Zombie (1979) Movie Review

Zombie, 1978

Shudder, Cinematic Widescreen

Also known as “Zombie 2”, this is another classic that I won’t be entirely objective with.  Lucio Fulci’s “Zombie” is a classic, that truly cannot be replicated or effectively imitated, no matter how much “farther” we’ve gone with today’s film making.  The fact is, there are just things done in this movie that no sane person, director, or governing authority would allow.  More on that later. 

This film starts out with an apparent zombie being shot upon re-animation.  We then cut to a ghost ship crashing it’s way into New York harbor.  On board is a fat fucking zombie, ready to ruin the day of the two NYPD officers sent to check things out.  This leads to an investigative journalist going to the island of Matul (presumably in the Caribbean) to find the origins of the mysterious vessel.  There’s some Voodoo going on here… or as is said in the movie, “whatever it is, it makes the dead get up and walk”.

The English overdubbed dialogue is glorious,  The music is incredibly 70’s and Italian, which is a great thing.  We’ve got everything from Goblins-esque prog rock, to calypso, to generic Bee Gee-ish disco. Expect nothing less from Fulci.

There’s probably too much story going on here, and  the plot is essentially meaningless.  What we do have, however, is one scene in particular that will live in film history and infamy for all of eternity.  This is, of course, the underwater fight scene between a zombie and a shark.  Yes, this was before computer generated images were even conceived of… so what we’ve got is literally an actor in zombie makeup HOLDING HIS BREATH underwater, while tussling with a real full-sized shark.  Apparently the stunt man was taking breaths between takes from an off-camera scuba diver’s regulator.  There’s even a part where the stunt man sticks a prosthetic arm in the sharks mouth, and rips it off.  I mean, the shark could have easily just decided to bite his head off instead, but luckily he didn’t and we have film history instead.  The stunt man was apparently comfortable with all of this.  I’d have to imagine that you’d have to look pretty far and wide to find a performer today with balls big enough to even attempt this.  Never mind a director, producers, and everyone else needed to be on board with it.  Simply put, this is a scene in a modern horror film that will never be duplicated, copied, or re-made.  At least not in the way that we see it here.  Times have simply moved on from even being able to attempt something like this.  From human rights, to animal rights, to just about every natural law… this one scene violates them all.  I’d imagine if you were to try and re-make this scene, in this way, today… you’d be sued by OSHA and also sued by the actual ocean.  Like, if Aquaman or King Neptune could sue you, they probably would.  

And the fun doesn’t stop with a zombie vs. shark fight.  There are also boobies and G-strings.  Very tastefully and casually presented.  There is also a good deal of other “shocking” gore moments.  There is tons of zombie gore, chomping, shooting, shotgunning, festering wounds, head injuries, firebombs, and general mayhem during the climactic third act.  The slow moving zombies, and their SFX makeup are delightful.  An eye poke and deflation that gets it’s fair share of fan attention- definitely do not miss that.  For sure, this movie does not disappoint.  If you haven’t seen it yet, and you’re down with 70’s Italo-horror, it’s damn near a requirement.  Probably not for you if 70’s Italian horror, or extreme old-school cheese isn’t your thing. 

4/5