City of the Living Dead
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Movie Reviews of City of the Living Dead
Movie Review: This City is filled with trash.......But I love it!
Summary: 3 Stars
I saw this back in 83 in a theater in Westfield{Rialto} and never laughed so hard.Its supposed to be set in Mass,but the accents are not new england.The dubbing is off and the screeching monkey in the background is a hoot!My favorite is the girl in the car who's eyes start bleeding and her insides some out through her mouth with a few belches.Lets face it folks any movie which has seven different titles to hide under is a classic! Christopher George seems to find these beautys to star in and may he rest in peace.I miss that man.The writer before me said it best about a classic gorefest.I love his other one too....Zombie.Movie Review: Tremendously Awful
Summary: 2 Stars
Horror films, especially of the zombie variety, are my guilty pleasure. I rarely stop to analyze exactly why one film works over another - in general, every aspect of a film that I don't like can be present to the same degree in a film that I *do* like. Except some films just have that je ne sais quoi that others don't.
'City of the Living Dead' does not. In fact, it is as if someone rooted out any 'special something' that might have developed in this film and stomped it to death. That's ok - one man's trash is another man's camp, and 'City' may still appeal to certain viewers. The purpose of this review isn't to put down anyone's taste in films - my argument, besides the fact that I didn't like it, is that I feel this film subtly markets itself as something it's not.
First, 'City' is a mish-mash of an occult film combined with a living dead film. A priest, for no reason ever given, hangs himself in the tiny village of Dunwich - a town built on the ruins of the Salem of the famous witch trials. Evidently, this area, because of its history, acts as sort of a nexus, and the priest's actions threaten to open the gates of Hell and spew out its denizens. A young, attractive medium, during a seance, receives this information, which knocks her into a suspended state so closely resembling death that a funeral is held and she is buried. A nosy reporter, looking for more clues in the story, visits the graveyard, and in what is probably the best scene of the movie, regardless of how unbelievable, he hears the young woman screaming as she finally wakes inside her half buried coffin, and he rescues her by way of a handy pickaxe some Heckle and Jeckle gravediggers left behind.
From here, the reporter and the medium set off to find the town of Dunwich and stop the spirit of the dead priest from acting as a conduit to Hell. Meanwhile, the townsfolk of the former Salem, including a psychologist and one of his attractive artist patients, are experiencing a nightmarish plague of attacks from the recently deceased. Eventually, the two couples meet up and tackle the living dead infestation head-on.
A horror film doesn't have to be intelligent - it never hurts though - and 'City' is pretty weak in the story department. There's really not enough space to list all the problems in the script, made worse by barely serviceable acting, ineffective effects, and populated by characters that only exist to have their brains exposed onscreen. All this is pretty typical of low-budget horror though - and I can't fault the film for being what it is. My problem with the film is more in the small details that made me think the film was something that it isn't.
The director, Lucio Fulci, also gave us the classic 'Zombi' (or Zombie 2, depending on what package you get), a film easily within the top five of that sort of film, so knowing that he also directed 'City' lends this film some credibility that it doesn't deserve. I assume budget considerations was the biggest hurdle Fulci had to deal with, and it shows - 'Zombi' had interesting locations and cinematography, fantastic second-unit footage, and literally eye-popping special effects. 'City of the Living Dead' just can't compete on any level. (The acting performances were similar. The audience just has to accept that any movie starring Al Cliver is not going to win any prizes) The main idea here is that anyone who seeks this film out based solely on Fulci's reputation is very likely going to be disappointed.
Another point to consider is that this film is not really a zombie film, at least not in the sense of Fulci's other film, nor in comparison to Romero's films. Those films are apocalyptic adventure films with a large helping of horror. The film poster art (which is excellent for what it is) sort of led me to think that 'City' might be similar - it isn't really. Taking place in a rural town, it is concerned more with preventing a great evil from happening rather than dealing with the after effects. As such, it ends up as a 'race against time' film.
'City of the Living Dead' isn't really worth parsing any finer. It's a very cheap, poorly made film designed to suck money out of the pockets of the drive-in crowd. With it's new blu-ray release, people may think it was forgotten horror gem. It isn't. Best rented first, or better yet, avoided entirely, it is a bad film, which is why I rated it two stars - not because of the intentional or unintentional misleading representation of the film. Countering that representation was the purpose behind writing the review.
Movie Review: Eh theres other ways I can spend 93 mins
Summary: 2 Stars
I've see a substantial amount of horror movies and love alittle bit of all the genres of horror. I've used amazon as my outlet and source of dvd purchasing for along time and figured I utilize other reviewers input so I thought I'd give some of my own.
I watched Fulci's ZOMBIE first and than went into CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD, I usually try to watch a directors work chronologically if possible. I had high hopes for COTLD assuming it would be an improvement and another level above ZOMBIE, but it failed in comparison.
The plot line in COTLD just bored me and drug on, you don't really even see a zombie until 40 mins into the film. All the Zombie's have the same makeup, so there isn't much creativity there in the makeup deparment. The zombie's despose of each victim in the same manner by grabbing the back of the head and seemingly ripping the scalp and brain out. Don't get me wrong it didnt look bad but theres was only a half a dozen kills and they were all the same fate. I believe only saw one zombie actually killed.
There was real no character development, I didnt really find myself carrying for anyone in the film at all.
Overall I'd skip this movie check out some other flicks, but if your one of those people like me that just has to see everything check it out. But if you are holding this movie and Fulci's ZOMBIE in your hands the desicion is simple.
Movie Review: More Ghost than Zombie
Summary: 2 Stars
I had heard a lot about this movie, but since Demons I've been quite cautious about Italian horror. This film only confirms that caution. I had heard that this movie was also H.P. Lovecraft influenced, but frankly I don't see it.
Yes, the film does take place in a town called Dunwich, but that is as close to Lovecraft as it ever gets. Yes, some of the zombie makeups are good, but the plot of the movie is stupid, the zombies pop in and out of existence like ghosts, the film is more silly supernatural than scary Romero.
Sorry, I still think Italian horror peaked with Barbara Steele and Mario Bava.
Movie Review: A tad disappointed......
Summary: 2 Stars
I love zombie movies. Don't get me wrong, I try to collect all of them. I took a chance on this one and bought it hoping it would be gory and good. It had gore in it, yes, BUT this movie reused the same way of killing someone over & over. I think if anything that is what bothered me most. Not that the zombies were " ghost ", or the fact that the story line bored me. But the way the zombies would grab someone by the back of the head, and squeeze their brains out. Cool as hell the first time, but got old after the fourth.