HD DVD returns from the grave this Halloween

The decaying corpse of HD DVD is getting ready to claw its way out of the grave following the news that independent label Anthem Films will be bringing filmmaker Gary Ugarek's lo-fi zombie shocker Deadlands 2: Trapped to the defunct format.

Scheduled for release on 27 October, just in time for Halloween, the special HD DVD release of Deadlands 2: Trapped will be limited to a run of just 500 copies, each including a numbered certificate of authenticity. Speaking to the website High-Def Digest, Ugarek claims that his reason for championing a HD DVD release of his film came from his continuing love of the format and conversations with other like-minded collectors.

'Over the last 18 months, since HD DVD’s demise, I and a small group of HD DVD enthusiasts have scoured every part of the planet trying to obtain the leftover releases of HD DVD material,' says the filmmaker. 'We were early adopters of the format and still feel to this day it shouldn’t have been left to die off. So I set out to see if these HD DVD owners would be interested in a brand-new release. I presented all the information about the film, gave them access and links to trailers, the press kit and the technical aspects… and you know what? They loved the idea. The feedback was unbelievable. Within 36 hours of putting the question out there, I received over 200+ emails, within 96 hours 380+ requests from HD DVD fans asking me to make this happen... I presented the idea to Anthem Pictures, the distributor, and they liked it, and immediately jumped behind it'.

Full specifications for the HD DVD release of Deadlands 2: Trapped still haven't been confirmed, but early reports indicate both the Unrated and Original Work Print versions of the film, director's commentaries for both cuts, a featurette on indie filmmaking from the director's POV and a featurette on the theatre cineplex location. The disc can be ordered from here, priced around $30 plus shipping.