Zombie [4K Ultra HD] [Blu-ray]

Before we begin, let's just go over this one more time: "Zombi 2" is actually just called "Zombie," but was marketed in most territories as "Zombi 2," because at the time George Romero's now-classic "Dawn of the Dead" was so big that the Italian film board and some others wanted to market the heck out of every zombie movie they could, so Fulci's movie, simply titled "Zombie" was changed to "Zombi 2," as in Italy, "Dawn of the Dead" was called "Zombi." Okay, got that? Long story short: "Zombi 2" is not a sequel to anything, and it's actually just called "Zombie." Now then, "Zombie" is truly worthy of its title. It pulls a total Tarantino in the first few minutes, showing something that won't occur until much later in the movie first which draws you in immediately making you say: "Wait, what? Why'd that happen?" The story is pretty simple, zombies run amok on a tropical island, a group of survivors fight them with disastrous consequences. But it's not so much the story that makes "Zombie" a masterpiece, but the cinematography and practical special effects which after so many years don't feel dated and can manage to make gore hounds like me twitch just a little, deep down inside. The "splinter eye" scene springs to mind immediately. Another great scene would be the "Zombie Versus the SHARK" scene, which I'm pretty sure is the most dangerous stunt ever put on camera-- a real actor in full zombie makeup fights a live shark underwater without the use of any breathing apparatuses for a very long scene that had to have taken several takes and somehow he came out okay. The movie is fantastically transferred to Shriek Show's two disc DVD set, which comes with your very own little poster for the movie! Criticisms, the dubbing springs to mind, first. The movie was filmed with largely Italian talent, which is cool, so were some of the best Westerns (or in this case, 'Spaghetti' Westerns) ever, but what's weird is, if you watch this movie closely, you'll see that the actors are sometimes dubbed and their lips sync, or that they do not sync. It took me awhile to figure this out, but from what I can gather, the movie was filmed mostly in phonetic English, then in certain scenes, some actors couldn't do that, so they were simply dubbed. But those who were speaking phonetically were still dubbed due to their thick accents. So, to put it simply, "Zombie" is a movie that was filmed in English, dubbed into Italian and then completely re-dubbed back into English. This is one thing that is fairly noticeable, not the point that it becomes so distracting that it takes away fun from the movie, but that it does make certain parts feel less immersive or emotionally intense. One other major thing, the box says the movie's runtime is "223 minutes," this is incorrect. The movie is about 94 minutes, the total runtime with two discs of special features is 223 minutes, so it's a bit misleading, but that's okay, too. There's a certain psychedelic nature to the film, not in the "Deep Red" sense, we never set foot in the irreal the way an Argento film might, but the movie feels like a weird trip after a little while. It's easy to lose track of what's going on depending on who is watching, and there are certain things that simply don't make sense for the sake of not making sense, like the zombie on the cover with all the worms in his eye comes out of a grave marked "Died 1500," it's a small wooden grave marker with chalk writing. I know Fulci wasn't exactly going for realism here (it's a movie about hungry walking dead people, after all) though every time I watch the film I have a hard time suspending belief with this scene, as the zombie comes out of a grave about three inches under ground, he's hardly decomposed for a five hundred year old corpse and on top of that my nit-picking nature has to ask if that grave marker is supposed to be the ORIGINAL grave marker that was put in the ground in the year 1500 or if it's supposed to be an updated marker put there by the caretaker of this, what I'm assuming is a Spanish War cemetery in the middle of a tropical jungle. It's little things like that about "Zombie" that get to me, but it's also those things that make it so much fun. And without spoiling anything, I have to say that the film's final scene is one of the ballsiest moves ever made by a set of low-paid extras and a director. The fact that they got away with the final shot of this movie without six dozen people dressed in full zombie garb getting detained is not only a miracle in and of itself, but proof that this film was meant to be. I don't want to give it away, but it's a fantastic visual. This film was followed by three sequels: "Zombi 3" (which is really "Zombie 2") then "Zombie 4: After Death" (which is actually "Zombie 3," in this case) and a prequel/sequel "Zombie 5: Killing Birds," ("Zombie 4, you see where I'm going with this) though the canonicity of that last one is heavily disputed, but I can say without a shadow of a doubt that "Zombie 4: After Death" is definitely canonical to the series, especially considering the continuity "Zombi 3" takes in conjunction to this film. All in all, "Zombie" is one of the best zombie movies ever made, and it was followed by three 'sequels,' one of which was official, two which were not. I like to refer to these four films as the "Spaghetti Zombie Quadrilogy," as the next film in the series, "Zombi 3" is actually "Zombie 2." But we'll argue the semantics of the titles of these movies in another review. If you can find a copy of it (which isn't very hard, nowadays, circa 2014) "Zombie" is absolutely worth your time if you're a zombie movie fan, Spaghetti Western fan, or just a movie aficionado in general who happens to have a niche for Italian cinema.

