Home Video Release History
The film developed a massive cult following after its release on home video, although a series of low budget releases from Wizard Video, Magnum Entertainment and Edde Entertainment (through subsidiary T-Z Video) featured a muddy full screen transfer of the film that angered hardcore fans. In February 1998, the film was released on VHS, DVD and laserdisc by Anchor Bay and The Roan Group respectively. Both versions used a widescreen film print, to the delight of fans. But more complaints were made about the transfer, which was still dark and muddy as with the film's original VHS release. The VHS/DVD/Laserdisc version also omitted several shots of nudity from the film and other miscellaneous bits because of print damage.
Five years later, Blue Underground and Media Blasters, the latter of which used their Shriek Show horror banner, struck a deal to release the film on DVD yet again, this time with a newly remastered, uncut version of the film from the original negative. Now truly complete and no longer muddy looking, the two DVDs were released with Media Blasters using the film's original name Zombi 2 while Blue Underground released the film under the Americanized Zombie name. The Media Blasters release also contained a second disc filled with bonus material. The Media Blasters and Blue Underground releases differ slightly in their video. The Blue Underground version is encoded for progressive scan while the MB release is not.
Also worth noting are the differences between the 2004 Media Blasters and Blue Underground releases and the 1998 Anchor Bay disc, which often get confused. While Anchor Bay has a history of showing a great deal of respect for the preservation of purity in original director-approved and uncut film releases, the 1998 Anchor Bay release of Zombi 2 inexplicably has a few seconds of footage omitted which can be found intact on the 2004 Blue Underground and Media Blasters releases. Both feature comparable digitally remastered, anamorphic 16:9 transfers, Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtracks as well as bonus materials.
The film was released by Blue Underground on Blu-ray (as well as a new DVD edition) on 25 October 2011 with a new 2K transfer.
The other films in the Zombi series made it to America as video releases—none were released theatrically in the States, or had any real connection with this entry other than zombies.
Read more about this topic: Zombi 2
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