Zack Snyder's Dawn Of The Dead Rises Again With A New Steelbook 4K Blu-Ray

The zombie apocalypse genre may not be as massive as it once was, but back in the 2000s, audiences couldn’t get enough of the undead. Films like Zack Snyder’s Dawn of the Dead remake saw the genre rise from its grave, and if you’d like to revisit that modern-day classic, you can preorder a new Amazon-exclusive steelbook edition Blu-ray ahead of its release on December 2, for $45.

$45 | Releases December 2

Like other releases from Shout Factory, Dawn of the Dead features brand-new cover art across its steelbook case. It’s essentially a recreation of the film’s opening scene, when Sarah Polley’s character of Ana Clark makes a dramatic escape from her zombified neighborhood. The three-disc set includes the 4K version of the movie’s theatrical edition, as well as its grisly unrated version, and a rich selection of special features. On the technical side, the 4K film includes support for Dolby Vision, HDR10, and Dolby Atmos audio.

Dawn of the Dead Limited Edition Steelbook 4K Blu-ray Special Features

For the special features, there are several interviews with the cast and crew of the movie–including writer James Gunn, who recently directed the new Superman movie–deleted scenes with optional commentary by Snyder, a look at the movie’s special effects, several featurettes, and even a closer look at how to make an exploding head practical effect. Here’s everything included:

Take a Chance on Me: Ty Burrell interview
Gunn for Hire: James Gunn interview
Punk, Rock, & Zombie: Interview with Jake Weber
Killing Time at the Mall: The Special Effects of Dawn of the Dead
Deleted scenes with optional commentary by Zack Snyder and producer Eric Newman
Theatrical trailer
Stills gallery
Introduction to the Director’s Cut by Zack Snyder
Splitting Headaches: The anatomy of exploding heads
Attack of the Living Dead Featurette
Raising the Dead featurette
Andy’s Lost Tape documentary
Special Report: Zombie Invasion
Undead and Loving It mockumentary
Drawing the Dead
Storyboard comparisons

After spending several years directing music videos and commercials, Dawn of the Dead was Snyder’s feature film debut when it was first released in 2004. The reboot of George Romero’s zombie classic pulled no punches, as Snyder’s film kept the core plot of survivors hiding out in a shopping mall intact while updating the threat for modern audiences. While Romero’s 1978 original Walking Dead was a slow burn mixed with dry satire, Snyder’s remake kept the levity to a minimum and turned the dread up to 11 with hordes of adrenaline-fueled rabid flesh-eaters. The movie’s cold open, which the steelbook cover references, is still considered to be some of Snyder’s finest work, giving him the breakout success to start work on other projects like 300, Watchmen, Sucker Punch, and Man of Steel.

If you don’t feel like waiting, the Dawn of the Dead standard 4K edition is also available to purchase for $22 (was $40). You can also pick up the original to see what’s changed in the remake. Romero’s version of Dawn of the Dead got a 4K Blu-ray release a few years back, and the Collector’s Edition includes all three cuts of the cult-classic: The theatrical and extended “Cannes” cuts are from a 4K scan and restoration of the original camera negatives, while the action-focused Argento Cut is sourced from a 4K scan of the interpositive film. All three editions come with a stack of special features, including archival commentary tracks with Romero and special effects legend Tom Savini, new featurettes, and newly filmed interviews at the time.

While Dawn of the Dead is credited as one of the most important zombie movies of all time, it’s far from the first. A decade earlier, Romero dipped his feet into the genre with Night of the Living Dead, and this classic received a Criterion Collection release many years later. Criterion’s 4K version was supervised by Romero, co-writer John A. Russo, sound engineer Gary R. Streiner, and producer Russell W. Streiner, and it comes with two Blu-rays of the film and special features. It’s available for $50–or $27.64 for the Blu-ray–and it’s essential viewing for any fan of zombie movies.

Our other recommendations during this ghoulish season include Romero’s third zombie movie, Day of the Dead, for $10 on a feature-packed Blu-ray, Return of the Living Dead is available in both 4K steelbook and collector’s edition packages, and both sequels are also available on Blu-ray. Return of the Living Dead 3 is a surprising entry in this trilogy, as the low-budget horror also doubles as a ’90s Romeo and Juliet story.