Okay people...I saw the remake of this so-called "absolute masterpiece of horror" a week ago or so, and thought Universal's version was actually much better and more vicerally effective than the horribly slow paced, comic-like puzzle that was contained on Anchor Bay's new DiviMax transferred George Romero original version DVD which I picked up with the little woman a couple of days ago.

But lets put the plot of this proclaimed "best horror film of all time" --- a claim I cannot even begin to justify when you put this next to idyllic horror cinema gems like John Carpenter's Halloween or The Exorcist --- to the side and concentrate on the DVD itself, as I always try and bring to you good folk at audioreview.com; first off, JUST RATING THE VIDEO QUALITY BY ITSELF on this new anamorphic transfer, this is an absolutely STUNNING picture----the colors, for a film of this age, are rich and vibrant; the horribly fake looking red paint that was used for blood jumps off the screen. No complaints with the video.

Now...lets get to the biggest letdown of this release and something I just dont get....this Anchor Bay effort of Dawn of the Dead boasts newly remixed DD 5.1 and DTS 5.1 soundtracks, plus I believe a 2.0 and mono mix....this is the worst DTS mix I have ever heard, well, maybe next to "Airport"....I DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHY studios continue to release older films like this in DTS when there is NO SURROUND INFORMATION whatsoever, save for OCCASIONAL score or the richochetting of bullets off pipes and such; the entire film sounds like mono----no joke here----and seems like a waste of time to call this DTS. The audio sounds terribly dated and hollow, with everything in the front soundstage....now, I KNOW this was a film from the 70s....I believe the same year Carpenter's "Halloween" came out....but why can films like the aforementioned Halloween, ALSO an independent effort like Romero's Dawn of the Dead, be remixed for 5.1 by the SAME STUDIO --- Anchor Bay (and be rather effective in 5.1 DD, may I add) --- and yet this so-called masterpiece sounds weak, with sound levels all over the place....one minute the weird music is blaringly loud with some distortion and suddenly the next piece of dialogue you cant hear if your receiver isnt up that high....I dont get this. Anchor Bay cant release the audio on this disc the way they did with the much smoother-sounding Halloween? Which also featured much better surround usage, if I may be so bold.