WHEN THERE'S NO MORE ROOM IN HELL THE DEAD WILL WALK THE EARTH

Back in 2004 every Dawn of The Dead fans dream came true! All three versions of the film in one tight package with loads of extras to boot.Anchor Bay knew what we wanted and they came through with an amazing edition of the greatest zombie film ever made!

Picking up soon after the conclusion of 1968s Night Of The Living Dead,Dawn drops us right into the middle of the chaos that is escalating at a tremendous rate.
Stephen (David Emge) and Fran (Gaylen Ross),who work together at a television station decide to try and get away from whats going on by commandeering the traffic report helicopter.Together with Peter (Ken Foree) and Roger (Scott H.Reiniger) - two members of a police SWAT team,they head off seeking salvation.

They stop at a shopping mall,landing the chopper on the roof.Upon realizing how much there is in the mall for supplies and possible safe haven,the group goes in and clears the mall of its living dead visitors and seal the rest of them outside.It seems to be the perfect place to hole up,that is until a roving band of motorcycle raiders discovers what they have done and decide to try and take over.The raiders proceed to the mall and breakdown the barracades of the mall,letting in thousands of the zombies that had gathered outside - soon it turns in to a battle to not just keep the haven that the group have made,but also to stay alive!

This second installment of Romero's Dead series really pulls out all the stops in the F/X department.While nowadays,some look a little dated,it still packs a punch with Tom Savini and Co pulling off some effects that back in 1978 stood head and shoulders above anything else around at that time.

It's not just a rollercoaster ride of blood and guts though as Romero uses the mall setting to provide a nasty satire on the consumer mentality with the zombies staggering around,shopping mindlessly for eternity.A rapid breakdown in society due to catastrophy is a constant theme of Romeros - seen to a fuller extent a few years earlier in his film The Crazies.This breakdown is portrayed brilliantly by the four leading actors as we see what was at first the security of all the stuff they surround themselves with in the mall eventually become oppressive and a prison to them.

Up until this set was made available we had to make do with imported material in order to watch the European Cut (back in the 90s there was a Japanese Laserdisc Box Set called The Perfect Collection which contained the Euro Cut and The Extended version..a beautiful looking package in a big metallic silver box but it cost a fortune! maybe not so much nowadays seeing as laserdiscs have faded into the distance since DVD was invented) but now we can rejoice with what i personally hail as Anchor Bays best ever release.
The European Cut or Argentos Version as it is known to many fans is shorter than the other two versions,but features alternate scenes of gore and there's a lot more of Goblins score used throughout its running time.
Trivia fact:A year after Dawn came out Lucio Fulci got on the zombie bandwagon and gave us Zombi2 - so titled to cash in on the success of Dawn which was titled Zombi in Italy.

US Theatrical Version Opening Credits

European Cut Version Opening Credits

The extras included in this set set a standard that many others need to follow - we get audio commentaries on each version of the film,tons of supplementary material and two great documentaries - Document Of the Dead has been seen before in its own DVD release but is a welcome addition and then we get the one made especially for the release called the Dead Will Walk which includes recent interviews with just about everyone involved in the film,giving different perspectives about the film,not just in its making but also how being in it has affected them and their lives.

Final Comment:A truely amazing package that should be in every Dawn fans collection - Video Image is great throughout and the enhanced stereo sound used is effective.Purists may want to stick to the mono options.All in all an essential buy for zombie fans!

Disc Details & Extra Features:
Available Audio Tracks: English (DTS 5.1 ES), English (Dolby Digital 5.1), English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround), English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono) Four discs: Three versions of the film plus a bonus disc of extras.

DISC ONE - U.S. THEATRICAL VERSION Audio Commentary with Writer/Director George A. Romero, Make-Up Effects Creator Tom Savini, and Assistant Director Chris Romero, moderated by DVD Producer Perry Martin; Trailers, TV and Radio Spots; Poster & Advertising Gallery; George A. Romero Bio; Comic Book Preview; 5.1 DTS Surround Sound, 5.1 Dolby Surround Sound, 2.0 Dolby Surround, Original Mono.

DISC TWO - EXTENDED VERSION Audio Commentary with Producer Richard P. Rubinstein, moderated by DVD Producer Perry Martin; Monroeville Mall Commercial; Behind-the-Scenes Photo Gallery; Memorabilia Gallery; Production Stills; Original Mono.

DISC THREE - EUROPEAN VERSION Audio Commentary with actors David Emge, Ken Foree, Scott H. Reiniger and Gaylen Ross; International Theatrical Trailers; U.K. TV Spots; International Lobby Card Gallery; International Poster & Advertising Gallery; International Pressbook Gallery; Home Video & Soundtrack Artwork; Dario Argento Bio; 5.1 Dolby Surround Sound, 2.0 Dolby Surround, Original Mono

DISC FOUR - DOCUMENTARIES Roy Frumkes' Document of the Dead - The original documentary filmed during the shooting; The Dead Will Walk, an all-new documentary featuring interviews with cast and crew members Claudio Argento, Dario Argento, Pat Buba, Tony Buba, Zilla Clinton, David Crawford, David Early, David Emge, Ken Foree, Michael Gornick, John Harrison, Clayton Hill, Sharon Ceccatti-Hill, Jim Krut, Leonard Lies, Scott H. Reiniger, Chris Romero, George A. Romero, Gaylen Ross, Tom Savini, and Claudio Simonetti; On-Set Home Movies with Audio Commentary from Zombie Extra Robert Langer; Monroeville Mall Tour with Actor Ken Foree.