys were right! A friend of mine bought this new version and it is laughable. All they did was screw up a movie that was already as near a perfect classic as you can get. To anyone thinking of buying this DVD - SAVE YOUR MONEY! Buy the limited release Halloween instead. With an improved picture and remastered THX sound, it's how a rerelease sound be done.
Rating:
Summary: Pointless tampering detracts from film's power
Review: I first saw Night of the Living Dead when I was nine during its original theatrical run. I rented it on 16mm film during college to show on campus. I saw it theatrically again in 1983 (on a double bill with Invasion of the Flesh Hunters), and it was the first prerecorded VHS tape I ever bought. I even bought (and quickly discarded) the colorized version. I have owned, over the years, at least 6 VHS versions, and now have the Elite laser pressing. For a requirement for my Master's degree, I compiled an annotated bibliography of works about the film. I know this movie pretty well, and this 30th anniversary edition ranks right up with the colorized version as one of the most ill-conceived "enhancement" projects in the history of video. As the bumper sticker says, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." John Russo should take these words to heart. His new scenes add nothing interesting to the film. Does it matter that the cemetary zombie was an electrocuted murderer? Does it help that we have several new "featured" zombies (to use Russo's term) that don't interact with anything in the original footage? And why did Russo write a character as obnoxious as the Rev. Hicks, and give him so much screen time? Russo and the other filmmakers spend A LOT of time on the commentary track talking about the care they used in matching the new footage with the old, but more care could have been expended in actually writing new scenes that meshed with the film. Russo also states that this is the best-looking version of the original film, even better than the Elite laser version. After comparing the two, I must differ. Many of the darker scenes on the 30th edition have been digitally lightened, making the picture look at times as if it were shot though a fine mesh. Russo also states that the filmmakers had always wanted an original score; the new score is wimpy and Casio-like, and has none of the power of the original library tracks that Romero used. Overall, this disc is a colossal waste of the consumer's money. Buy the Elite version and watch Night as it should be seen.
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