My apologies for the delay. I have no excuse for being later than usual with these silly little reviews (well, besides lethargy and work). I do solemnly swear however that these entries from the past three days will make up for this. And besides, I can give you a brief history lesson about the following "franchise" for those of you reading who are unfamiliar with such.
To start off, not that it necessarily comes as a shocking revelation, but you should watch George Romero's classic feature Dawn of the Dead if you have yet to do so. It is inarguably one of the most prolific and influential motion pictures in the horror genre and changed the public's perception of the "undead" genre. Easy enough, yes? Well, here is where things become...complicated. When Dawn was released overseas, it was retitled Zombi. As I've mentioned in reviews from years prior, the Italians (bless their hearts) tended to film unofficial sequels to foreign films. Thus, Lucio Fulci's Zombi 2 was released as a "follow-up" to Dawn of the Dead. Both pictures have fuck all to do with one another, but uh, they have zombies! So, there's that! In America, Zombi 2 was released under the titles of both Zombie and Zombie Flesh Eaters (of which I have the soundtrack to on vinyl!) for legal reasons that should seem fairly obvious. Overseas, the Zombi series continued with a myriad of in-name-only sequels.
First up is 1988's Zombi 3, which while boasting the highest body count and best budget among the three, also has some ridiculously convoluted history itself. Zombi 3 was originally set to be directed by Zombi 2's director, the ultra-talented and sorely missed Lucio Fulci. Alas, he fell ill during filming (though some dispute that he was squabbling with producers) and left the project after shooting roughly 50-60% of it. The rest was left in the hands of fellow Italian schlockmaster Bruno Mattei. I've covered Mattei in the past on here and though I hate to speak ill of the dead, I am not the hugest fan of his body of work. Thankfully, most of Zombi 3 works due to Fulci's influence being far greater on the final product than that of the man who gave us Shocking Dark and Cruel Jaws. Zombi 3's plot revolves around scientists working on a biological weapon called "Death One," which shocker of shockers, falls into the wrong hands and is accidentally unleashed on a small island. You can take one guess as to what happens next, but despite some familiarities between this and other "outbreak" flicks (and characters that all kind of blend together), there is still a ton of fun to be had here. The gore is pretty great, the dubbing is hilariously terrible, and the soundtrack, while not on the same levels with other Italian horror classics, is still pretty rad. Highlight of the film easily goes to a zombie head in a refrigerator seemingly defying the laws of physics and speeding towards a person like a bullet to bite them on the neck. Good, goofy nonsense.
Unfortunately, the same can't be said for Zombie 4 (alternately released as After Death). I cannot understand how one concocts a plot that involves a voodoo priest, a gaggle of mercenaries who look like WWF jobbers from the 1980s, and the undead but manages to make it so unbelievably boring. Then again, when you've got the person behind Troll 2 and Monster Dog sitting in the director's chair, this movie barely stood a chance. If there are any positive aspects of Zombie 4, it is that the title track from its soundtrack is a certified banger and Jeff Stryker (primarily known for his work in pornographic flicks) does a fairly admirable job with the material he's given. Still, there is little reason to visit this one unless you have to watch literally every picture involving a zombie. Showing this to people who want to get into Italian horror is the equivalent to giving a curious, new metal fan "St. Anger" as their first Metallica album.
We finally come to Zombie 5, which goes by the much better title of Killing Birds. Without giving a large number of details away, the poster and title for this motion picture is a lie. Yes, there are birds. Yes, there is killing. There are no killing birds (the most damage dealt by one is via pecking out Robert Vaughn's eyes). There is also a criminally low amount of zombie action, and it takes a full HOUR before things start going truly awry. The story has something to do with students searching for woodpeckers in Louisiana and it leading to a blind man with ties to the undead. Or something. This was honestly a struggle to get through, and it doesn't help that much like the aforementioned Zombie 4, the movie just kind of...stops rather than ends. Side note: do you know how difficult it was to search for "Killing Birds" online without finding pictures that repulsed me?
While the latter two pictures are not of the highest quality, both of Lucio Fulci's previously mentioned features (as well as most of his filmography) are available for viewing and purchase and are definitely worth investing your time in. But fret not, we are not completely done with Italy this month! Come back soon for another evening with Dario Argento. As for tomorrow though? Well, I think Tobe Hooper has that day reserved.
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