#17 - ZOMBIE - Horror Countdown to Halloween

This October we here at Dark of the Matinee are counting down our 31 favorite horror films. Join us daily as we countdown from #31 starting on October 1, 2012 leading up to #1 on Halloween!


 

#17– ZOMBIE (1979)

Dir. Lucio Fulci

 

Now you know we couldn’t have any top horror countdown without including something from Lucio Fulci, right? That’s just not possible! So today, coming in at number 17 is 1979’s Zombie, also known as Zombi 2, Island of the Living Dead, Zombie Flesh-Eaters, and Woodoo. A lot of names for this one.

Zombie opens up with an abandon boat floating into New York Harbor. Two harbor patrol officers climb aboard the boat to investigate when a huge zombie emerges, biting and killing one of the officers. The second officer shoots the zombie, knocking him into the water.  After researching the boat, the police question Anne Bolt (Tisa Farrow), as the boat belonged to her father.

The only thing Anne knows is that her father went off to a tropical island to do research. Deciding to do some research of her own, Anne searches her father’s boat for clues. At the same time reporter Peter West (Ian McCulloch) is assigned to report on the mysterious boat. Peter and Anne meet on the boat and discover a letter from Anne’s father.

The notes points Anne and Peter towards the island of Matool which is suffering from a strange disease. Anne and Peter head to Matool and encounter a zombie uprising head on. From there on, we are in for a gory feast of goodness.

Zombie is the film that launched Fulci into the horror icon he is. Attempting to piggy back off George Romero’s success of Dawn of the Dead, Zombie was a huge success in Europe despite being banned in some countries including the UK. Released in Europe under the title, Zombi 2, it was promoted as the sequel to Zombi, which was the European release title for Dawn of the Dead.

Zombie vs. Shark

The film has gained quite the cult following mostly for its extreme gore and nudity. We often discuss scenes that involve eye stabbing and Zombie may have the most gruesome, if not best eye stab around. Then there’s the zombie vs. shark fight.

Yes, zombie vs. shark. A real life shark goes to battle with a real stunt man in this film. Unfortunately, none of the real zombies on set wanted any part of a shark fight.

If you’re a fan of horror, or gore, or zombies, or zombie vs. shark fights, then Zombie is the perfect film for you. It’s a great introduction to Fulci and one of the best party movies ever made. Luckily for us, Blue Underground recently released a great version of the film, uncut and in widescreen. This Halloween season pick up Zombie, invite some friends over, and have an eye gouging good time!

written by Christopher Coffel