I finally got around to seeing Zombie 2

[sandrock74]

That was an...odd film.

It was weird watching a dubbed in film, but (at least some) of the people were speaking english anyway. Because of that, it gave this...unique feel to the entirety of the movie. I won't discuss any spoilers about it, in case I wasn't the last on the board to see it. I hate to be the guy who gives everything away.

Anyway, the beginning was interesting, but then the film hits a very slow pace (to me at least) and drags a bit until the action picks up on the island. The ending is done nicely, to set up its supposed lead into Dawn of the Dead (in Italy anyway, if you look at this as a sequel/prequel to Dawn, as it was billed there). It would explain where the whole zombie plague originates and how it reached america, which would set up Dawn. Of course, you'd have to ignore Night of the Living Dead and that's just whacky :eek:

I watched it for free, since I had always heard about it and had never actually seen it. I would recommend it for anyone who is a completist, as this can be viewed as a an alternate reality explanation of things. Would I recommend it as a purchase or rental? No. At least not now, while the economy is bad and money is tight. ;) It's nowhere near as poor as Children of the Living Dead, but it's not great either.

Of course, it seems like everyone else has already seen it, so I'd be interested in knowing what the rest of you thought.

[DubiousComforts]

That was an...odd film.
It's not a sequel to Dawn of the Dead although the producers tried very hard to make audiences believe so. In reality, it's wholly unrelated to Romero's magnum opus. It was actually written as an adventure film when the producers noticed the huge amounts of cash being raked in by the Italian distributor of Zombi, so they simply added zombies to the story which explains the slow pacing.

You really had to see this in 1980 when the film was released theatrically for it to make any sense. Zombie was notorious for its gore which was way over the top when compared to most other horror films at that time. The scenes filmed in New York City made it seem like a TV cop drama gone awry.

I actually saw this film prior to seeing Dawn of the Dead because at the time, I was well under the age restriction to see either film, but the theater that showed Zombie was really lax in enforcing the rules as opposed to the theaters screening Dawn which were really strict.

Given all the frontal nudity which was tough to come by pre-home video era, my underage friend and I were happier than hogs in shit. This is what real grindhouse cinema was all about back in the day--not the Tarantino nonsense.

[Mr.G]

It's a film every zombie fan needs to see. It's not a paticular favorite of mine but it IS included in my dvd collection.

The gore is good given the time period but IMO the movie drags.

[krakenslayer]

The pacing is typical of European movies on the 1970s and 80s. In fact, it moves relatively quickly for a spaghetti horror film - most of the these movies are sloooow. You can't really hold that against it though, you have to remember that the film-making scene in Italy at the time (and to some extent today) was a very different aesthetic and artistic climate compared to Hollywood and the US. Whereas in America things like narrative, drama, character and fluid action were considered the most important aspects of a film, the Italians were more interested in atmosphere, visual themes and memorable set-pieces. These films were never intended to be pulse-pounding, quick-paced action films; they are better viewed with the mindset you'd use while watching slow-burning Hitchcockian horror-thrillers.

[octo7]

this movie has so many titles i get confused. was this the one where the chick gets her head shoved into a piece of broken glass that sticks in her eye? Fulci ?

[capncnut]

this movie has so many titles i get confused. was this the one where the chick gets her head shoved into a piece of broken glass that sticks in her eye? Fulci ?
Yup. Classic flick.

[octo7]

Yeah i need to add that to my DVD collection, first time is saw it was about 5 years ago and lets just say i was under the influence of more than just alcohol at the time, eyeball scene freaked me out!

[krakenslayer]

this movie has so many titles i get confused. was this the one where the chick gets her head shoved into a piece of broken glass that sticks in her eye? Fulci ?

Yeah, it's actually a splinter of wood from one of those 70s style slatted wooden doors, which is somehow even more painful looking.