What can I say about this movie that you probably haven't heard? For the sake of those unfamiliar with this film, I'll give you a little plot synopsis. A boat sails into New York Harbor, seemingly devoid of passengers. The harbor patrol boards the boat and one guy gets a hefty part of his neck bitten off by an overweight zombie. The zombie is dispatched by gunfire and falls into the water. The dead harbor patrol officer is taken in for an autopsy. A girl (Tisa Farrow) , who is the daughter of the man who owned the boat, and a newspaper reporter (Ian McCulloch) go to an island in the Caribbean where her father was last seen alive, to solve the mystery. It seems that the island is cursed and the dead are coming back to life. A doctor on the island (Richard Johnson) knows how to stop this plague; shoot 'em in the head. (Sound familiar?) It's not long before the island is full of the walking dead and everyone that is alive is fighting for their lives. Only Ms. Farrow and Mr. McCulloch come out alive and they lock a zombie on board their boat as proof as they sail back to New York. Too late, as New York is full of the walking dead, started by the bitten harbor patrol cop. This film is a notch above the rest of the Italian zombie pics. The photography is sharp, the make-up and gore effects are quite convincing (and graphic!), and the acting is above par this time around. Many critics blasted late director Lucio Fulci for "borrowing" other directors' ideas and styles. Maybe he did, but he had his own style which was quite unique and stood out. One scene is so outstanding, I doubt I'll ever forget it. It takes place after our hero crashes the jeep and the survivors have to flee on foot through the jungle to escape from the zombies. They stumble upon an ancient burial ground of Spanish Conquistadors, which proceed to rise from the grave. It's all very creepy and atmospheric. One zombie even rises from the standing position! Let's also not forget the scene of the wood shard going through an eyeball. I still squirm when that scene comes up. This is one of those films that I could watch over and over without ever growing tired of it. The blood doesn't begin to flow until half the movie has passed, but it is never boring. As close a tribute to George Romero as you can get, with a lot of originality thrown in (even the "zombie vs. shark" sequence was used in part of a TV commercial!). ZOMBIE, originally released by Wizard Video on VHS, is available on VHS and DVD from Anchor Bay and a really crappy VHS print from T-Z Video. Also available on DVD from Media Blasters/Shriek Show in a 2-DVD set under the title ZOMBI 2 (the title used for the film overseas). Blue Underground also offers the film on DVD & Blu-Ray in a single disc or double-disc set which is really the only way to watch the film today. It is as near to perfection, both in picture and sound, that you are ever going to get. Unrated.

There's so many other reviews that mention the storyline, the pros and cons of director Lucio Fulci, so this will be short and to the point. This release from Blue Underground has all of the special features from their earlier Blu-ray release, so if you want to upgrade to 4K for the image and sound quality, (and you have a 4K player), you won't lose anything. The carpet has never looked so green in the newsroom scene, the blood has never been as eye-poppingly red, the music has never sounded so menacing, and the worm-infested zombie (the one on the cover) has never been as disgusting as they all are on this disc. Interesting fact about "Zombie" you may not know: When it was screened in a festival in Germany back in the 1990's, it was to a sold-out, packed auditorium. And the popularity of this film has never waned. This 4K release is literally the best one available. If you're Fulci fan, you'll love it.

This is an amazing 3 disc Blu Ray set. It even came with the lenticular slip cover that when tilted back and forth the Zombie opens and closes his eyes! Kudos to Blue Underground for making such a great set. The newly restored 4K transfer is very sharp and the colors pop. So far It’s the best the film has looked pending the native 4K release which I haven’t seen yet. There is a fair amount of grain but not so much where it’s distracting. You have to take into consideration that this movie is 45 years old therefore there’s going to be some grain. The set includes 3 discs. Disc 1 contains the movie and special features. Disc 2 contains more Special Features and Disc 3 is the Original Motion Picture soundtrack. This also has reversible cover art that you can switch to show the original Zombie artwork. Blue Underground killed it with this set. Also comes with a nice booklet! I’m a happy camper!

