'Dawn of the Dead' to Return in 3D

Even though Diary of the Dead failed to make enough money to pay off an average mortgage, there are still millions of zombie movie fans who hold a special place in their hearts for George A. Romero. For them, I suspect, this will terrific news. In-Three, a 3D company specializing in something called "dimensionalization" will turn Romero's 30-year-old classic, Dawn of the Dead, into a 3D even. The Hollywood Reporter indicates that process should be completed within the year. Again, this is great news for Romero fans and B-movie fans, and 3D fans, and people who like being scared silly, and for moviegoers everywhere. It is simply one of those absolutely perfect ideas that can now be realized because technology has caught up to it. The plan is to launch a theatrical re- release of Dawn of the Dead once the project is completed, and with the number of 3D screens growing by the month as well as growing public demand for it, an entirely new audience might embrace one of the top movies in its genre in a whole new way. And it's the sort of move that should also please purists, because it makes the experience even more visceral without altering the movie so much as enhancing it. So how does it work, this magic "dimensionalization"? Quoth The Reporter, "In-Three uses patented software tools and techniques to create a second camera image from a 2-D image. Each frame is 'dimensionalized,' meaning that all objects are moved forward or backward from the screen or in relation to one another so as to achieve the desired dramatic effect." So easy a caveman could do it. But it will be tremendously expensive; at just over two hours in length, the 3D process will cost at least $6 million, and possibly twice that much. But there's no way to think that a 3D re-release planned around Halloween will come up short of that.