Zombie (1979)

Strangers searching for a young woman's missing father arrive at a tropical island where a doctor desperately seeks the cause and cure of a recent epidemic of the undead.

Director:

Lucio Fulci

Writer:

Elisa Briganti

Stars:

Tisa Farrow, Ian McCulloch, Richard Johnson

1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Tisa Farrow	...	Anne Bowles
Ian McCulloch	...	Peter West (as Ian Mc Culloch)
Richard Johnson	...	Dr. Menard
Al Cliver	...	Brian Hull
Auretta Gay	...	Susan Barrett
Stefania D'Amario	...	Nurse Clara - Menard's Assistant
Olga Karlatos	...	Mrs. Menard

Storyline

A zombie is found aboard a boat off the New York coast which belongs to a famous scientist. Peter West, a journalist, travels to the Antilles with Ann, the daughter of the scientist. On the way, they meet with Brian, an ethnologist, and Susan. When they arrive at Matul Island, they find Dr. Menard, and discover a terrifying disease which is turning the islanders into horrifying zombies which devour human flesh and seem indestructible..

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Plot Keywords:

tropical island | zombie | zombie outbreak | virus | end of the world | 

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Taglines:

If you loved 'Dawn of the Dead', you'll just eat up 'Zombie'!

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Genres:

Horror

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for horror violence/gore and nudity

Did You Know?

Trivia

Since there was no CGI at the time, and the production didn't have the budget for fancy animatronics, a real tiger shark was used for the infamous zombie vs shark fight scene. The tiger shark is one of the most dangerous shark species that exists, so the shark's trainer, Ramón Bravo, fed the shark right before filming as well as doping the shark up with sedatives.

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Goofs

While defending the hospital from hordes of zombies, Peter and Brian throw Molotov cocktails at the entrance. Despite throwing several that result in fireballs and flames, each time one is thrown the hospital entrance is clear of any flames.

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Quotes

[first lines]
[repeated line]
Dr. Menard: The boat can leave now. Tell the crew.

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Alternate Versions

The 91 minute, uncut version of this film finally passed the Australian film classification board (the OFLC) in February 2004, effectively ending the censorship of this title in Australia. It is to be released on DVD. Prior VHS video releases, on both the Starbase and Video Excellence labels, were heavily cut.

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Connections

Featured in Zombiethon (1986)

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Soundtracks

There's No Matter
(uncredited)
Composed by Fabio Frizzi, Franco Bixio, Vince Tempera, Vittorio Pezzolla
Performed by Linda Lee

User Reviews

The visuals are creepy and outstanding

The visuals are creepy and outstanding. The way the light and shadows reflect add so much to the movie. The gore is outstanding and will make any normal person want to turn away. Make sure you see this on DVD as I saw it on an old VHS and the dialog did not sync very will with the picture.

The style is absolutely amazing from the visuals to the synthesized soundtrack. I normally hate 70's sounding electronic music but this soundtrack really emphasizes the feeling of dread in this movie.

The final shots are hypnotizing and (as with all other zombie movies) even though the acting could have been better, the suspense of the finale makes this a movie I would recommend to any horror fan.

Details

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian

Release Date:

18 July 1980 (USA)

Also Known As:

Zombie 2: The Dead are Among Us

Filming Locations:

Studio Mafera, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Box Office

Budget:

ITL410,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Variety Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min 89 min (cut)

Sound Mix:

Mono Dolby Digital Dolby Atmos Dolby Surround 7.1

Color:

Color (Technicolor) (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1