Zombie Holocaust (1980)
By: David Michael Brown on August 29, 2004.
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| Umbrella Entertainment (Australia). Region 4, PAL. 1:85:1 (16:9 enhanced). English DD 2.0. 90 minutes |
| The Movie |
| Cover Art |
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| Credits |
Director: Marino Girolami
Starring:De Angelis,
Romano Scandariato
Screenplay: Ian McColluch,
Alexandra delli Colli, Sherry Buchanan
Music:Nico Fidenco,
Walter. E. Sear
Tagline: "He's
a depraved homicidal killer…and he makes
house calls"
Country: Italy
AKA: Dr. Butcher M.D. |
One of the most stupid zombie movies ever made, Zombie Holocaust plays like an
ultra vicious "best of" collection
of gory set pieces. This demented collection of
cannibals, zombies, jungle atrocities and fake
looking natives is merely an excuse for a succession
of bloody set pieces that will shock and confound
in equal measure. The bogus looking make-up cheapens
the films effect but also leaven the tone of the
film that could have been the profoundly disturbing
epic the producers obviously wanted. Eyes are
pulled out of their sockets, faces are rammed
into spinning boat propellers, hearts are ripped
out and eaten; it's a smorgasbord of bloody
delights for the discerning horror aficionado.
Body parts are being removed from patients at
a New York hospital. Realising that members of
an ancient cannibalistic cult are responsible,
Pete Chandler and Dr. Lori Ridgeway head to the
Island of Keto to discover the truth about these
flesh-eating fiends. They learn that there is
a sinister secret behind the local tribe's
carnivorous activities. Soon Zombies are attacking
the cannibals and the explorers. These undead
creatures are the victims of a mad doctor, a true
medical deviant who is experimenting on the brains
of live human specimens. He uses his Zombie army
to keep the superstitious natives at bay but the
introduction of the Westerners destroys this uneasy
alliance.
The actors attack their roles with relish. Ian
McColluch, then fresh from his performance in
Lucio Fulci's Zombie Flesheaters is fabulous as the square jawed hero and the evil
doctor played by Peter O' Neal is a scream,
"I'm determined to have your brain",
cutting out the vocal chords of his victims to
stop them screaming whilst chatting way to his
tape recorder. The rest of the cast hang around
long enough for their organs to be dined on, as
always in Italian gut munchers the extras gorge
on innards like it was their final meal. All in
the name of cinema!
Obviously a guilty pleasure from beginning to
end, the film lacks the stately Gothicism that
Lucio Fulci brought to The Beyond and City of the Living Dead;
it has more in common with the hack work of Umberto
Lenzi such as Cannibal Ferox.
The film was also known by a different name in
the States. Producer Roy Frumkes of Document of
the Dead fame donated footage of his own from
an unfinished film "Tales That Will Tear
Your Heart Out." Re-editing and re-scoring
the film, Zombie Holocaust became Dr. Butcher M.D., a US friendly
version bringing in the Zombie threat early in
the film to please a restless audience. The European
version holds them back for a big shock and that's
the version that Umbrella Entertainment have given
us, uncut to boot. |
| Video |
| A surprisingly clean and sharp print gives the
film a high-class veneer it probably doesn't
deserve. Top marks to Umbrella. |
| Audio |
| Again an excellent job has been done; obviously
the stereo mix lacks the punch of modern films but
it's effective and does the job. |
| Extra Features |
| The extras start with an excellent and funny
interview with producer Frumkes discussing the
original footage from "Tales That Will Tear
Your Heart Out." He explains how a low budget
film ended up tacked on to a European exploitation
film and the pro's and cons of revealing
a zombie too early. He provides an interesting
running commentary over these scenes. He also
talks about the classic Street Trash and his grandfather.
Rough cuts from two sequences of the 1977 film
are also included. One directed by Brendan Faulkner,
which Frumkes produced and starred in as serial
killer; the second by Frank Forell showing a zombie
rock star coming back from the grave.
An extensive stills section is joined by the
personal photo collection of Frumkes along with
a sub-titled interview with Maurizio Trani who
provided the special effects.
We finish off with the ultra gory US trailer
for Dr. Butcher M.D. and German
trailer for Zombie Holocaust.
Trailers for the Umbrella Entertainment releases
of Dawn of the Dead, Burial
Ground, Zombie: Flesheaters and The Horror of Hammer are
also included. |
| The Verdict |
| Sick, twisted and daft in equal measures, this
a rollicking adventure that delights in disgusting
its audience while never attempting to engage it
with such mundane things as good scripts, realistic
plotting or polished filmmaking. Then again what
do you expect from a film called Zombie
Holocaust? It delivers to its chosen audience
in spades; gore galore, zombies, cannibals and explosions,
what more could you want! |
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| User Comments |
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1 user comments have been posted so far |
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Avoid this like the plague, it sux big time.
I watched to the credits to see if they came up on the back of a Bi-Lo docket, that's how cheap this one looks.