Zombies unter Kannibalen

I first saw this in the late 80s on a vhs. Revisited it recently. Found the film very shocking then due to the gore but aft revisiting it, found it to be boring cos almost for 34 mins nothing happens. We have lots of nudity by Alexandra Delli Colli, who in her short career is noted for the kinky female from New York Ripper. In this movie, there is nothing new except for the gore. Even the plot is stale - A team of scientists travel to a remote island aft witnessing cannibalism in various city hospitals by immigrants from a particular island. On the island, the team is shocked to come across cannibals n zombies. The make up effects of the zombies is lol. Jus plain human in torn, raggy clothes. Till now, i haven't been able to fathom how can u pierce someone's belly by a bamboo. In this movie, a female falls into a trapping pit laden with pointed sticks but survives.

Dr. Obrero (Dan O' Brien) is experimenting on corpses on a remote Island. Well, an expedition team (which includes Zombi 2's Ian McCulloch) ends up on the island-and runs into the Docotor, who has some plans-as well as cannibals and zombies-in store for them.

Titled "Dr Butcher M.D." when it came to video in the 80's, "Zombie Holocaust" is an interesting-and fun-blend of two different kinds of Italian Gore flicks: The Italian Zombie movie, and the Italian Cannibal movie-only without any of the animal torture and mutilation of the later.

The movie has some nice gore (surgical and otherwise-including an awesome motorboat engine to the head death) and nudity to liven things up, as well as a fun score and tons of camp. Also, unlike other Italian gore flicks of the time, the movie features a little intentional humor to go with it ("The patients screaming disturbed me, performed removal of vocal chords"-that line always gets me), which after the downbeat feeling of Fulci's zombie movies, is something of a breath of undead air. It's nice to see an Italian gore flick that doesn't take itself too seriously for a change.

If there is any problem, it's that the zombie aspect feels rather underplayed, as they aren't used for much. Sure, there's that aforementioned death by boat motor, but they don't do a whole lot to threaten the team, as the cannibals are more of a threat. Still, "Zombie Holocaust" is a blast of exploitation that fans of over the top Italian Horror might enjoy. I know I did.

A splatter classic, Marino Girolami's "Zombi Holocaust" of 1980 doesn't scant with blood and gore. A true B-movie and pure exploitation, this movie is probably not high art, however, I don't suppose that anybody who is about to watch a movie entitled "Zombie Holocaust" is gonna expect Citizen Kane.

After several mutilations of corpses in the morgue of a New York hospital, and the appearance of a mysterious cannibal sign, a group of people, amongst them a beautiful female doctor and a bitchy journalist, decide to go on an expedition to a tropical island, where they expect to find out about the sign's origin. This is, of course, not a very good idea. Not only is the island inhabited by cannibals, but it is also haunted by the living dead.

One of the classic Italian splatter flicks, "Zombi Holocaust", is a fun and entertaining, although not very thrilling movie, that mainly concentrates on the enormous amounts of blood and gore and on constant very graphical violence. The acting in this movie differs. As a huge fan of Spaghetti Westerns, I found it cool to see Donal O'Brien, who delivers a great performance as a mad scientist in this, in a non-western role. The Italian and English title is maybe not the best to describe the movie, since its the Cannibals, and not the Zombies who kill the most people. The German title "Zombies Unter Kannibalen" ("Zombies Amongst Cannibals") is probably better to describe the film's content.

All things considered, "Zombie Holocaust" is a highly entertaining and very bloody Gorefest that fans of the Cannibal subgenre should not miss. Entertainment guaranteed!

My review was written in May 1982 after a screening on Manhattan's 42nd St.:

"Dr. Butcher M. D." is the U. S. release (with some post-production alterations) of a 1980 Italian film originally titled "Queen of the Cannibals" and geared towards the explicit gore market. Canny marketing by Terry Levene (the M. D. of the title is spelled out as "Medical Deviate" on posters and ads) should attract fans who like their horror of the butcher-shop variety.

Filmmaker Frank Martin (an Italo Western vet who uses an Anglicized nom de film) pilots an absurd plot as an excuse to pour on the gore. Pic opens with some Manhattan-locationed scenes of Asiatics robbing hearts from corpses in local morgues. A doctor-anthropologist Lori Ridgway (Alexandra Cole) has her ceremonial knife stolen from her collection, and matching its inscription with the tattoos and the corpse-robbers, she deduces that native rites involving human sacrifices and cannibalism are in effect. She and a scientist (Ian McCulloch) mount an expedition to the Pacific island of Kito to investigate the local sect.

On the island their party encounters Dr. Abrera (aka Dr. Butcher, played by Donald O'Brian), a mad scientist in the Dr. Moreau tradition, whose work in human transplants has created many disfigured zombie-like people. Heroes also have to contend with numerous natives who are cannibals and very aggressive. They kidnap Lori, apply body paint and prepare her for sacrifice to their gods. She's saved when the cannibals hail her as a magical being, while McCulloch escapes from the operating table to wipe out (with the cannibals' aid) Dr. Butcher and his henchmen.

Gore makeup is not very realistic, but the plentiful dismemberments, scalpings and acts of cannibalism on camera will be appreciated by steady fans of this sort of thing, e.g., patrons of the 1980 Jerry Gross release "Zombie", which also starred Ian McCulloch. Acting is wooden, with McCulloch and Alexandra Cole almost comically blase as they stroll along ignoring island terrors. Biggest crowd-pleaser occurs when McCulloch jabs an aggressor in the face with a handy outboard motor. Blonde Cole displays a magnificent undraped (and painted) body for the camera in the tradition of Ursula Andress ("Slave of the Cannibal God") and Bo Derek ("Tarzan, the Ape Man").

At a hospital happens strange deaths related with canníbal practices of immigrants from remote locations . That's why an expedition formed by Doctor Ian McCulloch , Alexandra Delli Colli and a reporter : Sherry Buchanan travel to East Indians, arriving in a particular island . There they meet a rare scientist undergoing weird experiments and doing his own research . Along the way , they come across bizarre people , ghastly incidents , a tribe of cannibals who attack them and living dead too.

Extremely gory film with thrils , chills , violence and lots of gore and blood, in fact , it isn't recommended for the faint-hearted . This bloody film follows the ordinary plot about a mad doctor operating weird experiments that go wrong , alongside sadistic cannibal natives and hungry zombies . Stars the Scottish Ian McCulloch as a stubborn Doctor , Sherry Buchanan as a journalist and Alexandra Delli Colli who married cameraman Tonino Delli Colli and played a few films as Gayarre and Fulci's New York Ripper. While Donald O'Brien is the mad doctor with dark purports that will stop at nothing to bring to life his fantastic experiments and at whatever cost .

The motion picture was regular but professionally Marino Girolami , under pseudonym Frank Martin. He was a prolific craftsman who wrote and directed several films from the 50s to the 80s . He was father of director Enzo G Castelari and actor Ennio Girilami who often played his movies . Marino directed all kinds of genres as Peplum, Spaghetti Western , Euro Spy , Sex Comedy , Poliziesco , terror and providing acceptable films , getting boxoffice enough . As he directed Spaghetti Westerns : Bullets and the flesh , Reverend Colt , Badmen of the West , two Ringos from Texas , God was in the West too at one time . Poliziesco and Thriller : Rome Violent , The other side of violence , Eros and Thanatos , African Story , A Special Cop in action . Peplum : Warth of Achilles . Comedy : Las Otoñales, Casanova Jekill , Ragazza Vía Veneto, Ferragosto in Bikini , among others .