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have a revolving policy when it comes to movie reviews.
Depending on the movie in question, I will adjust my review parameters
appropriately. Why do I do this? Because I wouldn't dream of looking at a
subgenre film (such as a Zombies Attack movie) the same way as I would a normal,
mainstream film. The two are different beasts, and to judge both with the same
criteria is foolish and a mistake. Which brings us to Zombie, a movie in
the subgenre of Zombies Attack films The director of Zombie is an
Italian director name Lucio Fulci, who I have heard a lot about, but whose
movies I have never had the pleasure of watching. In a way, I guess you could
call Fulci the Italian George Romero (he of Night of the Living Dead and
other Zombies Attack movies fame), in that both men really came into
international attention as the director of Zombies Attack films, but eventually
branched off into more mainstream fare.
Zombie opens with a seemingly empty yacht appearing
in New York Harbor, where it is immediately boarded by the Coast Guard for
inspection. Upon boarding the ghost yacht, one cop is killed by what looks like
a zombie. The boat, we learn, belongs to a scientist who has disappeared months
ago to do some research on a faraway island. The scientist's daughter, Ann (Tisa
Farrow) is determined to find out what happened to her dad. With the help of
intrepid reporter Peter West (Ian McCulloch), the two sets off for the island,
where they encounter another doctor and his wife and a small staff under siege
by zombies! Is it voodoo magic that is making the dead walk? Or is it some
unnatural scientific experiment? Better yet, does anyone care why there are
zombies?
I do not recommend Zombie for anyone who isn't a fan
of Zombies Attack movies. If you think Romero's Night of the Living Dead
does not qualify for "movie classic" status, then you should veer as
far away from Zombie as possible, because the only people who will see
the genius of this movie are those that can look at Night of the Living Dead
and compare it to Citizen Kane. Zombie is a fine film that starts
very slow (is even a tad boring), but immediately becomes dangerous, bloody, and
the goriest film I've seen in a long time once the characters reach the island
in question.
Perhaps the thing that impresses me most about Zombie
is the make-up. The zombie make-up is incredible, and you can almost smell
the disgusting stench of the zombies as they rise up slowly from the ground,
their faces infested with worms and gaping wounds. This is not the kind of movie
you watch before going to dinner; in fact, you should only watch this movie if
you plan on not eating anything for the next 5 hours, because this movie will
make you lose your appetite. I have seen too many horror/gore movies to count,
but even so I flinched at some of the scenes here, so consider yourself adequately
warned.
The acting? What acting? Although I did like the fact that
the zombie victims were adults. Those with short movie memory will be surprised
to know that before the '80s and '90s, horror movies were mostly about adults
being terrorized. This might be a shocker to some of the horror fans of the '90s
and the millennium, which are only used to seeing teenyboppers and 20-somethings
running from masked slashers and zombies. Yes, Virginia, there was a time when
adults were the only ones who were stalked by the undead.
My oh my oh my can Lucio Fulci direct! Despite the
constraints of 1979 and what is probably a modest budget, the film looks
fantastic (with the New York scenes being somewhat subpar). Not only does Fulci
showcase an array of camera angles, but the man has an amazing ability to
capture the action with what seems to be spontaneous camera swivels and pans.
Not only are the zombie kills spectacular (one in particular involving a woman
and a piece of broken, jagged wood), but also Fulci has a great sense of when
and when not to use longshots. Oh, and did I mention Zombie features the
first-ever zombie vs. shark fight sequence? I kid you not. A zombie actually takes
on a shark under the sea -- and wins!
Zombie is an extraordinarily good zombie film, and
surprised me with its excellent photography, kill scenes, gore, and a music
score that is so simple and yet captures the mood perfectly. It's an all-around
good film -- with a slow start, a great build-up middle, and an intense Third
Act.
Although you should keep in mind that Lucio Film films and
dinner do not go together.
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