Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A guilty pleasure..........., 22 Mar 2005
Okay, first of all this is a Lucio Fulci zombie film - if you've never heard of Lucio Fulci chances are you'll be bemused/appalled/bored by this. But for those of us with a taste for cheesy Italian 80's splatter this is indeed a guilty pleasure. Made back in the early 80's when Zombie movies were all the rage after the success of the original 'Dawn of the Dead', it's finally available uncut (previous versions were cut to bits by the BBFC) in all of it's gory detail. Plot wise it's loosely based on the work of HP Lovecraft (very loosley!) but to be honest it's the usual incoherent mess livened up by the occassional gruesome scene. The infamous 'head drilling' scene in particular is a real show stopper - they really don't make 'em like this anymore! Fans of Fulci will claim that the illogical plot adds to the dreamlike quality of the film - that probably makes perfect sense late at night after several strong beers and a kebab, which to be honest is the best way to enjoy this kind of film. Picture quality is average - VIPCO are to be commended for digging out obscure previously banned horror/exploitation titles like this, but one thing they don't seem to be bothered with is picture or sound quality. I belive there is a far superior region 1 Anchor Bay version out there for those that want to import. So in summary well worth checking out if Italian zombie gore is your thing (come on, you know who you are!.....). By the way, if you like this check out 'The Beyond' - in my opinion Fulci's finest (yes, even better that Zombie Flesh Eaters.......).
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
One Of Lucio Fulci's Best, 8 Feb 2009
Written and directed by the Italian horror master Lucio Fulci comes "City Of The Living Dead." A horror film that was released in 1981 and previously banned, the film was quickly considered to be a video nasty and it's status is still refereed to such among horror fans to this day.
The film follows a young woman who has a vision foretelling the gates of hell opening under the New England town of Dunwich. She voices her concerns to a journalist and the pair set out together for the town, where a lot of strange things have been happening. They soon discover an army of zombies that have returned with a quest for revenge after being burned at the stake hundreds of years ago.
As usual with most of Lucio Fulci's horror films, the City Of The Living Dead offers a vast volume of stomach turning gore and horror. While a lot of his films were considered at the time to be simple exploitation and generally slatted by film critics, a great number of his films including this one are considered to be among his best by hardcore horror fans, and I personally would agree.
For me horror films such as this, always seem to come across as more realistic and plausible when compared to modern films. Perhaps it's the lack of computer effects, the low budget, or the fact that the actors (while not always the greatest) always seemed to be very real. Whatever the reason I always have prefer pre-1990's horror films.
City Of The Living Dead has a great atmosphere present throughout the film, which when combined with the appropriate and effective sound track generates a feel that's perfect for a horror. The effects and make-up used in the film are great and would still hold up today even after all this time. It's obvious that a lot of imagination and creativity has been put in to the creation of the Zombies. There are a couple of great scenes in the film that will really make your stomach turn, and looking back it's possible to tell that they may have inspired more modern film makers.
Naturally I could point out plenty of errors and mistakes, and the plot is a little thin. Certain things don't make sense, certain things don't add up, but in the end does any horror film make complete sense, but more to the point would you want it too. The acting leaves a lot to be desired, and the script is far from perfect, but the sheer atmosphere alone is enough to compensate. Dunwich really seems like a creepy town as opposed to a set.
Despite claiming to be Digitally Remastered, the picture and sound quality on the DVD, isn't the greatest (not much better than the VHS edition) which was a real shame considering the film's status. However my biggest disappointment was discovering that the dubbing is also very poor at times. In this particular case I think I would have preferred the original spoken language with subtitles.
But what counts the most in a film like this is the gore, and there is plenty of it here.
If you're looking for a brutal gore packed and entertaining horror film you've found it. City Of The Living Dead is a perfect example of what the horror genre is about.
Please note that there are several versions of this film available to buy on DVD. Some of these versions are cut, so make sure if you want the gore, and you want to watch the film the way that the film maker intended to get the uncut version.
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12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
More extras than the R1 disc. But, all in all, not worth it, 25 Mar 2002
By A Customer
Seeing as most people who have heard of this film have already seen it and/or read the synopsis, let me get down to business and explain about the new uncut R2 DVD release from the ever despicable Vipco label.
First of all: some words about the DVD. The picture quality is in 1.85:1 widescreen (but not anamorphic), and generally worse than the R1 disc. The image looks dark and scratchy, there are visible white lines in between the image and the black bars, and on occasion I could see - please, God no!!! - flickering white lines, like you get on VHS playback. I doubt it was, but knowing Vipco, who can tell. The sound is in mono (as opposed to the R1's splendid DD5.1 mix), plus it's very muffly and at times can leave you straining to hear.
The only saving grace on this disc is the audio commentary from actress Catriona MacColl and the ever-busy interviewer Jason Slater. But even though it is quite entertaining to listen to, Slater is clutching at straws trying to think of what questions to say to MacColl, who herself is ill at ease with this movie, admits she doesn't care for it, and barely describes or relates to what's happening on screen. It seems so different as opposed to the marvellous commentary she recorded with the late, great David Warbeck for Anchor Bay's DVD release of "The Beyond".
Personally, I don't like this disc, and I wished that Anchor Bay picked the commentary up for their R1 release, because this Vipco disc just refuses to do the film any justice. If you're curious, give it a go (but keep the receipt).
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