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

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

Did You Know?

Trivia

Lucio Fulci's cut of the film was approximately 70 minutes, before he had to leave the production due to a stroke. Producer Franco Gaudenzi asked second unit director Bruno Mattei and writer Claudio Fragasso to take over the director's chair. They cut Fulci's footage down to around 50 minutes and added 40 minutes of their own.

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Goofs

When Commander Bryant is explaining to Professor Holder that not even the military were aware of the potency of Death One (after Holder's line, "You should have told us about the risks involved!") the shadow of a camera is visible on the wall behind the General.

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Quotes

Glenn: I'm feeling better, Patricia, but I'm thirsty... for your blood!

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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

The Spanish Castilian DVD release by Filmax Home in 2004, presents a 84 minutes censored version. Most of the violent scenes are reduced.

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Connections

Followed by Zombi: They Live

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Soundtracks

The Sound of Fear
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).