![]() Usually seams and latex and make-up become more readily apparent – no so here, largely thanks to the Italians’ love of chunky, splattered gore effects. Not only are the make-up effects exquisite but I was shocked by how well all of it holds up under the scrutiny of a brand-new 4K restoration. It’s an astonishing sequence in a movie filled with enduring cult moments. The fact all of this is competently shot underwater, in the open sea, with the shark practically acting (after what I’m sure were many, many takes) while a sorta-stuntman spews fake blood and gnashes at its tender white underbelly… can’t get away with that shit these days. This fight is fake like professional wrestling is fake, and no matter how many times I watch this movie it blows my mind that a shark trainer in full zombie make-up wrestles a fearsome beast (a friggin’ tiger shark those things eat anything). Of course I’m talking about the epic undersea battle between a waterlogged zombie and a tiger shark. Also, a zombie fights a shark.įulci gets so many elements of this film right – atmosphere, gore, story, decent characterization – but everything is practically overshadowed by one key moment (that he reportedly wasn’t even there to shoot). ![]() What begins as an exploratory mission quickly becomes a frantic attempt at escape. The island is beginning to teem with the undead and there isn’t much time before the place is overrun. Anne and Peter hook up with Brian (Al Cliver) and Susan (Auretta Gay), a couple sailing around the islands, and secure passage to Matul. The villagers think voodoo ritual is to blame, a claim Dr. Menard (Richard Johnson) and his wife, Paola (Olga Karlatos) run the local hospital, which has seen an outbreak of dead patients returning to life. What Fulci’s film lacks in subtlety and social awareness it more than makes up for with gruesome FX work and horrific death scenes, key selling points for getting it banned or censored in countries across the globe.Īfter New York City cops find a zombie aboard her father’s boat, Anne (Tisa Farrow) travels to the Caribbean with journalist Peter West (Ian McCulloch) to visit the island of Matul, her father’s last known whereabouts. Just one year later, Italian writer/director Lucio Fulci, who at that time was best known for his giallo pictures, took up the reins and delivered what is arguably Italy’s greatest undead feature, Zombie (1979, a.k.a. ![]() ![]() Italian filmmakers are always looking for a hit film to unofficially sequelize into oblivion – thanks to a weird copyright rule allowing for such things – and George’s seminal sequel was fertile ground. Plus, a score by Italy’s progressive rock outfit Goblin (billed as “The Goblins” in the opening credits) only further elevated the groundbreaking feature. shores, Romero’s Dawn of the Dead (1978) is nearly impossible to top, delivering social commentary, gross-out gags, richly developed characterization – and he did it all with style. Italian” because, really, those are the two countries that have done more to get flesh eaters on the map than anywhere else. When the topic of zombie films is brought up, the question for me isn’t “fast vs.
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