The Seven Gates Of Hell have been torn open, and in three days the dead shall rise and walk the earth. As a reporter (Christopher George of PIECES) and a psychic (Catriona MacColl of THE BEYOND) race to close the portals of the damned, they encounter a seething nightmare of unspeakable evil. The city is alive – with the horrors of the living dead!
Directed and co-written by the legendary Lucio Fulci (ZOMBIE, THE BEYOND), CITY OF THE LIVIND DEAD features some of the maestro’s most shocking and controversial sequences of all time. Blue Underground proudly presents the definitive version of Fulci’s hallucinogenic masterpiece of horror: freshly transferred in brain-ripping High Definition from its original uncensored negative and loaded with exclusive new Extras!
Starring: Christopher George, Catriona MacColl, Carlo De Mejo, Giovanni Lombardo Radice
Directed by: Lucio Fulci
Runtime: 93 minutes
Studio: 125Th Street Records
Amazon USAmazon UKIMDBReview: City of the Living Dead
Lucio Fulci’s horror is about the suicide of Father William Thomas (Fabrizio Jovine) in a cemetery which enables the gates of Hell to open and leads to the small town of Dunwich, New England coming under attack from the undead. Elsewhere a psychic Mary Woodhouse (Catriona MacColl) sees images of Dunwich and the priest and seemingly dies from fright as a result. She is laid to rest but before she can be buried she wakes up and screams for help. Lucky for her, a reporter Peter Bell (Christopher George) is nearby and helps her. Mary and Peter soon join forces and set out in search of the town Mary saw in her vision.
When they come to Dunwich they find the town under siege by zombies with the now undead Father William leading the hordes and converting the locals to his undead ways. One look into the eyes of the Father leads to the unsuspecting being taken over and dying in a series of particularly gruesome ways. Family, friends and family are soon turning on one another. With the locals dropping like flies it is down to Peter and Mary to seal the gates of Hell before All Saints Day, stop Father Thomas and save not just the town but potentially the entire world from the undead. Can they do it?
City of the Living Dead has a loyal cult following but compared to the likes of Evil Dead I found this to be rather poor. A better story, script and acting could have enhanced this greatly but in the end it’s a weak offering. It’s maybe worth a look for the gory scenes and decent effects but if you are looking for more from a horror film then you’d be best going elsewhere.
Verdict: 2/5
(Film source: reviewer’s own copy)
About the Author:
I was born in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England and have always been a bookworm and enjoyed creative writing at school. In 1999 I created the Elencheran Chronicles and have been writing ever since. My first novel, Fezariu's Epiphany, was published in May 2011. When not writing I'm a lover of films, games, books and blogging. I now live in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, with my wife, Donna, and our six cats - Kain, Razz, Buggles, Charlie, Bilbo and Frodo.
David M. Brown – who has written 811 posts on Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave.