Format: Internet video on laptop.
How a film gets made and marketed is often almost as interesting as the film itself. In the case of Zombie, Lucio Fulci’s answer to George Romero’s Dawn of the Dead, there’s a lot to consider. Is it a sequel? Well, Romero’s film was released in Italy reedited by Dario Argento and with a new score by Argento’s frequent collaborators Goblin under the name Zombi. Fulci’s film was fast-tracked for release the following year and released in Italy as Zombi 2. However, Fulci himself seemed to think it was its own thing. While the idea of reanimated ghouls devouring the living is a common element, Fulci’s zombies are much closer to the Caribbean voodoo zombies of folktales. Sure, these ones eat the living, but they are otherwise similar in manner to those raised by a houngan.
Zombie, like a lot of Italian horror movies, has both the strengths and weaknesses of its genre and that genre specifically in its country of origin. My own experience with a lot of Italian horror movies is that they tend to have some tremendous set pieces and moments that are truly memorable, but often lack in having a coherent plot. Things often seem to happen because they happen and there aren’t always solid connections from one moment in the story to the next.
