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

For years after Zombie 3 (1988) was released, fans from the UK had been hoping that Lucio Fulci would make a true sequel to Zombie Flesh Eaters - the UK title for Zombie (1979) - and Fulci expressed a great interest in making a "Zombie Flesh Eaters Part 2" to atone for Zombie 3 (1988), but sadly the project never came to light.

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Goofs

Patricia's leg injury means that she spends the majority of the film with a severe limp: however, this conveniently disappears when she has to jump into a canoe and steps over three or four seats to reach the front.

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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

In the Italian-language version, the characters who become zombies (including the radio DJ) have pitch-shifted "scary" voices when they speak.

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Connections

Referenced in The Cinema Snob: Burial Ground: Nights of Terror (2007)

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Soundtracks

Tumble Down
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).