Zombie 3 (1988)

When a terrorist's body, infected with a stolen chemical, is cremated by the US military, a virus is unintentionally released into the atmosphere over a small island.

Directors:

Lucio Fulci, Claudio Fragasso (uncredited)

Writers:

Claudio Fragasso (story), Claudio Fragasso (screenplay)

Stars:

Deran Sarafian, Beatrice Ring, Ottaviano Dell'Acqua

Cast

Cast overview:
Deran Sarafian	...	Kenny
Beatrice Ring	...	Patricia
Ottaviano Dell'Acqua	...	Roger (as Richard Raymond)
Massimo Vanni	...	Bo (as Alex McBride)
Ulli Reinthaler	...	Nancy
Marina Loi	...	Carole
Deborah Bergamini	...	Lia
Luciano Pigozzi	...	Plant Director (scenes deleted) (as Alan Collins)

Storyline

When a terrorist's body, infected with a stolen chemical, is recovered by the US military, the corpse is cremated, unintentionally releasing the virus/bacteria into the atmosphere over a small island. Soon the infected populace mutate into flesh-hungry zombies, and a trio of soldiers on leave must team up with a group of tourists and board themselves up in an abandoned hotel as they try to fend off the agile and aggressive living dead.

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Plot Keywords:

cameo | good versus evil | techno music | heavy metal | friends who live together | 

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Genres:

Action | Horror | Sci-Fi

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for horror violence and gore, and brief language

Did You Know?

Trivia

When Bruno Mattei and Claudio Fragasso were hired to complete the film, they could not get the main actors again, so their scenes became subplots. Mattei claimed that he shot about 40% of the film, including all the early scenes in the film and the scenes in which the men are dressed in white anti-contamination suits.

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Goofs

In the opening credits scene, when the helicopter is approaching the compound and is landing, the interior shots show it almost having landed, while the inter cut exterior shot have it much higher up in the air.

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Quotes

Professor Holder: They have to stop him... or it'll mean the end of everything!

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Crazy Credits

The opening credits appear over footage of three separate groups of characters travelling to the same destination (the helipad outside the chemical plant). All three groups converge once the credits end.

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Alternate Versions

American DVD release by Media Blasters subsidiary Shriek Show contains the infamous pre-credit sequence missing from most prints, as well as two other full scenes cut from the original US version: one where the infected terrorist flees to a hotel and demands a room, and another where Nancy and Suzanna watch over Lia. Most scenes of violence also include material that was censored in earlier releases. The original print of the film was taken from the original 35mm Italian negative, while most of the additional material had to be taken from a 1-inch video master and is of noticeably poorer quality. This print of the film is the longest running version available.

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Connections

References Day of the Dead (1985)

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Soundtracks

Nature
Written by Mario Zaccagnini (as Zac) - Stefano Mainetti (as S. Mainetti)
Performed by Clue in the Crew

User Reviews

Bland, no atmosphere!

I didn't expect a great film when I watched this effort. What I was hoping for, was that Italian macabre atmosphere sometimes present in this genre. Unfortunately, there's rarely any sign of it. One or two scenes show some promise, only to be let down by mediocre cinematography, a dull soundtrack and the need for the main characters to clumsily roll (in pretend G.I. style) around the slow approach of the undead. The action choreography really is pretty bad. It's like watching grown adults play "soldiers." Unfortunately, they wouldn't stand a chance in a real school playground. There's a fair amount of gore, but for those who feel that gore alone is not enough and want some of that nasty atmosphere that is present in so many Fulci, Argento, Bava and Lenzi films, there may be some disappointment. I would have to rate this film 4/10. I wanted to be doing something else while it was running, but did not switch it off, so I gave it a bonus point (included).

Details

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian English

Release Date:

29 July 1988 (Italy)

Also Known As:

Zombie 3

Filming Locations:

Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines

Company Credits

Production Co:

Flora Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min 72 min (heavily cut) 84 min (cut) (DVD edition)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1