Violence/Gore: Where to begin? As you might expect, this one covers the full range of Italian horror hallmarks like eye gouging injuries, flesh-eating corpses tearing chunks out of the necks of victims and plenty of grotesque-looking maggot-infested zombies shambling (not running) into action.

Sex/Nudity: Early on there’s plenty of skin on display from a nearly nude scuba diving sequence to a somewhat voyeuristic shower scene.

Best Line: “The boat can leave now. Tell the crew.” (an innocuous line that basically signals the beginning of the end of the world)

Score:

It took me years to finally get it all straight in my head, so here it is in a nutshell. George Romero’s DAWN OF THE DEAD was released in Italy (in a different edit presided over by Dario Argento) under the title ZOMBI. Its success sparked a wave of unofficial sequels that virtually established the entire subgenre of the modern Italian zombie film. The most direct non-sequel was this Lucio Fulci effort, known as ZOMBIE here but called ZOMBI 2 there to capitalize on the success of the first ZOMBI…which was actually DAWN OF THE DEAD. Still with me?

Eons ago, when we bought our first VCR - a humongous Panasonic monster with fake wood detailing and a top-loading tape drawer that closed with a satisfying “ka-CHUNK” - we used to go to one of the earliest video rental stores in the area, a wonderful place called Barry’s Video Station. Back when video was new, there was a plethora of weird, obscure, and just plain bizarre horror movies on display in the furthest corner of the store (a shadowy place usually reserved for horror and porn), but alas, I was still too young to really press the point and see a few of the more intense-looking offerings. But I will never forget seeing the cover image of a skull-like ghoul almost grinning with a few jagged teeth and covered with mud and maggots. The sight was burned into my brain, along with the huge one word title: ZOMBIE. One day, I thought…one day I will know the glory and terror that is ZOMBIE.

I guess some things really do suffer when labored with the excessive expectations of enthusiastic youth. It’s no masterpiece (although some horror fans do indeed think of it that way), but ZOMBIE does have enough of a creep factor with its shambling, realistic-looking corpses and unsettling music to linger in your mind for weeks afterward. The movie sets up a nice sense of scale by opening in New York harbor, but soon our heroes have tracked the zombie infestation that begins on a derelict yacht in the Big Apple to a Caribbean island where strange things are afoot. Soon, what remains of the cast is barricading itself in a delapidated church while trying to fend off the zombie onslaught.

Fulci builds suspense pretty nicely, but rest assured, when it’s time to unleash the gore, he isn’t squeamish. The blood flows freely, and you see as much if not more flesh-chewing here than in Romero’s first two DEAD movies. The specific lighting used for the zombies in the climactic attack is especially well done. ZOMBIE may not be the distillation of pure horror that I envisioned way back when, but it’s still a classic in its own right and well worth a peek, if only for that final creepy shot of the zombie horde advancing on New York…even if the effect is undercut by all the leisurely-paced traffic visible in the same shot.

…Oh and yes, Tisa Farrow is Mia’s sister.

DVD Extras: Not many, but what’s here is worth it. The late ’70s and early ’80s wasn’t just a Golden Age for movie horror but for effective promotion of same. A few television and radio spots accompany the theatrical trailer and give a great idea of how minimalist graphics and chilling music can sell a film. There’s also a feature commentary with star Ian McCulloch and Jason J. Slater of Diabolik Magazine that offers some interesting insights into the production of the film and McCulloch’s own take on the validity of mature horror entertainment. There’s also a very amusing observation by McCulloch, obviously recorded several years ago, in which he notes that his work in this movie has been seen worldwide and therefore seen by more people than all the work ever done by his “more important” namesake, Ian McKellen. What a difference a few years and a massive fantasy film series make, eh?

ATB