Dawn of the Dead (1978)
Horror • 2h 6m
Director: George A. Romero
Cast: David Emge, Ken Foree, Scott H. Reiniger, Gaylen Ross, David Crawford, David Early, Richard France, Daniel Dietrich, Fred Baker, James A. Baffico, Rod Stouffer, Jese Del Gre, Clayton McKinnon, John Rice, Ted Bank, Randy Kovitz, Patrick McCloskey, Joseph Pilato, Pasquale Buba, Tony Buba, Tom Savini, Larry Vaira, Marty Schiff, Taso N. Stavrakis, Sharon Ceccatti, Mike Christopher, Clayton Hill, John Amplas, Greg Besnak, Rik Billock, Christine Forrest, Roy Frumkes, Debra Gordon, Michael Gornick, Jim Krut, Donald Rubinstein, George A. Romero, Warner Shook, Sara Venable, Laura Ziemba, John 'Weezer' Wickerham, Vickie Walters, Billie Walters, Vincent Vok, Susan Vermazen, Bobbi Van Eman, Jeanette Lansel Vaira, Danny Vail, Milt Thompson, Ralph Tallo, Stephen M. Silverman, Donna Siegel, Gina Sestak, Frank A. Serrao, Mike Savini, Donna Savini, Charlie Peters, Jeff Paul, Ken Nagin, Robert V. Michelucci, Doug Mertz, Molly McCloskey, Nicholas Mastandrea, Leonard Lies, Ed Letteri, Maxine Lapiduss, Robert Langer, Ralph Langer, Tommy Lafitte, 'Wild Bill' Laczko, Katherine Kolbert, C. Courtney Joyner, Jeannie Jefferies, Jon Hayden, Barry Gress, Ingeborg Forrest, Cliff Forrest, Tom Dubensky, Zilla Clinton, Mary Lee Casey, Adolph Caesar, David W. Butler, Ben Barenholtz, Renee Banks, Joe Abeln, Nick Tallo, Joe Shelby, Rudy Ricci, Joey Baffico
Best video release
2020 Second Sight 4K Blu-ray
Best audio release
Theatrical: 2017 Midnight Factory Blu-ray or 2013 Japan Happinet Blu-ray
European: 5.1 remix on 2016 Midnight Factory and 2021 ESC 4K Blu-ray
Theatrical: 2017 Midnight Factory Blu-ray or 2013 Japan Happinet Blu-ray
European: 5.1 remix on 2016 Midnight Factory and 2021 ESC 4K Blu-ray much more detailed than all mono mixes
UHD tiers
caveat: heavy noise reduction on all audio tracks
About the film
During an ever-growing epidemic of zombies that have risen from the dead, two Philadelphia SWAT team members, a traffic reporter, and his television-executive girlfriend seek refuge in a secluded shopping mall.
- TSPDT
- 2026: #4092025: #4142024: #4082023: #4022022: #402
- Alternative Titles
- George A. Romero's Dawn of the Dead
Director: George A. Romero
Sources: Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)
Mono: 35mm scan, old Shout! Factory and Australia Umbrella Blu-ray sounds better than the rest of the discs, but has noise reduction
Stereo: Shout! Factory 4K Blu-ray has a transfer of the 1986 Japan LaserDisc Stereo
Director: George A. Romero
Shout! Factory Blu-ray for the original Dolby stereo, 4K Blu-ray is a downmix
Director: George A. Romero
Old master's magenta grading was dialed back
2.0 mix is said to be superior to the other mixes and is likely the original one
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)
2022 Criterion 4K Blu-ray
?
Director: Nicolas Winding Refn
UK Second Sight Trilogy Boxset 4K Blu-ray
US Magnolia Pictures 4K Blu-ray uses the same source but with worse encoding
Director: Phil Joanou
UK Second Sight Blu-ray maybe better than all the other Blu-rays?
Australia Imprint 4K Blu-ray is disappointing with DNR and poor compression
Director: Andrzej Żuławski
Sources: slow.pics (opens in a new tab)
Second Sight 4K Blu-ray > Le Chat Qui Fume 4K Blu-ray > Umbrella 4K Blu-ray see caps
Second Sight uses the same Le Chat Qui Fume master, but encoded by FiM and applied Dolby Vision. Umbrella's encoding is visibly worse than Le Chat Qui Fume.
