A journalist and a woman searching for her missing father are led to a tropical island that is overrun by undead zombies hungry for flesh.
HORROR
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Zombie (1979)Directed by Lucio Fulci
Written by Elisa Briganti Starring Tisa Farrow, Ian McCulloch, Richard Johnson, Al Cliver, Auretta Gay, Stefania D'Amario, Olga Karlatos |
Zombie has been my introduction to the work of celebrated Italian horror filmmaker Lucio Fulci. I was relieved to find that the majority of film fans are against this one, as it's sitting at a 42% Rotten Tomatoes score. The jaw-dropping makeup effects aside, this film has a serious pacing problem and a really dull, overly complicated script that put me to sleep. But holy shit, is it a gorefest. Some of the most brutal, horrific dismemberments I've ever seen. The eyeball into the wood spike alone gives this thing major points. But if you've read any of my reviews, you know I need more than that.
The dead are rising from the grave...on an island somewhere. Journalist Peter West (McCulloch) and Anne Bowles, (Farrow) a scientist's daughter, travel to the island of Matul to find her father. What they find is a scientist, Dr. Menard (Johnson), who is studying and attempting to cure a sudden outbreak of the dead rising from the grave. It's never made clear why any of this is happening, and that's not usually necessary. The Romero films didn't explain it, Shaun of the Dead didn't explain it. But when you just casually mention voodoo, I want more. I didn't think the performances were that memorable, and the story is dull as hell. This film's best attribute is its makeup effects. The gore is through the roof, and the only thing worth checking out here. A zombie grabs a woman's head and slowly impales her eye on a wood spike. Flesh is torn with teeth, blood oozes out of freshly torn wounds, and all of it is insane. Also, nearly every zombie has their eyes closed for some reason. Overall, you should watch the gore clips, but the film itself is nothing special. |