Association with any pre-existing intellectual property, regardless of whether it’s official or not, can sometimes guarantee recognition and success. One of the most well-known examples, one that’s gained a reputation as one of the biggest “best worst” movies sinceManos: The Hands of Fate, isTroll 2, Claudio Fragasso’s in-name-only sequel, which has spawned one of the largest cult followings in history. IfTroll 2has spawned a legacy due to its ridiculousness, thenLucio Fulci’sZombie, sometimes referred to asZombi 2orZombie Flesh Eaters, deserves praise for capitalizing on the success of a horror franchise and at the same time being one of the unique entries in the canon of films that depict the living dead.
Capitalizing on the massive success of George Romero’sDawn of the Dead, which was released in Italy under the titleZombi, the titleZombi 2made it look like a clear sequel to Italian viewers. Fulci’s effort returns the zombie to its rootsin Voodoo folkloreand provides a rich palette of action, violence, and effects that are visceral even when compared to modern standards. There would be a cavalcade of films capitalizing on the success of both efforts, includingZombie 3, which Fulci would disown following the production being taken over by Claudio Fragasso and Bruno Mattei,Zombie 4: After Death, directed by Fragasso himself, and perhaps the most ham-fisted of the entries,Zombie 5: Killing Birds.
We Are Going to Eat You!
Some critics have attempted to disparage Fulci’s efforts as a director, accusing him of emphasizing style over substance and willfully ignoring plot and storytelling to depict grandiose displays of violence. To Fulci’s credit, the first few minutes ofZombieestablish much of what will follow. Dr. Menard (Richard Johnson) fires a shot into a recently reanimated corpse and utters: “the boat can leave now. Tell the crew.” This is immediately followed byFabio Frizzi’s pulsing soundtrackthat will provide an atmospheric backdrop to the events in the film as they unfold.
The arrival of a boat in New York harbor is the catalyst for the events that will take place throughout the film. It also introduces the main leads, reporter Peter West (Ian McCulloch) and Anne Bowles (Tisa Farrow), whose father’s boat is the “MacGuffin” ofZombie(a device that’s utilized to advance the plot yet having little to do with the overarching narrative).Fulci’s effort deserves recognition for bridging the gap between the worlds of folklore and popular culture, bringing the explosion of the zombie craze back into its voodoo roots.
Despite Fulci’s reputation as a director who emphasized violence and extremity above all else,Zombiepossesses a considerable amount of restraint in its pacing. The bulk of the narrative concerns Peter and Anne getting to the Island and juxtaposing the mysterious actions of Menard and his staff attempting to figure out why the dead are becoming reanimated on the remote island of Matul. The Caribbean setting allows the folklore of voodoo to play an integral role in the film and also allows forone of the most unique confrontations in horror cinema ever to take place, which involves a zombie fighting a shark.
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Making a Case for Practical Effects
The most well-known imagery from Fulci’s Caribbean zombie film is of the reanimated bodies of Spanish conquistadors rising from their graves to wreak havoc on the living. Deservedly so.The practical effects, which were certainly impressive by standards from the time period, are still just as remarkable. The conquistadors have the appearance of corpses that have been rotting in the ground for hundreds of years, complete with writhing worms embedded in the eye socket of the main one. Of all the popular zombie films up to that point, Fulci’s effort deserves praise for being the most visceral and bloody in the ways in which victims are dispatched.
The presence of conquistadors on the island of Matul itself sets up a subtle commentary regarding the history of Voodoo and the zombies of the island’s villagers themselves,being a means of defying colonialism, represented by Menard and his staff. Voodoo has found a way to exist in countries such as Haiti despite the domination of the Catholic faith being instilled by European colonists.Zombieconnect these worlds together, with the visitors to the island being destroyed by the age-old customs that Europeans have long suppressed.
Despite what the intuition might have been regarding capitalizing on the success ofDawn of the Dead,Fulci’s open ending can certainly be seen as a possible explanation for the events that took place at the beginning of Romero’s classic. With Peter and Anne listening to a radio report about the zombie epidemic ravaging New York City, the film’s final scene, featuring the hordes migrating across the bridge to wreak havoc on the city, can be applied to the beginning ofDawn of the Dead, which throws the audience into the chaos from the very beginning. Of course, it’s also worth noting that Fulci’s iconic final scene was made without permits, hence the incessant honking of New York City commuters going about their day.
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A True Masterpiece of the Zombie Genre
Films that depict the exploits andcarnage relating to the living deadhave been a consistent staple of horror cinema for the past several decades. Separating the wheat from the chaff and finding offerings that stand apart from many can be daunting. Lucio Fulci’s effort that merges worlds old and new has remained a favorite among fans of blood-soaked celluloid ever since its release and will certainly continue to be for generations to come.
Despite what the film’s original intent might have been as a means to capitalize off of the success ofDawn of the Dead,Zombiehas cemented its legacy that, in many ways, has surpassed many of its contemporaries. No matter your opinion on it, there’s no denying that you’ll be entertained.Stream free on Tubi.