Mondo Vision Blu-ray and Anchor Bay DVD have an alternate audio track with an unauthorized soundtrack.
Sources: slow.pics (opens in a new tab)
UK Second Sight 4K Blu-ray is FiM encoded and superior to French Severin or German 4K Blu-ray: see comparison
Second Sight UK Blu-ray for restored versions of both theatrical cut and festival cut
Second Sight UK Blu-ray replacement disc
Director: Nicolas Winding Refn
Atmos on the Sony 4K Blu-ray maybe better?
Regarding the "original theatrical audio" 5.1 mixes:
The Sony UHD and the BD DTS-HD 5.1 mixes are the same but the UHD has been pushed slightly harder and has a lot of clipping. The UHD is 16 bit vs the BD's 24 bits.
The Second Sight UHD DTS-HD 5.1 is a downmix of its respective Atmos track. Definitely different from the Sony UHD/BD mix plus a little less dynamic. Whether or not that's representative of the theatrical Dolby Digital mix is anyone's guess.
So, if you want the best version of the original 5.1, the 2012 BD is the winner.
Directors: Danny Philippou & Michael Philippou
Sources: slow.pics (opens in a new tab)
Lionsgate retains more detail, but Second Sight might be better in motion. Both are very close. Caps
Director: Martin Scorsese
2024 Second Sight 4K Blu-ray
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)
Director: Erik Skjoldbjærg
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)
Second Sight 4K Blu-ray is a Criterion SDR master with a HDR grade. Caps & comparison
Director: David Cronenberg
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)
More Horror on Blu-ray
4K restoration of the original 3D left eye and right eye camera negatives
Directors: Ernest B. Schoedsack & Merian C. Cooper
Director: Bernard Rose
Scream Factory/Arrow 4K Blu-ray or Turbine 4K Blu-Ray
SF and Turbine also have the 2004 Audio Commentary with Bernard Rose, Clive Barker, Alan Poul and actors Virginia Madsen, Tony Todd and Kasi Lemmons
Director: Peter Jackson
Sources: slow.pics (opens in a new tab)
Both will look identical in motion but the Turbine looks marginally better due to a higher bitrate allocation by each cut being given its own disc, whereas Arrow had FiM seamlessly branch the two onto one. However, Arrow has both cuts in Open Matte (on Blu-Ray) and corrected the opening Universal logo's aspect ratio. https://slow.pics/c/McvVcYDG
Director: Guillermo del Toro
Criterion 4K Blu-ray also includes exclusive "Reborn Cut"
Director: Lam Nai-choi
88 Films UK or Vinegar Syndrome US Blu-ray (preference)
Different color gradings, 88 Films disc is encoded by FiM but Vinegar Syndrome encode (by Marcus Johnson) is more than robust
Vinegar Syndrome potentially has better audio than 88 Films, due to VinSyn possibly having EQ'd the audio mix after Fortune Star scanned the track in a way that makes it sound too hot, whereas 88 left it alone without addressing that issue. However, no direct comparisons exist
Director: Tobe Hooper
4K Blu-ray has both the original Dolby Stereo mix and a 5.1 remix.
HBO Max Streaming includes the theatrical version with original credits, goofs. 1080p with the 5.1 remix
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Included in the Complete Kubrick box set with FiM encode of the same master from the WB release without the filtering, 1.85 ratio restored for US Cut; both US and International Cuts are 4K.
US Cut: 1999 WB DVD/Criterion 4K Blu-ray
No Blu-ray or DVD release until the Criterion 4K Blu-ray has presented the US in its original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1. The International Cut has never been presented in it's OAR of 1.66:1 in any home video releases.
The packaging on the back of the WB 4K Blu-ray incorrectly states it as 1.85:1 when the movie is actually 1.78:1 as is the original Blu-ray.
Director: Lewis Teague
UK Arrow 4K Blu-ray > disappointing US Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray
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