BL-24 - Flipbook - Page 111
C U LT U R E & A RT S
DAWN OF
THE DEAD
ZOMBI 2
Lucio Fulci’s Caribbean zombie epic
is supposed to be deadly serious (and
has its nasty, gut-munching moments
too), as well as nodding to classics
like I Walked with a Zombie and The
Island of Dr Moreau. But any 昀椀lm
that contains an underwater 昀椀ght
between shark and zombie is perhaps
not competing with Kurosawa, less
tongue-in-cheek, more tonguethrough-cheek. Still, there’s the classic
scene where an eyeball is popped by
a sharp wooden shard. Ands lots of
shuf昀氀ing, brain-hungry zombies too,
and a decent 昀椀nal twist.
George A. Romero’s 昀椀rst 昀椀lm of the
Trilogy, Night of the Living Dead,
may be the more celebrated. But
its sequel, set in a shopping mall
surrounded by hungry zombies, is not
just a gripping, gloriously gory zombie
action thriller but a not-so-subtle satire
of consumerism in modern America.
Albeit with lots of splattered heads,
gobbled guts and really good 1980s
synth. at his 昀椀nest.
Witch昀椀nder (1968)
AN AMERICAN
WEREWOLF IN
LONDON
Dawn of the Dead (1978)
A comedy horror that is actually
both funny and scary. Rob Bottin’s
make-up effects are still incredible,
the werewolf attacks brutal, and
Grif昀椀n Dunne, as his slowly
decaying best friend, is superb. It also
features cinema’s greatest pub, The
Slaughtered Lamb. “Stay on the road,
and keep clear of the moors.” Oh, and
“Beware the moon.” Obvs.
Zombi 2 (1979)
WITCHFINDER
GENERAL
Not horror, exactly, although Vincent
Price’s Matthew Hopkins (the
eponymous Witch昀椀nder General) is
evil incarnate. Michael Reeves’ deeply
grim tale is set during the English
Civil War, and East Anglia has never
looked so forbidding. Beautifully shot,
it is unrelentingly bleak. In the worst
possible way.
CANNIBAL
HOLOCAUST
An American Werewolf in London (1981)
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Offensive. Exploitative.
Uncompromising. Dark, desolate and
de昀椀nitely disgusting too. But Ruggero
Deodato’s “lost footage” cannibal
classic still packs a mightily visceral
punch. Watch at your peril.