For anyone looking at Fulci's epic on Amazon or anyone reading mine or the other reviews, buy this DVD. A story synopsis is really unnecessary here. I know plenty of people will say that "The Beyond" is Lucio Fulci's best (I admit it's his most polished), but my personal fave from Fulci is "Zombi 2". Here is a movie where calling the undead a zombie is totally appropriate. Don't get me wrong, I love Romero's "Dead" trilogy (haven't seen the fourth one yet), but there's something really creepy, disturbing and unsettling about the correctly labeled zombies here. They are simply the most disgusting, bloated, slobbering, decaying, worm covered bogosities around. The zombies here move in an unique way, as if they were really re-animated stiffs. Plus, there's all that moaning going on. The similarity between the basic premise between Fulci's & Romero's Zombie films are apparent, but "Zombi 2" was written before "Dawn of the Dead" as "Zombie". You learn that and much more during the special features with interviews and an incredible 98 minute documentary including interviews with the Italian version of Rob Bottin, Gianetto De Rossi (who did the special make-up FX here as well as many other Italian splatter features). Interesting note, I thought Gianetto De Rossi & Gino Di Rossi were the same person, guess what, they're not! Similar names, same profession, go figure! This DVD is a must have for anyone who is a horror fan, especially fans of this particular sub-genre. Great features, the picture and sound are really incredible. The only negative thing I can say, and it's minor, is the commentary by Ian McCullough. I have nothing against the guy but his commentary is somewhat lame, he openly admits that his first time watching the movie from start to finish was right there at the commentary session! He has a couple of interesting anecdotes, but they should have gotten someone like Chas Balun. I would love to hear that commentary!

