Night of the Living Dead in Colour: How to Colorize the Classic Zombie Film

Part 1: Why Fans Love "Night of the Living Dead in Colour"

The original black and white cinematography of Night of the Living Dead masterfully uses shadow and contrast to build tension. However, the colorized version appeals to fans for several compelling reasons:

• A New Level of Visceral Impact: In black and white, the blood and carnage-achieved using chocolate syrup-are abstract. In color, the gore becomes explicit, increasing the film's visceral shock value and making the attacks feel terrifyingly real.
• Enhanced Realism and Detail: Colorization reveals details in the set design, costumes, and makeup that are often lost in the deep shadows and high contrast of the monochrome original. Fans can appreciate the subtle production choices and see the film's world in a light that reflects the period it was made.
• Breaking the Barrier of Entry: For younger audiences or those unfamiliar with classic cinema, the black and white format can sometimes feel dated and act as a deterrent. The colorized version makes the film feel contemporary, showcasing its timeless script and horrifying themes to a new generation.
• The 'What If' Factor: Many fans are simply curious to see what Romero's vision would have looked like had he possessed the budget and technology to film it in high-quality color back in 1968. The colorized edition offers a compelling answer to this historical cinematic 'what if.'

Part 2: Where to Watch Night of the Living Dead in Colour

Due to a famous-or infamous-failing of the distributor to include a copyright notice on the prints, Night of the Living Dead fell into the public domain almost immediately after its release. This means many versions exist, and you must be careful to choose a quality, legal colorized edition.

Common Platforms and Versions:

• Blu-ray and Physical Media: Several companies have professionally restored and colorized the film, releasing licensed versions on Blu-ray. These editions typically feature high-quality processing, often with subtle color palettes intended to look like 1960s color film stock. Look for highly-rated restoration groups.
• Streaming Services (Amazon Prime, Tubi, etc.): Because the film is in the public domain, numerous distributors offer it on streaming platforms. You may find both black and white and colorized versions available on platforms like Amazon Video on Demand or ad-supported services. Always check the version description before purchasing or streaming.
• Fan-Colorized Videos: The public domain status has led to many amateur or fan-driven colorization projects circulating online. While these showcase dedication, the quality is often inconsistent compared to commercially released restorations.

Part 3: Can You Colorize Night of the Living Dead Yourself

The desire to see classics like Night of the Living Dead in color is part of a larger trend: the burgeoning field of amateur film restoration. What was once the exclusive domain of major studios and expensive post-production houses is now accessible to every movie fan, thanks to advancements in Artificial Intelligence (AI).

The Rise of AI Video Colorization

AI has completely revolutionized how old media is handled. Sophisticated algorithms are trained on millions of images, learning to assign realistic and contextually appropriate colors to objects and scenes instantly. This makes the challenging, frame-by-frame manual colorization process obsolete.

Film enthusiasts are now actively using these tools for:

• Family Archives: Bringing old home movies back to life.
• Documentary Enhancement: Colorizing historical footage for a modern audience.
• Classic Movie Restoration: Experimenting with new looks for public domain classics.

Part 4. HitPaw VikPea: Colorize Black and White Movies with AI

HitPaw VikPea is a powerful, user-friendly AI video enhancer that includes an AI colorizer feature which specializes in colorizing black and white video. HitPaw VikPea democratizes video restoration, allowing you to take any classic black and white footage-whether it's a scene from NOTLD or your grandparents' wedding film-and turn it into stunning, vibrant color video in just a few clicks.

HitPaw VikPea Key Features for Colorization:

• Intelligent AI Colorization Model: Dedicated model for accurately assigning natural colors to historical or classic footage.
• High-Quality Output: Supports upscaling and processing for high-resolution video export.
• Batch Processing: Colorize multiple clips quickly and efficiently.
• Split-Preview: Side-by-side comparison of the before and after effects.

How to Colorize Black and White Videos in VikPea

• Step 1.Launch HitPaw VikPea after installation. Click "AI Colorist" feature from the main interface.

  

• Step 2.Click Browse videos to import your black & white video, or simply drag and drop your black and white video file (e.g., a clip from Night of the Living Dead) into the main interface.

  

• Step 3.The AI Colorist provides two specific models. For old movie with low resolution, we recommend Colorize + Enhance which not only adds color to videos but also upscale the quality.

  

• Step 4.In the Export settings, you can set up the quality to 4K. Before processing the entire video, you can click Preview button to export the first 3 seconds for before and after comparison.

  

• Step 5.When you are satisfied with the preview, click the Export button to process the entire video. The export runs on cloud servers and will deduct credits based on video length. Generally, the Colorize + Enhance uses about 2.5 credits per 2 seconds. You will see how many credits for the target video in the pop-up window.

  

Final Thoughts

Night of the Living Dead in Colour allows a horror masterpiece to be rediscovered by a new generation. Whether you stream the officially colorized edition or create your own using HitPaw VikPea AI Colorizer, it's exciting to see how technology continues to revive beloved classics.

So turn the lights off, grab some popcorn, and witness how chilling the night becomes - now in colour.