George A. Romero’s NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD was rather unimpressively remade in 3D several years back, but now the original classic has been given the conversion treatment, along with the Ed Wood favorite PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE. Read on for an exclusive NIGHT 3D trailer and details, including info on the first Midwest screenings.

The trailer was created by DARKNESS filmmaker Leif Jonker, who gave Fango the scoop on the origins of this latest NIGHT edition. “This is a newly updated, state-of-the-art 3D conversion of the original NIGHT by PassmoreLab out of San Diego, and has nothing to do with any of the recent remakes, in 3D or otherwise. PassmoreLab is a company dedicated to the creation of high-end quality 3D presentations for theatrical features, music videos and television shows. They do a lot of subcontracting on features with non-disclosure agreements, so we can’t mention titles—but if you saw some kick-ass 3D in the theater this past year, you probably saw some of their work.

“Greg Passmore, the company CEO, happens to be a huge fan of NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD and chose it to be their first feature-length conversion back in 2009,” Jonker continues. “You may remember a flurry of announcements and screenings back at that time. Obviously, the technology has made several leaps in the years since, and with the NIGHT conversion being a labor of love, Passmore has been updating its 3D for upcoming screenings in Europe and the U.S.—the first of which will be in Augusta, Kansas on October 28-30. They are also in the process of booking showings on various television outlets and have a 3D Blu-ray in the works.”

The 3D NIGHT, plus the newly dimensional PLAN 9 and DARKNESS, will be shown as part of the Augusta Horrorfest Triple Feature, taking place at the Augusta Theatre (523 State Street):

Friday-Saturday, October 28-29:

PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE in 3D: 7:30 p.m.

NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD in 3D: 9:15 p.m.

DARKNESS (with restored original ’90s heavy metal songs): 11 p.m.

Sunday, October 30:

PLAN 9: 2 p.m.

NIGHT: 3:45 p.m.

DARKNESS: 5:30 p.m.

Tickets are just $5 for the whole show, which is a fundraiser to benefit the restoration of the Augusta Theatre and the Kansas Food Bank. Jonker promises that audiences will be impressed with NIGHT and PLAN 9’s added dimensions, noting, “For every time a conversion is actually done well, like in the case of the hugely successful rerelease of THE LION KING, there’s cases like the new CLASH OF THE TITANS, with shoddy, last-minute, slapdash work that really gives the notion a black eye.  But when the process is done with time and care, it can be a hell of a lot of fun—and let me tell you, we had a test screening of NIGHT a few weeks back, and the 3D was truly fantastic. My producing partner Derin Dopps and I both simultaneously yelled “Cool!” at just the very opening shot. Immediately we were pulled into the dimensional world of NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, peering deep into the Pennsylvania countryside, down the rows of tombstones in the Evans City cemetery, being “inside” the farmhouse, looking deep into the crowds of zombies, having their hands reach out at us—it was a genuine blast.”

While he acknowledges that such conversions are largely geared toward younger audiences, he believes, “There’s a real appeal here for more seasoned film buffs as well.  Like a lot of horror fans, I’ve watched NIGHT dozens and dozens of times over the years, and the film is so familiar now that it is genuinely soothing to me, simply because I know it so well. However, watching it in 3D provided me a bit of a new jolt, a new rush that was probably the closest I’ll ever get to re-experiencing the thrill I had watching it for the first time all those years ago. We also test-screened Passmore’s conversion of PLAN 9 in 3D, and it was both hysterical and bizarre. Wait until you see saucers over Hollywood in 3D—it doesn’t get much better!”

For more info on the screenings, check out the Augusta Theatre’s website.

---

News - Latest