I would have never have guessed a few years ago Fulci's Zombie would be getting a HD Blu Ray treatment this soon in the game Don't get me wrong I'm very happy and excited Lucio Fulci's Legacy is getting more exposure All films by the likes of Lucio Fulci, Dario Argento, John Carpenter, Don Coscarelli, & George A Romero should have all there work put out on Blu ray mostly cause there films are beyond a horror genre there living breathing Art! I'll get to the point Fulci's Zombie is a Ground Breaking Over the top extreme gore filled epic zombie flick I've owned every Digital version so far (Payed 60 Dollars for the "Original" Uncut laserdisc 10 years ago along with 3 different DVD cuts so the asking price for 28.00 for the Two Disc BR is a great price The Plot could easily be the back story to the Romero's Dead Series. Unlike George Romero's zombie films Fulici's Zombie is missing any social commentary which can be forgivable........... There isn't many Zombie films where you see a zombie fighting a hammer head shark the gore and extreme over the top violence is crazy This Film would now be given a NC-17 if released in theaters People new to the zombie genre thanks to AMC's The Walking Dead will Love it or hate it Hopefully Hollywood will not go and re-make this film It can Not be done right in this day and age of all the over used CGI and lack of practical effects in sci-fi & horror now a days A re-make would just be another gimmicky Resident Evil live action flick The breakdown of both blu ray and the extras each have Blue Underground: Released Oct 24, 2011 2-Disc Ultimate Edition Resolution: 1080p Aspect ratio: 2.35:1 Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1 Audio tracks: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1, Italian: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 Italian: Dolby Digital 5.1 EX Dolby Digital 5.1 EX, Dolby Digital Mono (Original) Disc One extras: ****Audio Commentary: Star Ian McCulloch and Diabolik Magazine Editor Jason J. Slater. (Ported over from the Laserdisc) ***Theatrical Trailers, International Trailer ,TV Spots, Radio Spots, & Poster & Still Gallery Disc Two: ****Zombie Wasteland Interviews with Actor/Stuntman Ottaviano Dell'acqua and Stars Ian McCulloch, Richard Johnson, and Al Cliver. ****Flesh Eaters on Film: with Co-Producer Fabrizio de Angelis. ****Deadtime Stories: with Co-Writers Elisa Briganti and (Uncredited) Dardano Sacchetti, ***World of the Dead: with Cinematographer Sergio Salvati and Production & Costume Designer Walter Patriaca, ***Zombi Italiano: with Special Make-Up Effects Artists Gianetto de Rossi & Maurizio Trani and Special Effects Artist Gino de Rossi., ***Notes on a Headstone: with Composer Fabio Frizzi, ***All in the Family: with Antonella Fulci (very interesting wish it was longer though) *****Zombie Lover: Guillermo del Toro Talks About One of His Favorite Films (This is awesome but, too short) Here's is the second version you might want to double dip and get Arrow Home Video's Zombie Flesh Eaters Blu-ray Special Edition (Released Dec 03, 2012) Region (B) Locked Resolution: 1080p Aspect ratio: 2.39:1 Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1 Audio Tracks: English: LPCM 2.0 & Italian: LPCM 2.0 Two Disc Special Edition Disc One: ****Introduction - an introduction to Lucio Fulci's Zombie Flesh Eaters, recorded exclusively for the film's Blu-ray release, by actor Ian McCulloch. In English, not subtitled, ***** First audio commentary with Lucio Fulci biographer Stephen Thrower and horror cinema expert Alan Jones (Exclusive to Arrow) *****Second audio commentary Elisa Briganti, who wrote the script for Zombie Flesh Eaters (Exclusive to Arrow) ***** From Romero to Rome: The Rise and Fall of the Italian Zombie Film: 60 minute documentary that's make this set a must have alone! **** (Ported extras) U.S. Trailer - The "barf bag" trailer. Music only, VIPCO Trailer - in English, TV Trailer 1 - Music only, TV Trailer 2, and Radio Spots Disc Two: ****Aliens, Cannibals and Zombies featurette: Spotlights actor Ian McCulloch, ***Zombie Flesh Eaters - From Script to Screen , **** Music For A Flesh-Feast - a Q&A session with Zombie Flesh Eaters composer Fabio Frizzi, ****The Meat Munching Movies of Gino De Rossi - the legendary special effects and make-up artist Giannetto De Rossi (The House by the Cemetery, Bernardo Bertolucci's Novecento, David Lynch's Dune) discusses his collaboration with Lucio Fulci on Zombie Flesh Eaters. In Italian, with imposed English subtitles and a Booklet - 40-page illustrated booklet featuring Stephen Thrower's essay "The Joys of Repulsion, Or Anthrophagy in the UK: An Appreciation of Zombie Flesh Eaters" (Mr. Thrower is the author of Beyond Terror The Films of Lucio Fulci and is currently writing a book on Spanish director Jess Franco); "An Eye For An Eye - An Interview with Olga Karlatos", conducted by Calum Waddell; "Zombie Flesh Eaters and the BBFC" by Craig Lapper; "Pages From the Original 'Nightmare Island' Screenplay" by Jay Slater; posters; and Lucio Fulci CV compiled by Jay Slater. Overall if you are a die hard Lucio Fulci fan get both versions they both have awesome extras and exclusives You just need a region-free player 9.7/10

Great movie

I’ve been wanting this movie for a long time

eccellente versione in 2 dischi blu ray ( che qui probabilmente non vedremo mai) con audio e video superlativi. Straconsigliato!

Correcto.

