Revenge of the Dead (1983)

Stefano, a young journalist, buys a used typewriter and accidentally sees that some text is still readable on the ribbon. He manages to reconstruct the story of a scientist, Paolo Zeder, ... See full summary »

Director:

Pupi Avati

Writers:

Pupi Avati (story), Pupi Avati (screenplay)

Stars:

Gabriele Lavia, Anne Canovas, Paola Tanziani

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Gabriele Lavia	...	Stefano
Anne Canovas	...	Alessandra
Paola Tanziani	...	Gabriella Goodman
Cesare Barbetti	...	Dr. Meyer
Bob Tonelli	...	Mr. Big
Ferdinando Orlandi	...	Giovine - faux Don Luigi
Enea Ferrario	...	Mirko
John Stacy	...	Professor Chesi
Alex Partexano	...	Police Lt. Guido Silvestri (as Alessandro Partexano)
Marcello Tusco	...	Doctor Melis
Aldo Sassi	...	Don Mario
Veronica Moriconi	...	Young Gabriella
Enrico Ardizzone	...	Benni
Maria Teresa Tofano	...	Anna
Andrea Montuschi	...	Inspector Bouffet

Storyline

Stefano, a young journalist, buys a used typewriter and accidentally sees that some text is still readable on the ribbon. He manages to reconstruct the story of a scientist, Paolo Zeder, who in the 1950's discovered that some types of terrain have the power to revive the dead that are buried in them. Stefano's investigations bring him in contact with a group of renegade scientists that are still making experiments to prove Zeder's theories.

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Plot Keywords:

lovecraftian | typewriter | writer | secret | reanimation | 

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Taglines:

One man's search for an ancient secret...and the dead will rise from their graves!

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Genres:

Horror | Mystery

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

The abandoned building in the later scenes is the Colonia Varese hotel complex in Milano Marittima, Italy. Opened as a fascist-era holiday complex in 1938, it closed two years later after the outbreak of World War II. After being used as a prison and hospital for Germany troops, lay abandoned since the 1950s, and at the time of writing (2019) is still standing.

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Goofs

When first victim is on the autopsy table, she can be seen breathing very clearly.

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Connections

Featured in The K-Factor (2017)

User Reviews

Stephen King Ripped Off This Plot!

Avati's 'Zeder' is true maturity when reflecting on the Italian horror genre. This film does't deliver close-up shots of pig entrails, nor does it steal cannibal stock footage to liven up the pace. Instead, it relays a story that was conceived by a genius, and allows the viewer to piece together the puzzle in his or her mind. The old marketing campaign, which displayed a decaying zombie exploding over a sewer drain, was definitely used to lure in sales and deceive buyers. This was no fault of the producers or director, but of typical American greedy distributors. If your the type to not judge a book by its cover, you may find a gem. Besides, anyone that sees this film as being 'pointless', 'dull' and so on should probably stay watching Speilburg Hollywood Schlock! Oh yeah, have you noticed this film's plot is similar to that of King's 'Pet Semetary'? Many speculate one may have plagiarized the other. In truth, Avati filmed and released his product over a year before King wrote his book. This film is a thinking man's horror film. Check out Avati's House with laughing Windows if you like Zeder.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Italy]

Country:

Italy France

Language:

Italian English

Release Date:

January 1985 (USA)

Also Known As:

Revenge of the Dead

Filming Locations:

Ferrara, Ferrara, Emilia-Romagna, Italy

Box Office

Budget:

ITL500,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

A.M.A. Film, RAI Radiotelevisione Italiana

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1