ZOMBIE FLESH EATERS

Italy, 1972, 91 minutes, Colour.
Tisa Farrow, Ian Mc Culloch, Richard Johnson.
Directed by Lucio Fulci.

A gruesomely entertaining horror science fiction film. It marks the emergence in the late seventies of "Italian spaghetti horror". The Italians in the sixties and seventies took over so many of the American genres and made them their own - with baroque exaggeration, an emphasis on violence. They did this with the western and with the police and crime genre. With such films as Contamination, Slave Of The Cannibal God, Island Of The Fish Men, they take recognisable horror stories from the past and treat them with rather operatic and melodramatic tone. This film echoes very clearly the basic zombie films and mad scientist films. It is just that it does them with more gory verve and with more explicit detail (much of which is generally snipped by censors). One of the other aspects of "spaghetti" style films is the use of international audiences and this film has the presence of Richard Johnson as the mad doctor and Tisa Farrow as the heroine. For those who don't like such films, no appeal. For those interested in the development and changes in the presentation of horror material, very interesting indeed.

1. The impact of this kind of horror film? Its cinematic qualities? Material which tends to be censored or banned by
various countries?

2. The success of the film as horror? The appeal of horror: nightmares, monsters, death, suffering? The perennial appeal of nightmare material? The English and American bases with zombie films of the thirties and forties? The particularly Italian variations?

3. Wide screen colour photography, special effects? Low budget? The international cast? The particular characteristics of "spaghetti" horror? Melodramatic, operatic, seemingly no holds barred, explicit gore and violence?

4. The impact of horror and gore, violence? Was this film excessive or not?

5. The structure of the film: the opening in New York and the introduction of the horror, the change of atmosphere to the mysterious Caribbean with zombies and voodoo - the return to New York and monsters taking over the world? The theme of zombies and the living dead, the taking over of the world by monsters? Science fiction and horror as fables?

6. The appeal in films and stories of the zombie as monster: the Caribbean background, the odd blend of catholic and voodoo, false science, superstition? the factual background of voodoo - and the mythology of zombies? The horror of zombies and the living dead, flesh eaters? The visual presentation of the zombies - and their flesh eating?

7. The New York opening and the plausibility of realism? The tone? The hero and heroine, reporters, scientific
investigation? The experience of hero and heroine? Returning to a corrupt New York on the verge of take-over and
destruction?

8. Ann and Peter as conventional hero and heroine: the introduction, the connections, the search of the ship, being
exposed to the zombies and the ugliness? The encounter with Brian and Susan and going with them to the Caribbean? Their harrowing experiences, being chased through the jungle, the horrible deaths of Brian and Susan? Ann and Peter against the zombie world?

9. The portrait of Dr Maynard and the mad scientist on the island, the background of his experiments, his wife and her sensuality and destruction, the range of patients and their deaths, their becoming zombies? Dr Maynard and his work? The assistance of his nurse and the other helpers? Lucas? The deaths and transformations? The emphasis on the horror of the zombies?

10. How well did the film communicate the atmosphere of the island, its isolation, the sea, the jungle, ships, communications, travel for example the doctor's car? Dr Maynard and his sense and madness, his coping, drinking,
courtesy to the visitors? The flashbacks to explain what had happened?

11. The build-up of the crises horror atmosphere. the visuals? The boat. Mrs. Maynard and her being eaten? The final siege and the burning of the hospital, the collapse? Susan and Brian and their deaths?

12. The irony of the destruction of the zombies, themes of death and eternity, hell, unrest, the living dead? The zombies and the fable of evil in the world? And the final irony of their appearing in New York? The value of "spaghetti" horror?