Surfant sur le succès de "Zombies" de George Romero, les Italiens sortent ce film carrément intitulé "Zombi 2" en Italie. Il n'y a pourtant aucun rapport mais ça peut bien sûr attirer son lot de spectateurs. Alors évidemment, le film aurait pu être racoleur et surtout très très nul et bien foireux. Oui mais voilà, c'est un certain Lucio Fulci qui réalise. Et le cinéma, le Fulci, c'est clairement son truc. En fait, avec "L'Enfer Des Zombies", et à la suite certes de Romero, il va même tout simplement édifier les codes d'usage de ce genre de films. Car chaque plan, chaque cadrage, est un modèle du genre. Fulci a le bon coup d’œil et sait comment pointer et diriger une caméra. Il n'y a pas forcément beaucoup de budget pour ce film mais l'équipe autour de Fulci va réaliser en outre des prouesses concernant les maquillages et les effets spéciaux (tout mécaniques à l'époque et c'est rien de dire que c'est terriblement bien foutu). Certaines séquences sont très marquantes visuellement et resteront à jamais gravées dans la mémoire du spectateur. L'impact visuel de ce film est donc énorme. On peut noter enfin que la musique, qui pourrait également sembler elle-aussi bien cheap, sert idéalement le propos du film d'un thème lancinant et lugubre tout simple, à la manière des Italiens Goblin, un certain savoir-faire certain (oui, les deux, c'est redondant mais c'est ça). Grand fan de cinéma, Fulci fomente un délicieux final façon western mais il n'y aura pas de cavalerie pour venir en aide au fort assiégé. Qui est ici une église transformée en hôpital de fortune, le tout situé sur une île perdue au bout du monde. Car si Romero condamne notre société et si ses zombies sont dues aux dérives scientifiques, point d'explication rationnelle chez Lucio Fulci qui nous renvoie clairement aux mythes vaudous. Son film est donc également exotique même si le début et la fin se passent tous deux à New York: un bateau fantôme sur fond de Statue de la Liberté au début et le pont de Brooklyn pris d'assaut par les hordes de zombies à la fin. Manière de boucler la boucle d'un film sublimement maîtrisé d'un bout à l'autre. Et si ce film reste comme un modèle, un mètre-étalon, c'est qu'il possède en outre un petit plus que peu de films du genre peuvent se targuer de proposer, soit une poésie macabre et mortifère qui suinte constamment de la pelloche et qui est bien la vision d'un cinéaste singulier. Cet état de fait est de toute façon présent dans les meilleurs films de Lucio Fulci comme "L'Au-delà". Et "L'Enfer Des Zombies", clairement, fait bien partie de ses meilleurs films. Un must. D'autant que la version restaurée en Blu-ray est de toute beauté. Putride, oui, mais beauté quand-même. Une sorte de "Amour, Gore Et Beauté" donc, pour le coup.

Zombie no es un filme de una gran producción, por ello es de reconocer el cuidado que pusieron a la restauración, sobre todo en lo que concierne a la imagen, se ven detalles nítidos y correcciones de luz en varias escenas de las cuales incluso pueden verse algunos artefactos de maquillaje, tal vez en ese sentido no juegue un papel totalmente favorable ya que la falta de claridad en formatos anteriores disimulaba esos detalles pero aún así jamás se ha visto mejor. El audio es claro y probablemente lo que mejor suena son los balazos y la música, esto es mucho ya que hay que considerar los recursos limitados de la producción y el hecho de que casi todas las voces fueron dobladas. De extras incluye trailers, anuncios de radio y TV, galería de imágenes, audio comentario con uno de los protagonistas y una introducción de Guillermo Del Toro. Sobre la película me llama la atención la forma en la que los zombies son presentados (en contraste con los zombies de George Romero o de las interminables versiones de series y películas actuales), lucen más serios, inexpresivos, casi como fantasmas, pero al mismo tiempo con un toque de más crueldad y sadismo cuando van sobre sus víctimas.

Now obviously you have heard the stories about this film from first being released in the 1970s in the cinema, deemed so strong and gruesome that they had to hand out sick bags (within good reason too) then the BBFC got hold of it, Banned it for years and then released it cut to ribbons. Then in the 2000s they re-released it uncut but still shaving a couple of secs from it, Now the new generation has reared its head from the grave and Arrow has re-released this vintage horror classic, FULLY UNCUT with a fantastic new transfer. If you want to see how the film originally looked, check out the original trailer that was used for the Vipco release, BIG DIFFERENCE! The film actually looks very crisp and there is an occasional grain but that to me adds to the film. I'm sure you know the story of the actual film so i don't need to explain that. The zombies are genuinely creepy and scary unlike nowadays, The skull like covers covered in maggots and worms sends shiver down your spine and how relentless they are to get their next meal is chilling. No matter what happens, they just keep moving towards their target, even the ones that can't see their prey. Walking like they are in ancient slumber until they get their target and their voracious appetite proves they are a force to be reckoned. The gruesome special effects are amazing considering this was a rip off of Dawn of the Dead, but somehow better what was shown in George A. Romero's horror masterpiece and Zombie Flesheaters (originally called just Zombie) is as much a masterpiece as Dawn of the Dead. It's done right and and to think the only really cheesy moment was the topless diving that leads to one of the films numerous and notoriously remembered scenes. Word of advice, anyone coming to this for the first time, BE WARNED this is definitely not for the squeamish or faint hearted and also don't watch this after eating. It's gory, it's gruesome and it's a great movie. Also if this movie doesn't make your blood run cold then believe me the ending will. Zombie Flesheaters look amazing on Blu-ray and easily worthy of any horror fans collection, just remember to have a bucket next to you!