Originally intended for director Enzo G Castellari, Zombie Flesh Eaters is the kind of picture the Italians excelled at in the late 1970s, a cheap rip-off of a big American hit, in this case George Romeros seminal Dawn Of The Dead. Whats remarkable about the film is how well it stands up compared to other knock-offs such as Burial Ground (Bianchi, 1981) and Zombie Holocaust (Girolami, 1980). For an exploitation film made quickly and cheaply, its astonishingly well-shot (by Sergio Salvati), with astute use of its New York and Caribbean locations. Giannetto De Rossis make-up effects are similarly top notch, and Fabio Frizzi and Giorgio Tucci contribute one of the most memorable scores of any Fulci movie, with some truly ominous, pulsating synth sounds. The scene where Paola (Olga Karlatos) loses an eye to a wooden splinter was a little too effective, however - cut from the 1979 UK theatrical release, it was left intact on home video, much to the dissatisfaction of the recently elected Conservative government. Banned and prosecuted for obscenity, the film wasnt available to watch in its entirety until 2005, when the powers that be deemed that we wouldn't be morally corrupted by it.
Ian Watson is the author of 'Midnight Movie Madness', a 600+ page guide to "bad" movies from 'Reefer Madness' to 'Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead.'
