Rish's Reviews
A couple of years ago, I rented this little gem for the site and there was a defect with the cassette, causing my VCR to eat the tape. I threw away the partial review and it was another year or so before we reviewed any Fulci films on the HFC. But I got a call from a friend the other day inviting me to come over and watch "Zombie Flesh Eaters" with him. Not recognising the name, I was surprised to discover that it was Zombie at long last.
It was also strange to be watching it with someone who knew more about this type of movie than I did. My friend explained how the dubbing was done and what certain cast members went on to do. It was interesting.
So, a boat drifts up to the New York coast, containing an honest to badness zombie! In a semi-related subplot, we meet Ann (played by Tisa Farrow, who reminded me a little of Mia Farrow, even before my friend said she was her sister), whose father was a scientist she hasn't heard from in too long (turns out he's dead). Ann hooks up with Peter, a reporter, and they travel to the Carribean in search of answers. Turns out there's an island where a plague is turning the locals into flesh-hungry zombies! There's a scientist there, desperate for a cure, but sorry kids, it just ain't coming.
I'm no fan of Lucio Fulci. I am certain, as certain as I am Jennifer Lopez is hot, that he's burning in Hell as we speak. But the guy has a following. And there were moments in this film that were pretty darn cool.
The dubbing was, as usual, pretty bad. My friend told me that often the actors deliver their lines in whatever language they speak, and it's all dubbed over later, which is why it sometimes looks like they're speaking English and other times doesn't look like it. That was interesting. Characters did pretty unbelievable things, but since they usually die a dog's death soon after, I guess that can be forgiven. The shrieking, bile-spewing wife of the scientist gets on your nerves, but she doesn't deserve to die in the way she does. Does anyone?
The movie was, as should be no surprise to any of you, quite gory. The infamous eye-piercing scene was as disgusting as I remembered (and my friend precluded it by saying, "You, uh, might want to put down your pizza for a minute"). Also, maggots are gross, in case you didn't know.
It included a great deal of nudity as well, including your typical shower sequence, and a totally gratuitous topless scuba diving scene (not something I see every day).
The other famous scene, where a zombie fights a live shark underwater was absolutely amazing. I still don't know how they did it. And you know what? I don't want to know. The ending was quite nice, with a disturbing, thought-provoking, high-budget shot that was sort of aped in the recent video game movie Resident Evil.
One thing I love about these Italian horror flicks is that they invariably have half a dozen titles. This one is also known as Island of the Flesh Eaters, The Dead Are Among Us, Island of the Living Dead, the aforementioned Zombie Flesh Eaters, and Zombi 2 as it was touted as a sequel to Dawn of the Dead, known as Zombi in Italy. Apparently, this was an extended international cut, as it was much lengthier (and duller) than I remember the tape being.
This wasn't a bad flick. Sure, there were some scenes that were terribly long and boring, but on the whole, I found it pretty entertaining and quite disturbing. I don't know, this may be Fulci's most coherent and successful film. It's not great, and nowhere near as professional, powerful, or satisfying as Romero's films, but it's worth a viewing by curious fans of the genre.