[octo7]

yeah i covered my eyes despite being a grizzled veteran of extreme movies. another memorable extreme scene from Fulci was the drill scene in City of the Living Dead

[Bone Daddy]

It's requisite viewing for any serious Zombie fan. ;)

[octo7]

i downloaded it and watched it again this evening, some of the best zombies ever in a movie, especially the one that comes out of the ground with the worms in his eye-sockets. and i forgot how awesome the zombie vs. shark scene is!

[MoonSylver]

The pacing is typical of European movies on the 1970s and 80s. In fact, it moves relatively quickly for a spaghetti horror film - most of the these movies are sloooow. You can't really hold that against it though, you have to remember that the film-making scene in Italy at the time (and to some extent today) was a very different aesthetic and artistic climate compared to Hollywood and the US. Whereas in America things like narrative, drama, character and fluid action were considered the most important aspects of a film, the Italians were more interested in atmosphere, visual themes and memorable set-pieces. These films were never intended to be pulse-pounding, quick-paced action films; they are better viewed with the mindset you'd use while watching slow-burning Hitchcockian horror-thrillers.

This. Kraken nails it right here. I loves me some Zombie, Gates of Hell, & the Beyond...as well as Hell of the Living Dead, Burial Ground:the Nights of Terror, Nightmare City.

[octo7]

I thought gates of hell (city of the living dead) was good but more so for comedic purposes. Zombie 3 (Zombie Flesheaters 2) was absolute garbage. I did like House by the Cemetary and Beyond.

[krakenslayer]

Love Zombi 2.

Wasn't a big fan of The House By the Cemetary. It was dull, dull, dull.

City of the Living Dead was good Fulci fun, but the ending pissed me off.

Zombi 3 was hilariously bad, but Fulci only directed about half of the movie (and his style came across as disinterested even in those scenes), and the rest was directed by Claudio "Troll 2" Fragasso and Bruno "Rats: Night of Terror" Mattei, so the film is all over the place.

The Beyond was awesome, and wide open to interpretation... Did they go to hell at the end? Or was The Beyond actually a sort of purgatory/sanctuary into which the main characters escaped as the rest of the town was sucked into torment

and also because of this scene:

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:D

[octo7]

I am gonna watch Beyond tonight :D although i have watched way too many zombie movies in the last week. its like my annual zombie revival.

It makes so much sense that the guy who did Troll 2 did part of Zombie 3 because they are both the worst movies i have ever seen.

[triste realtà]

If the disc doesn't arrive broken, I should be seeing Troll 2 sometime later this week. I actually fear for my sanity.:stunned:

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It turns out Fulci was a hack. Zombie was his first full on horror movie from the looks of his filmography and he didn't even bother reading the scripts for his movies as told by Fred "the Hammer" Williamson in this interview:

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(I hope that's the right part, should be near the end of the clip).

And that's why they make no sense.

I did like Demonia a lot though, and lots of people say it sucks. I am thinking about getting some other Fulci horror made at that time.

[MissJacksonCA]

Zombie 2 and Zombie 3 are so good you ave to own them to appreciate their awesomeness over and over. I felt 3 was better but meh...

I'm not a big fan of Italian horror but this is a cult classic and fugginawesome. Thats all one word.

I'm not quoting anyone here but I think Zombie 2 was told to me to be a sequel to Dawn of the Dead even though it had no relation to George's films but hey... the film stands on its own and has one of the greatest horror movie scenes of all time.

I'm not sure why but the zombie movies remind me of the re-animator films... hm :annoyed:

[fulci fan]

Fulci is a god. He made some of the best films in history. He did some films for the money and that is why he may have not been prepared or even cared about following the script. I can tell you that he cared for his horror and giallo films very much. Fulci's films are supposed to impact people on a deeper level than american directors but viewers dismiss them as not making sense.:rant: Fulci's films also put some hair on your chest. :)

[octo7]

I think Fulci was hit and miss dude. I loved zombie 2 and the beyond but i have seen some schlock from him too. don't torture the duckling was great as well. wasn't crazy about the new york ripper, city of the living dead was ruined by bad editing and zombie 3 just sucked (although probably not his fault)