The Great Re-Watch vol. 2 - Zombie

I promise that not all of these Great Re-Watch movies will be about zombies, but don't tempt me!

My second look back at one of my all time favorites is Lucio Fulci's Zombie (1979). Zombie is the gateway drug of Italian horror. There's no sexy giallo thrillers or nightmare inspired terror films here, just a straight ahead, good ol' blood and guts horror movie. The movie was intended as an illegitimate Italian sequel to George Romero's Dawn of the Dead, which was released in Italy as Zombi (sporting an alternate cut by producer Dario Argento aimed at a more visceral, less talky, horror/action feel for the European audience). This cut of Dawn was a huge hit overseas, so everyone wanted to jump into the walking dead game. When Argento found out about Fulci's film, he sued the producers. The result is the alternate title for European markets, Zombie 2: Flesh Eaters. This films other big claim to fame is being on the top of the UK's Video Nasty list - which meant it was banned for decades and its infamy made it even more alluring for gorehounds everywhere.

Zombie is the story of a search for a scientist from New York who has gone to the island of Matul to help his friend, Dr. Manard, to investigate a strange disease that has infected the natives. The scientist's daughter teams up with an eager reporter to travel to the island and find out why her father's boat has returned to New York without him. Along the way they befriend a couple that owns a boat and are vacationing around the islands. When the four of them finally arrive in Matul, they discover that the dead are returning to life and attacking the living. The only explanation seems to be voodoo and there seems to be no way to bring this nightmare to an end.

Unlike Romero's vision of the undead, Fulci and his crew have created a mythos that admits ancient superstitions may be real and evil is not always at the hands of mankind. We still aren't sure why the dead walk, but pollution, radiation, overpopulation and other man-made evils do not seem to be the cause here. Another big difference between the two directors' films are the look of the zombies. Fulci's film makes Dawn of the Dead recently deceased look clean-cut. These zombies have been diseased before they died and now they are nasty, decaying derelicts dressed in rags and covered in maggots.

Fulci's Zombie also comes from a long line of Italian exploitation, B-movie cinema. There are gross-out scenes that involve massive zombie feasts, absurd battles with sharks and random nude scuba divers, extended shower scenes and one very memorable splinter that leads to a character's demise. Italy loves its splatter almost as much as it loves naked women in their movies and Fulci doesn't shy away from anything.

So why do I love this film? While it may feel absolutely absurd from start to finish, the world of the movie takes itself very seriously. There are so many moments that feel natural and realistic. In the church that has become a make-shift sick ward, we watch the doctor and his aides try to save the lives of the islanders. In the bloody, nasty chaos the sick slowly become the dead and then eventually the undead. The illness ravages them as flies circle their beds. The world is sweaty, dirty, gritty and so are the people. As opposed to the trained SWAT team members of Dawn, this rag-tag crew of survivors must learn to fight for their lives...and sometimes they aren't very good at it. It is realism and surreal all at the same time.

This is a film populated by outstanding make-up and special effects that look so different from how American horror films at the time looked, There is a DIY aesthetic that has impressive results. And of course I love that the film bookends itself with these wonderful moments in New York City to bring everything full circle...and the perfectly iconic (and extremely illegal in a "we don't need no stinkin' permits" kinda way) image that shows the dead crossing the Brooklyn Bridge. Zombie is also filled with some amazing music that brings tension and atmosphere throughout the movie.

On a very last note I want to tip my hat to the Red Shirt Productions and Blue Underground Distribution teams for creating a brand new batch of extras for this Blu-ray special edition. There are interviews with so many of the important people who made Zombie as great as it is. There are make-up and effects artists, production designers, producers, writers and composers who each had a major impact in making this classic film. There is even a short interview with Fulci's daughter talking about her late father's legacy. But my favorite is the look at the fans of the film and how the actors feel about the lasting impact of the movie.

Ok. Enough gushing for this week. Basically I am saying that this may not be a movie for everyone, but for many of us out there this is a true classic.

Zombie on imdb.com

The Great Re-Watch vol. 1 - Dawn of the Dead (1978)

In honor of the Halloween season and my desire to re-watch some of the films that I truly love, I am starting a new sidebar on this blog. The Great Re-Watch will be me going back to some of the genre films that have had a big impact on my life. In some cases, the reviews will be for new editions on Blu-ray, so I will be sure to let you know about all the extras.

