I have seen this film hundreds of times in many different forms and qualities, but this is the definitive version. Blue Underground has given all of this films fans a real treat! A 3 disc set that is astonishing.
Disc one is the feature itself. A young woman named Anne Bowles (Tisa Farrow) and a reporter named Peter West (Ian McCulloch) start a search for her missing father after his boat is found drifting in New York harbor. This discovery resulted in the death of a member of the Coast Guard who borded the boat and was killed by a huge zombie which was shot and fell into the harbor.
These two meet up with Brian Hull (Al Cliver) and the lovely Susan Barrett (Auretta Gay) and the four share a boat and decide to search for a mysterious island called Matool, where Anne's father was last known to be living.
This leads them all into stark terror as they find the island and discover that the dead are starting to leave their graves. They meet Dr. Menard (Richard Johnson) who has been investigating the phenomenon. They all brace themselves for an all out attack by the living dead.
This is the film Lucio Fulci will always be best remembered for, and well he should. It was his first attempt at horror and he hit a grand slam. The zombies are never forgotten once seen. They are not just the recently dead, but those who have been dead for hundreds of years as well. They are worm covered, rotting creatures with a thirst for flesh and blood.
There are too many unforgettable scenes to mention here but the two main scenes are the underwater scene where gorgeous Auretta Gay is swimming topless and taking pictures when she is suddenly attacked by an underwater zombie who is then attacked by a shark. Up until this film, I had never seen anything like this. It's never been duplicated, and probably never will.
The second unforgettable scene involves sexy as hell Olga Karlatos who plays Menard's wife. After taking a long shower in which we get to ogle her beautiful body she is attacked by the walking dead. They grab her by the hair and slowly pull her towards a broken piece of wood that goes straight into her eye. The effect is flawless and unforgettable.
Disc 2 is nothing but extras, and what extras they are! They feature interviews with Iam McCulloch, Al Cliver, Richard Johnson and Ottaviano Dell'Acqua as a recent Cinema Wasteland show. Also included are interviews with co-producer Fabrizio De Angelis, co-writers Elisa Briganti and Dardano Sacchetti, make up genius Gianetto De. Rossi and Maurizio Trani, special effects man Gino De Rossi,composer Fabio Frizzi and Fulci's daughter Antonella Fulci. Great stuff all!
Disc 3 is the movie soundtrack and I have already listened to that a few times. Simply great.
This movie is 40 years old in 2019 and it seems like yesterday when I saw it for the first time. To me it is the 3rd greatest zombie film ever made behind Night Of The Living Dead and Dawn Of The Dead.
This is easily a top release of 2018, getting in just under the wire of my cut off date. Now if only someone would put out Dawn Of The Dead in a Blu-ray collection like this. Soon I hope.
