Starring: Tisa Farrow, Ian McCulloch, Richard Johnson, Al Cliver, Auretta Gay, Olga Karlatos.
Director: Lucio Fulci.
One more film to cap off Fulci day here on the "My Year Of Horror Blog." Obviously, it would have to be the one Fulci is arguably the most famous for: his Dawn Of The Dead exploiting Zombie. I've always felt this movie to be rather over-rated, but it's been awhile since I've watched it. It ended up with that weird underground reputation...I remember talking to a guy at a bar many, many years ago who, when told that I was a huge horror buff, scoffed at my "horror fandom" because I had yet to see Zombie. Like, it was some sort of underground benchmark of fandom. But, I won't hold that very irritating encounter against the film.
I love the score to Zombie. That heartbeat pulse with synth-pop beats over it...it's pretty great.
Fulci puts his first real death scene against the backdrop of the New York skyline, and it looks great. Two cops taking on a zombie on a small boat against the shining backdrop of commerce and society, making the whole thing feeling incredibly small and isolated...it's probably the most mature moment I've seen Fulci provide tonight.
Well, lady, that timeline doesn't work: You haven't seen him in a month, haven't spoken to him in three since he left the country? Shouldn't that be reversed? Tisa Farrow is no Catriona MacColl. Not that Tisa is bad, she isn't, but...oh, Catriona. I miss you so, my love.
I actually really love the "Pretend we're dysfunctional lovers" plan of getting off the boat without further Police problems. Anne takes to the deception really well: it's a rather clever and funny scene, truth be told.
Mrs.Menard...threatening to out the evil plans of your evil husband while on an isolated island with no hope of getting off is a good way to get yourself murdered. Olga Karlatos is incredibly over-the-top and hysterical...it's an odd and off-putting performance choice.
Peter West may be among the most douchey seeming protagonists I've come across in horror. Something so smug and irritating about him.
Y'know, I actually think scuba diving without a shirt on would be very uncomfortable. Those straps across her bare breasts can't be super pleasant...but the one she has across her vaginal area is probably less comfortable. The underwater attack is well shot, as is the subsequent zombie/shark fight (even though more is made out of that sequence than it earns)...when paired with the score, there's a dreamlike quality to it, especially as the zombies underwater movements look very much like a dance. I think the most impressive thing about the sequence is that they had a Shark that could, y'know, act. Amazing what you can teach a fish. But I've always loved Sharks and felt that they got a bad wrap. More people died from taking selfies than Shark attacks.
I like how gradually and quietly the attack on Mrs.Menard comes on. She's walking through her villa, kinda milling about in a nightgown, and hears a noise. She locks some doors, hears some more noises...and then the attack begins, mostly with a zombie attempting to break down a door she's blocking. Because it's a tropical island and they apparently make everything out of bamboo, he obviously gets in.
Y'know, now that I think of it, Fulci movies don't have many girl zombies. They happen, but usually only with established female characters who become zombies. All the random walking dead are male. Just an interesting thing to note.
The slow push-in on Mrs. Menards eye and the general splinter scene...it's good stuff. It's probably the best shock moment that occurs in a Fulci film. It's a very intense sequence and probably colors Fulci's later obsession with eyes. Like a lot of other sequences...it's graphic and aggressive without feeling exploitive. It's fascinating the line he is capable of walking.
Things have kinda slowed down. I think we had a pretty good idea of what was going on without a lot of exposition, but we went for it anyway. I feel like, at the very least, our characters could be being pursued or something instead of milling about slowly.
Zombies coming out of the ground doesn't really make much sense considering the nature of their rising was described as being a drug that is injected into people's bodies. I know, I know, at this point I really shouldn't be nitpicking at the plot when we've fully established that Fulci doesn't give a shit about it...but it just stands out. It's clear that Fulci just wanted the imagery and...well, I guess that's fine. It does look pretty good, and we finally got another death.
If nothing else, Fulci makes things so...raw. There's this uncompromising, fearless direction that occurs in his films, possibly none so potent as Zombie. The photography is kind of sparse and matter-of-fact: he just shows you images and doesn't worry much about angles or lighting or trickery: he mostly relies on zooms and pans, if even that. Mostly just points and shoots.
I also admire this films explosive finale: lots of fire and stunt men and animatronics and gunshots. It's just so...big, even in a small setting. It quickly jumps back to intimacy, in a nice use of contrast, as Brian is bitten by a zombified Susan, and West then shoots her. It's a well executed moment. They should probably have gotten rid of Brian afterwards, though...nothing good was going to come of that. West isn't wrong that he provides proof, though...it was just wasn't a super intelligent move on their part is all. Not that it matters much: New York was pretty doomed already.
Final Thoughts: This is as raw as a film can get without becoming inept. As I said above, there's a sense of fearlessness to the whole affair, and it's very endearing even as the film kinda limps along at times and, as always, completely avoids any sort of traditional plot or narrative structure. It's better than I remember it being, even if I do still feel that it's reputation as an all-time great is a bit overstated. It's still a fun, aggressive little horror film, though.
Final Rating: Three Stars.
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