The Movie
Perhaps owing to its low budget and overseas origins, Lucio Fulci's Zombie (a.k.a. Zombi 2) remains largely unknown to American audiences, but this imaginative entry in the undead genre is considered by many to be the best of its kind, trumping even the works of master George Romero. Hence the occasion of Blue Underground's much-anticipated 2-Disc Ultimate Edition.
A Manhattan journalist (Ian McCulloch) is assigned to the story of an abandoned boat that has drifted into New York Harbor with no one on board save for a violent, corpulent, wordless man who proceeds to chomp on a police officer before disappearing into the water, presumed dead. The daughter of a missing scientist, who has been incommunicado down in The Antilles for months, arrives looking for some clue to her father's whereabouts, and soon she and the reporter are headed to the islands.
But the rumors of the exotic destination's curse are sounding more and more credible as some unexplained force--perhaps a scientific cause, perhaps voodoo--is making the dead walk the Earth again. Worse, those afflicted are compelled to eat human flesh. Soon, the pair and their traveling companions find themselves stranded on the God-forsaken island, about to be overrun by the lumbering terrors, but not before we are treated to one of the wildest scenes in any horror movie: a brief zombie-versus-shark showdown with casualties on both sides.
Zombie is rife with graphic gore, and since it is more than 30 years old, the characters seem unaware of The Rules (shoot 'em in the head, don't get bit) that we take for granted in the Walking Dead age, which can be suspenseful and fun. It's all served up with a bit of cheese (people sometimes forget all common sense when defending themselves), but as a monster movie and as a landmark of the genre, it's a terrific feat.
The Picture
Blue Underground has once again taken great pains to restore a classic horror film for the high-def era, as evidenced by this cinematographer-supervised 2K transfer. The 2.35:1 image was originally shot on 35mm, but with the cost-saving two-perforation Techniscope process which exposes less surface area and introduces more grain. Even so, the results here show only modest levels of film grain and video noise, with a generally clean appearance. The blacks are naturally nuanced, which comes as something of a surprise. It's not quite reference quality and not true of every shot mind you, but a fine example of an older, lower-budget movie that doesn't need to suffer from crushed blacks.
The picture is often soft, sometimes shot without sharp focus or perhaps even using filters, but the effect is enjoyable in HD. Colors are solid although they lean a little toward pinkishness. A few remaining instances of vertical film scratches are barely noticeable.
The Sound
Exquisite care has obviously been lavished upon the high-res, multichannel remix/remaster too, combining discrete audio information with wind and even subtler cues that help to establish the different environments. Gun blasts resonate across speakers, and we can almost smell the rotting flesh as flies buzz around the island hospital.
The disc defaults to English DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1, but the original Italian language soundtrack is also available for all three audio options (also Dolby Digital Surround EX 5.1 and mono). Quite a lot of dialogue has clearly been re-recorded, and sound effects added, so expect plenty of lip-synch issues and some conspicuous Foley no matter which version you choose.
Depending upon your outlook, the synthesizer score is either painfully dated or a big dose of retro fun. I will say that it tends to lighten the mood for certain scenes, intentionally or not.
The Extras
In addition to a quick, optional introduction by the great Guillermo del Toro, wearing his bubbly fanboyism on his sleeve, Disc One packs an audio commentary with star Ian McCulloch joined by the editor of Diabolik Magazine, Jason J. Slater. There are also two trailers and a still gallery, thoughtfully presented in HD, plus some TV and radio spots.
Disc Two packs an impressive collection of new on-camera interviews, a great many of them subtitled in English, all neatly organized by subject and all in HD. "Zombie Wasteland" (22 minutes) brings us Ian McCulloch and his co-stars Richard Johnson and Al Cliver, plus actor/stuntman Ottaviano Dell'Acqua, recorded at a 30th anniversary reunion. "Flesh Eaters on Film" (ten minutes) introduces us to co-producer Fabrizio de Angelis, while "Deadtime Stories" reveals the contributions of writer Elisa Briganti and her uncredited cohort Dardano Sacchetti (14 minutes).
"World of the Dead" pairs cinematographer Sergio Salvati with production/costume designer Walter Patriarca (16 minutes), as "Zombi Italiano" (seventeen minutes and the best of these clever titles, wouldn't you agree?) gives credit to special makeup effects artists Gianetto de Rossi and Maurizio Trani and special effects artist Gino de Rossi. "Notes on a Headstone" discusses the musical compositions of Fabio Frizzi, and in "All in the Family," Antonella Fulci pays tribute to her filmmaker father.
Lastly, Guillermo del Toro returns in "Zombie Lover," articulating both his own fondness for one of his favorite films but also why it is such an outstanding achievement (ten minutes).
Final Thoughts
Every horror buff who claims to have an interest in cinematic zombies has to see Lucio Fulci's Zombie, and will likely want to watch more than once. Thankfully, Blue Underground has given us a new technical gold standard for this movie, adorned with the biggest and best complement of bonus materials it has ever seen. Run, don't walk, and buy, don't rent.
Product Details
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