“This is one of my favourite zombie films of them all; a genuinely chilling UK set horror…” Director Edgar Wright (Last Night in Soho, Shaun of the Dead, The World’s End) A strange twist of fate brings two young travelers, George (Ray Lovelock, The Cassandra Crossing) and Edna (Christine Galbo, The House That Screamed), to a small town where an experimental agricultural machine may be bringing the dead back to life! As zombies infest the area and attack the living, a bullheaded detective (Academy Award® nominee Arthur Kennedy, Peyton Place) thinks the couple are Satanists responsible for the local killings. George and Edna have to fight for their lives, and prove their innocence, as they try and stop the impending zombie apocalypse! The Living Dead at Manchester Morgue (aka Let Sleeping Corpses Lie and Don’t Open the Window) is a gory horror tale from Spanish director Jorge Grau and widely considered to be one of the best zombie films ever made. Beautifully restored in 4K from the original camera negative, Synapse Films presents the film with the true original English theatrical mono mix and the real opening and closing credit sequences intact.
For thoughts on The Living Dead At Manchester Morgue, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic here.
Video Quality
The Living Dead At Manchester Morgue comes to Blu-Ray courtesy of Synapse Films in its original 1.85:1 sourced from an excellent 4K restoration of the original 35mm negative. This presentation is a beautiful effort from the label that should make fans very happy. The striking photography which captures both the urban and countryside locations wows in high definition with the perfect amount of natural grain intact. There are never any moments where things seem clumpy or swarming, instead presenting as nicely resolved.
The new transfer shows off a great amount of depth and enhanced detail. There are certain elements like close-up shots of ripping flesh that look beautifully grotesque in their clarity. This also extends to enhancements when it comes to other elements such as the textures on the clothing and production design. Black levels are deep with no trace of black crush or compression artifacts, although some shots can verge on appearing a bit milky. The contrast is well defined with white levels not appearing overly bright, and there is virtually no print damage to be found outside of a few stray moments. This transfer is top-tier work.
Audio Quality
This Blu-Ray comes with both a DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio mono track and a DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio surround track in English (with optional English subtitles). Both tracks represent the film in an impressive way with the surround track mostly expanding things out slightly and adding a bit of texture. Dialogue is mostly clear without sound effects or the score trouncing on important information outside a handful of fuzzy lines. The film employs some distinct sound effects during terrifying moments that are given the appropriate weight within the mix. The film has plenty of dialogue, but much of it survives on a general atmosphere of disquiet that is realized well within the mix with environmental effects. The score from Giuliano Sorgini comes through nicely in relation to the competing sounds. This presentation is a fine effort from Synapse Films.
Special Features
- Audio Commentary #1: Film scholar Troy Howarth provides an information-packed commentary track in which he discusses the background and inspiration for the production, the background of the performers in the film, how it stands out in the zombie genre, the environment in which the feature was shot, the career of director Jorge Grau, the legacy of the film, and much more that makes this a valuable listen.
- Audio Commentary #2: Film scholars Nathaniel Thompson and Bruce Holecheck provide a great commentary that is a bit more lively but just as informative without overlapping too much with the previous commentary track. You get some cultural context to the streaking inclusion, explore the sound design, and much more.
- Jorge Grau – Catalonia’s Cult Film King: An excellent 89-minute documentary that explores the life and films of director Jorge Grau. In this piece, Grau himself gives some great context to how The Living Dead At Manchester Morgue actually came about while film scholars analyze the film, its themes, how it fits into the genre, its distinct use of setting, the reception and legacy of the film and more.
- The Scene Of The Crime – Giannetto De Rossi In Discussion From Manchester: A nearly 16-minute conversation with the makeup and special effects artist conducted by author and critic Eugenio Ercolani in which De Rossi discusses how he came to work on this film, his relationship with Jorge Grau, how working on this film impacted his work in the future, his feelings about working in genre films and more.
- Giannetto De Rossi – Q&A At The Festival Of Fantastic Films, UK: The two figures from the previous supplement reunite again to talk in front of an audience in which De Rossi discusses his regret over not being able to work with Billy Wilder, the projects for which he does not hold a fondness, working with Sylvester Stallone, his artistic integrity, and more.
- Original Theatrical Trailer: The nearly four-minute trailer is provided here.
- Original TV Spots: Two 30-second TV Spots are provided here.
- Radio Spots: A two-minute collection of radio spots are provided here.
Final Thoughts
The Living Dead At Manchester Morgue is a film that should not be boiled down to a Romero rip-off. Although most zombie films owe a debt of gratitude to that horror master, Manchester Morgue has a distinct personality that it is unafraid to show off. The themes tackled within this one are intriguing and admirable, and the actual zombie carnage delivers what fans of the genre want thanks to the special effects work of Giannetto De Rossi. Director Jorge Grau uses his distinct eye to elevate this tale to something worthy of your attention. Synapse Films has released a Blu-Ray featuring a wonderful A/V presentation and an array of special features that are as enticing as the feature film itself. If you are a fan of zombie films, this release is calling your name. Recommended
The Living Dead At Manchester Morgue is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Synapse Films has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.