The Living Dead at Manchester Morgue (Two-Disc Special Edition)
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Movie Reviews of The Living Dead at Manchester Morgue (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Movie Review: One of the best...
Summary: 4 Stars
This is a very good zombie movie, perhaps one of the best. It's creepy and suspenseful. The story, acting and dialogue are decent. The zombies are convincing and the bloodletting is quite abundant. I haven't seen this particular version; I'm going off of "Let Sleeping Corpses Lie," but I will check this one out. It also has one of the best film lines, "With your f***** clothes, and your long hair..." Movie Review: Great Movie.............
Summary: 5 Stars
Cheers for Blue underground for re-issuing these great movies...do not listen to the previous review....i am glad that the head honcho for anchorbay is working for blue-underground now...anchorbay movies have sank below......they suck now......let sleeping corpses lie is a classic british zombie movie that is only appreciated by people who have good taste...those who like modern and sleazy erotic horror stay away it is not for you...........i hope blue-underground will re-issue tenebre and phenomena one of dario argento's great movies... i will support them all the way.....cheers......Movie Review: mostly eerie, a bit inept
Summary: 3 Stars
This film has a lot going for it, a thoroughly downbeat mood, lush but not overly-pretty cinematography, an outstanding use of sound for suspense, and some stunning and truly creepy sequences. All of these have aged well for this viewer and zombie fan. The lack of any depth of emotional involvement and the police-versus-youth schtick hasn't, and comes across as heavy-handed, even for its time. Overall, though, it's worth watching and wading through the padding and sequences of cars driving through the foggy countryside. The first appearance of a zombie, heralded first by sound and empty spaces (and in broad daylight) is classic, even if it feels more derivative than homage to a similar scene in the influencial NIGHT OF THE LVING DEAD. The gore, while mostly of the "far too loose parts stuffed into a hollowed torso" variety, is effective as well. The flashbulb sequence is delightfully classic Euro-horror as well. Also, bonus points for the great intro by the director.Movie Review: Atypical But Very Good Zombie Flick
Summary: 3 Stars
Those gorehounds expecting a Fulci-like bloodfest may be disappointed at the slow pace of this very different 70's horror movie, but those patient viewers looking for something different will be rewarded. The plot is structured very much like a detective thriller, with police investigating a murder in a remote English countryside. Though a zombie is responsible, this particular undead member did not choose to partake of the flesh of his victim--hence the police investigate as a standard murder case. And, although more zombies eventually make their cannibalistic presence known, the police blindly pursue the case as a murder mystery.
Although slow to get going, director Jorge Grau really wratches up the tension in the final act--especially in a sweat-inducing scene where the zombies trap our heroes in a cemetary basement. Kudos also to some wonderful photography.
On the negative side, the acting is almost universally weak. Even veteran Arthur Kennedy--the only "star" among the cast--gives a stiff performance, despite having the best role as a fascist police officer. Kennedy's performance isn't helped by the fact that--despite being supposedly british--he unwisely invests his character with a ridiculously stereotypical irish brogue.
It is worth mentioning that despite the film's age, Blue Underground has done a stellar job with this transfer (as usual with tis company). Extras (at lease on the standard version I purchased) are limited, but include an interesting interview with Director Grau. Grau has a number of interesting reflections on the film, though he is curiously hard on actor Kennedy (he comments on the actor's alcoholism and little else).
Given the quality of the presentation, solid direction, good writing and price tag of less than $15, LSCL is an excellent value and fine addition to any horror mavens "zombie" collection.
Movie Review: One of the most impressive zombie films ever made
Summary: 5 Stars
If zombies existed and formed their own Zombie Actors' Guild, this is the kind of film they would be fighting (in their patently clumsy way) to appear in. When I started watching Let Sleeping Corpses Lie, I didn't really know it was a zombie movie; then, by the time it was over, I had it ranked in my personal top three zombie films of all time. This film is living proof that you can't judge a zombie film by its number of zombies. It's all about atmosphere, a fact which most European filmmakers have always known, and that's why a film with less than a dozen zombies plays much better than some sweeping epic about a zombie apocalypse. And I must say this is a thoroughly European film, as it's an Italian-Spanish coproduction featuring a Spanish director (Jorge Grau) and a British cast (and filmed in Britain). It also goes by many names, including Don't Open the Window, The Living Dead at Manchester Morgue, No profanar el sueño de los muertos, and Non si deve profanare il sonno dei morti.
When you think about it, letting sleeping corpses lie isn't really the problem here; I daresay every single character is wholly in favor of doing just that. The problem consists of keeping sleeping corpses from rising all on their own. Either way, the last thing George (Ray Lovelock) expected to be dealing with on his weekend trip to the country was zombies. Unfortunately for him, a red-headed stranger named Edna (Christine Galbo) accidentally runs over his motorcycle. He insists that she take him to his destination, but they end up checking on her sister first. Along the way, Edna is attacked by a decidedly abnormal man, although no one believes her. Neither do they believe her sister when she claims this same man murdered her husband. Having arrived at the wrong place at the wrong time, George finds himself basically trapped in town as the hippie-hating police sergeant's main suspect. His attempt to extricate himself from the situation indirectly leads to him finding ample proof that Edna was telling the truth all along, though. Not only is the murderer a zombie, he's engaged in waking up some undead friends to join the fun. Not surprisingly, the gruff sergeant isn't buying such a seemingly cock and bull story of corpses coming to life and feeding on human bodies. George and Edna are pretty much on their own when it comes to trying to survive the whole, unbelievable situation.
The source of the zombie outbreak is actually rather interesting, as it's a far cry from some wacked-out virus or alien infestation. The whole storyline is well above average, for that matter, holding together quite well as it forges its own path through the zombie genre. And the ending? Well, I can't think of any way to improve it, really. It's well-nigh perfect. Additionally, lest my fellow gorehounds despair, there are some excellent scenes of blood and gore as the film proceeds - both in terms of what the zombies do to their victims as well as what their victims do to them as they frantically try to escape the horror all around them.
This 1974 film inevitably draws comparisons to George Romero's immensely influential Night of the Living Dead. To tell you the truth, I'm not sure which film is the better of the two - although, if I had to choose which of them to watch over again, it would be Let Sleeping Corpses Lie. That's how impressed I was with this film.