Ein Zombie hing am Glockenseil

Like most of Fulci's horror movies and Italian horror in general, plot and logic take a back seat to gore and stunning visual set pieces. I don't think that 'City Of The Living Dead' quite reaches the heights of Fulci's best ('The Beyond') but apart from a few dull patches it comes closer than you would expect. The simplistic story, which tips it's hat to H.P. Lovecraft, is really just an excuse for another zombie move, and regardless of his shortcomings, Fulci certainly came up with some of the most repulsive and horrible zombies ever, so this is essential viewing to fans of the genre. The movie includes two unforgettable gore sequences ( the drill and vomit scenes), a chilling scene in a graveyard, and an odd, unexpected ending. Recommended to fans of Italian horror. Others might be puzzled if they haven't experienced the style/period before, it's quite a trip!

We the audience are thrown right into Lucio Fulci's horror tale directly from the start as we witness Father Thomas (Fabrizio Jovine) hang himself at a cemetery and the death of Mary Woodhouse (Katerine MacColl) at a deliciously artsy (thanks to Fulci) seance. Before Mary dies she is screaming about the city of the living dead. Mary is not dead and is revived once she is laying within her tomb in the ground. A pretty good scene where journalist Peter Bell (Christopher George) must get her out of her coffin...with a pick axe. Fulci wouldn't have it done any other way. Because of the suicide of Father Thomas though a gate to hell has been opened allowing the dead to walk the earth again. So, Mary and Peter are off to find it and close it.

To me why I rated it higher is because of Fulci. Yes, it is a gory horror film. I mean that is a must when talking about a Fulci horror film. But, it is in his ability to create the atmosphere in the film. He uses shadows wonderfully in this film and while mixed with some swallowing fog and a nice score from Fabio Frizzi you have a nice dark setting for the horror to take place. He also with the assistance of course with co-screenwriter Dardano Sacchetti weaves the story at times without much dialogue. Which when you know what is going on I love in films.

Also starring Michele Soavi (who went on to direct CEMETERY MAN) and Lucio Fulci himself as the coroner Dr. Joe Thompson. Any gore hounds out there give it a try you might like what you see.

A zombie flick, but with a twist, City of the Living Dead (aka Gates of Hell) is maybe the best example of Fulci's talent for creating sustained nightmares; movies that make little to no logical sense but which bombard the viewer with atmosphere and gruesome imagery from which there is little relief . One of the movie's most famous sequences, in which a woman vomits up all of her innards in real time !It is absolutely brilliantly demented ! I am really thinking this kind of gore is what makes Fulci so great . He is not the Godfather of Gore for nothing.

A priest commits suicide in the opening moments, thereby opening a doorway to Hell. This one is more focused on the religious and mythical aspects of the zombie mythos. Taking place between New York City and the town of Dunwich. Fulci has a fantastic way with practical special effects and his cinematography is very well executed. City of the Living Dead is a dark, visceral, bloody, maggot filled head trip. As I just discovered his films this year , it is clear what a special, Italian horror director Lucio Fulci was. There will never be another like him. The practical effects still outshine much done today with CGI . 7/10.

This film is probably an accidental masterpiece, but a masterpiece nonetheless. Fulci is one of my idols, but I don't think he was a really good filmaker. It was his lack of coherency and almost childlike need to gross you out that made his best films so beloved. Gates of hell is the best of the lot. The film is basically one long wierd, surreal treatise one death and the horror of violent death in particular. Listen to the layered, terrifying soundtrack - wind howls, babies scream, stones grind, skulls break... The much talked about gore is not just gore but completely outlandish, brilliantly excecuted (no pun intended) operatic set pieces that come out of nowhwere and are truly, deeply repulsive. The prog rock score is just as yummy. The non linnear plot creates one of the best pieces of horror/surrealism I've ever seen. The ending is blood chilling because it doesn't make sense. See this movie more than once and realize it's so called faults are part of the reason it's so goddamned great!

City of the Living Dead (1980) is another classic by the Italian splatter master Lucio Fulci. Depiction of zombies is different here. Unlike most other movies, they are supernatural, appear and disappear like ghosts, adding additional dimension. The movie has many creepy scenes that give goosebumps from beginning to the end. Technically, there are various problems with the plot, but who cares? To my understanding, director first conceives the gory scenes very diligently and then tries to connect them by writing a plot. If you are seeking horror, you should give it a try.