It is only fitting for me to start this initiative with the modern classic that shaped many of the horror movies that came after it - at least the good ones. Dawn of the Dead (1978) is George A. Romero's classic zombie tale of survival in the modern society of American commercialism. This film is possibly where Romero because an auteur. While he made history with Night of the Living Dead (1968) and found his own voice with Martin (1977), Dawn was a break-thru which had audience appeal even with an X rating. Also, while Night was the film that created modern horror as we think of it, you must remember that it was an experiment by a group of media professionals to see if working together they could make a full length film, so it was art by committee. Martin, Romero's excellent take on the modern vampire, on the other hand, was a Romero picture that clearly showed his style and flair, but it didn't find an audience till years later on home video. Dawn was Romero's first real success and the people found it in the theaters even without a big ad campaign or commercial support.

So what made Dawn of the Dead so special? It was gritty, dark and didn't shy away from the blood and gore, but at the same time it had realistic characters who we come to know and relate to. Also the film has a sense of satire that ran a bit deeper than one would expect from your average horror flick. Romero has gone on record many times about the rather clear message that the consumerist society that America was reveling in during the 1970s, would be our own downfall. Once our heroes get to the mall, they find us, the American public - zombies spending our hard earned money on things that in the end are useless. The film also pokes fun at the gung ho, military nature, especially in the hick confines of the middle of the country, that enjoy disasters and war so that they can be seen as macho saviors. On top of all that deep thought, the film still stays true to its action, scares and a healthy sense of humor.

Now that I have gotten off my soapbox of genre film history, let's talk about this edition of the film. I am sitting down with the 2007 Blu-ray from Starz/Anchor Bay. The first thing I noticed was that the commentary tracks and featurettes are the same as the Ultimate Edition DVD box set from Anchor Bay. I chose to watch the movie with the pop-up video style trivia. There were some good notes and even a few I hadn't heard before, but the text tended to go away too fast and I had to either rewind or pause in order to read some of the trivia. A few of these pop-ups are obviously in the wrong spots and one had a mistake that was rather obvious to fans about the handyman zombie that attacks Roger in Penny's. A huge plus is that this is definitely the clearest and cleanest transfer of the film that I have ever seen. It makes the picture and colors pop. The only downfall of all this clarity is that much of the film was shot handheld by Michael Gornick and because of that technique there are moments when the focus is blurry. High Def images make the out of focus shots more obvious. But overall the film still looks great.

So why do I love this movie so much? What I always fall in love with on George Romero's movies is the immense character development. His films tend to be rather lengthy, but that is because we need to know these people if we are going to care about them enough to follow them on an adventure. It is his glimpses into the humanity and realism of his characters that make them special. A great example of this comes very early in Dawn of the Dead. When our four heroes are getting ready to take off in their helicopter there are groups of other cops and emergency workers that are also getting ready to leave. One of them, a very quirky guy, is going from group to group asking if anyone has cigarettes. Fran and Roger say no, but the minute they are up in the air, we watch as they light up...and Peter takes this all in with a broad smile. Just like us, he is getting to know the rest of his party. Once we get on the road, the audience gets to see Roger, Peter and even Steven start to become friends as they work and live together. Another great moment is when Fran makes it clear to the guys that she does not intend to be a damsel in distress for them to protect. She wants to learn how to use a gun, fly the copter and be in on any decision making. Just like the consumerist zombies in the mall below her, Fran is a sign of the times. Welcome to the women of the 1970s and the feminist movement...like it or not. All of these moments makes them realistic people to me and make me care more than I would when watching normal horror films. I care about them and become invested in their survival. This is why Dawn, and all of Romero's best films, are important to me.

So have I blathered on long enough about this modern masterpiece that I love? And I could probably talk about it all day if you let me. I haven't even touched on the awesome score by Italian prog-rockers Goblin, the revolutionary special effects by maestro Tom Savini or the blistering commentary on the effects of media on society. The moral of the story is this: If you haven't seen the original Dawn of the Dead (not the mediocre 2004 remake), than you need to watch it now. Buy it, rent it, stream it...do whatever you have to do, but enjoy this Halloween season with the real reason that the world cares about zombies, not The Walking Dead, but the groundbreaking, 1978 classic, Dawn of the Dead!

Dawn of the Dead on IMDB.com