CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD is the original film in what has been referred to as Lucio Fulci's GATES OF HELL trilogy. The other films in this spiritual trilogy are THE BEYOND (1981) and THE HOUSE BY THE CEMETERY (1982). As the trilogy name suggests, each film centers on a different gate of Hell and the consequences should the gates be open. As far as Fulci's films are concerned my favorite is still ZOMBIE (1979) a.k.a. Zombi 2. But next up on my Fulci favorites are the films of the Gates of Hell Trilogy.
Now be forewarned, Lucio Fulci's style is an "acquired taste." Euro horror in general is an acquired taste. Much like spaghetti westerns there's a non-American esthetic to them. There's a certain style of acting that one must grow accustomed to (I'm not going to say it's bad acting, although some have called it that, but rather it's a stylized approach to acting). And then one must be prepared for not everything to be explained. There are certain events that occur that make you go, "wait, what?!" Those types of things in film used to infuriate me. It has taken me some time to acquire my taste for Euro horror and Fulci films but every year I seem to appreciate them more and more.
I am definitely a Fulci fan and City of the Living Dead is one of his best in my opinion.
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| Alternate title for City of the Living Dead |
THE PLOT
Mary, while in a seance, experiences a horrific vision of a priest committing suicide. The priest hangs himself in a cemetery and the event causes the gates of Hell to open. Slowly the dead begin to rise and walk the Earth. Mary's vision sends her into shock and she falls down seemingly dead. When Mary wakes she finds herself in a coffin about to be buried alive. Journalist Peter Bell happens by the cemetery and hears Mary scream. He rescues her and she convinces him to help her find the town of Dunwich where the priest died and close the gates of Hell before it's too late. When they arrive at Dunwich unspeakable horrors awaits them along with hordes of the reanimated dead.
WHAT I LIKED
Atmosphere. One of Lucio Fulci's talents is creating unnerving atmospheric tension. Composer Fabio Frizzi's score is a big part of atmosphere and what makes Fulci's films so effective. Frizzi has scored nine of Fulci's films and his music is always a key reason why these films are so good. The cinematography too, as the camera moves through Dunwich at night, is particularly chilling, as if the camera were something evil itself lurking in the darkness. And finally there's the priest, Father Thomas. After Father Thomas kills himself he becomes a demon and goes about inflicting punishment upon the unsuspecting residents of Dunwich. The priest appears suddenly and out of nowhere. And once he places his gaze upon you horrible things happen. His mere presence is striking and elevates the tension.
The Gore. This is going to sound strange but one of reasons why this film and other Fulci films have endured the test of time is due to the extreme graphic nature of the gore. I mean, I've seen a ton of horror movies and lots of gore. But the gore in Fulci's films still gets me no matter how many times I've seen them. His gore is so authentic at times it makes me nauseous. There's a scene in City of the Living Dead where Father Thomas gazes at a young girl and thereafter she begins vomiting up her organs and intestines... and you see it all! That's one of my top gross-out moments in all of horror! It's incredible. And then there's perhaps the greatest "power drill to the head" sequence I've ever beheld. And more! Once we reach the film's third act and the zombies start coming out in droves the gore flows like water. Quality gore is an impressive feat not to be overlooked.
Powerful Shocks. Rounding out this film are some truly shocking scenes devoid of gore. The opening sequence where we see Father Thomas hang himself is quite potent and sticks with you. Then Mary's buried alive sequence. Her trapped in the coffin is terrifying and then seeing how she gets out results in one of the strongest scenes in the film. Creating tension and suspense is an art form unto itself. Creating successful tension isn't easy but once the tension is established it can turn a mediocre film into something great. Overall there's a lot to love in this film.
NITPICKS
B-Movie. I have no delusions of what kind of movie this is. It's a low budget spaghetti horror film. Given the nature of a B-Movie you can either nitpick it to death and say things like, "Well, it's no Conjuring I can tell you that." Or you can suspend your disbelief and just enjoy the film. As I mentioned above these movies come packaged in a certain style and this style is definitely an acquired taste.
If you come looking for a film that's Oscar worthy like Silence of the Lambs, The Shining, or The Exorcist this movie will disappoint you. But remember that this film was made on a tenth of the budget that the films above were made with. If you are of the disposition where you enjoy films from John Carpenter, Tobe Hooper, George Romero, and Dario Argento you should have no problem appreciating what this film has to offer. And if my endorsement isn't good enough, this film has a high rating in the book ZOMBIE MOVIES: THE ULTIMATE GUIDE (a great read and a must own for any horror fan).
THE VERDICT
City of the Living Dead is the first film in Lucio Fulci's Gates of Hell trilogy. It is a unique zombie film in that a demonic priest is responsible for the zombie affliction. The film is rife with chilling atmosphere, gut-churning gore effects, and some truly shocking moments of suspense. There is no other zombie film with a plot like this and you will not see these particular gore-riffic spectacles like a woman barfing up her own guts anywhere else. City of the Living Dead is an underrated and absolutely wonderful horror film from one of the great horror masters.
Overall Ranking: 7 out of 10
Nude-O-Meter: 1 out of 10
For more films by Lucio Fulci and more Euro horror check out these films below
Lucio Fulci films
Euro Horror films
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