In Lucio Fulci's genre classic Zombi 2, the dead rise once again to terrorize and consume the flesh of the living, this time Caribbean style! Those new to Fulci should note Island of the Flesh-Eaters, Zombi 2, and the more... more » commonly known Zombie all refer to the same film. Though there is no Zombi 1, Fulci's film was titled Zombi 2 to capitalize on the commercial success of Romero's Dawn of the Dead. Though marketed as a sequel in Italy, the only similarities to Romero's classic are the title and the fact that the dead rise to eat the flesh of the living. Instead of being a metaphor for consumerism, Zombi 2 is a straight-out adventure story that ends in a horrific, apocalyptic nightmare. The plot is fairly straightforward, and more or less exists simply as a structure to hang scenes of extreme gore and terror on. Dr. Bowles's boat floats into New York Harbor missing its crew and carrying an undead passenger. The doctor's daughter (Tisa Farrow), dead set on finding out what happened to her father, teams up with journalist Peter West (Ian McCulloch) and heads to the cursed island of Matool, where a zombie epidemic is growing and Dr. Bowles's friend, Dr. Menard (Richard Johnson), is desperately trying to find a cure. Will Anne find her father? Will Dr. Menard find a cure? Will our heroes escape? In all honesty, who really cares? Because those in the "know" already know you don't come to a Fulci film looking for Shakespeare. What Zombi 2 lacks in plot development and continuity, it more than makes up for in atmosphere, intensity, and of course the trademark Fulci gore. Some of the unique high points are the never-duplicated zombie-versus-shark vignette, the rising of the Spanish zombie conquistadores, and Fulci's trademark eye shot. Fans of Italian/apocalyptic/cannibal/zombie films should not miss Zombi 2. Along with The Beyond, it defines the genre. --Rob Bracco« less
Old school Zombie fun without all the overkill CGI. Also known as Zombie 2. A must watch!
Movie Reviews
For everyone wondering...
Geoffrey McNulty | Knoxville, TN USA | 10/17/2004
(4 out of 5 stars)
""Zombi 2" is the same film as Zombie. That much we've figured out. There's also a "Zombi 3" and a "Zombi 4." What some reviewers have asked is where is the missing chapter? So here goes.
When George Romero's "Dawn of the Dead" was released in Italy, it was released under the name "Zombi." "Zombi 2" was written before Dawn, but was slightly changed to cash in on Romero's success. Thus, rather than call it "Zombi" again, they stuck on a "2," making it seem like a sequel.
When "Zombi 2" was released in the U.S., the name was changed once again, this time to "Zombie."
And the confusion ends."
Awesome 2-Disc edition of a true horror classic!
John Lindsey | Socorro, New Mexico USA. | 02/09/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"A boat on a New York City coast is discovered by the coast guards as abandoned but only with a literally undead creature on board but gets destroyed, leaving the coast guards puzzled. A reporter with a young woman in search of her missing father try to investigate by going to the caribbean islands with the help of some friends, but a terrible voodoo curse or virus is causing the dead to come up from the graves of the island to devour the flesh of the living as the reporter and company must struggle together to survive the island of the dead.
A shocking and excellent Italian horror thriller from Lucio Fulci whom was fresh off of doing comedies, westerns and thrillers gives us one of the most repulsive and scariest cult classics of all time. There is a creepy tropical atmosphere to give the movie's feel a tender eerieness with it's groovy music score by Fabio Frizzi and graphic gore effects such as the memorable if absolutely horrifying scene involving a woman getting her eyeball stabbed through a large splinter of wood.
The 2-Disc anniversary edition is certainly an improvement over the Anchor Bay version with better picture and digital sound quality that also contains the original Italian language track with English subtitles. It's extras are terrific, it's got featurettes on the history and behind the scenes of how this movie got made with it's success around the world, it's original european theatrical trailer, other trailers to zombie movies avalible from Media Blasters DVD, interviews with the actors & filmmakers and a photo, poster-and-still gallery.
This movie belongs in every horror lover's DVD collection, i highly recommend it but not for light sleepers or the squeamish.
Also recommended: From Dusk Till Dawn, The Evil Dead, Night of the Living Dead ( 1968 and 1990), Dawn of the Dead ( 1978 and 2004), Day of the Dead, City of the Living Dead, House By The Cemetery, Burial Ground: The Nights of Terror, Bio-Zombie, Demons, Suspiria, Tenebre, Cannibal Ferox, Jungle Holocaust, Cannibal Holocaust, Blood Feast, Battle Royale, The New York Ripper, Scanners, Maniac ( 1980), Freddy Vs. Jason, Nightmare City, Cannibal Apocalypse, 28 Days Later.., Return of the Living Dead Trilogy, Re-Animator and The Beyond."
"We are going to eat you..."
N. Durham | Philadelphia, PA | 02/02/2004
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Originally perceived by critics as a Dawn of the Dead rip off, Lucio Fulci's Zombie is an over the top gorefest that has become a classic among fans over the years. Featuring some of the most realistic looking zombies ever to be seen on film (they're rotting and decomposing and look brilliantly disgusting) and plenty of memorable scenes (including the infamous splinter in the eye scene and the beautifully shot underwater battle between a shark and a resiliant zombie), Zombie is a gorehounds' dream. The story is simple, a few inhabitants of a cursed island all become chow for a horde of zombies, but it works for the film as it is simple, unsettling gorey horror Fulci style. There's no social commentary or dark humor like in Romero's Dead trilogy or Dead Alive, just pure horror all the way; and while it may not be as profound as Fulci's The Beyond, Zombie is still a more than solid horror flick worth seeing if you have the stomach for it. Anchor Bay has assembled a solid DVD for the film (they always do great jobs for cult horror films on DVD) with enough extras to satisfy most fans of the film."
"WE ARE GOING TO EAT YOU!"
Chadwick H. Saxelid | Concord, CA United States | 10/31/2001
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This unofficial Italian prequel to Romero's Dawn of the Dead (which was called Zombie in Italy) is actually a pretty nifty little low budget horror film in and of itself.A derelict boat drifts towards New York City. When the Coast Guard climbs aboard to investigate, the officers find a gnarly zombie waiting to be fed. When the daughter of the boat's owner meets an investigative reporter researching the horrifying incident, the two decide to join forces. They fly out to St. Thomas to look for the missing man and the answer to why the horrible thing was on the boat. What they find is an island hell of the walking, flesh eating dead.Although it won't win any points for originality, Zombie is nonetheless an energetic exploitation movie that benefits greatly from strong atmospheric direction by future cult director Lucio Fulci, who was making his horror film debut here. Further pluses include fine gruesome make-up effects from De Rossi and an excellent electronic score. Highly recommended to splatter and zombie fans, just be sure to see it in the widescreen format for full effect."
It's a dead time zombie rhyme
C. Christopher Blackshere | I am the devil's reject | 02/10/2008