Hell of the Living Dead
(a.k.a. Virus, Night of the Zombies,
Zombie Creeping Flesh)
(Bruno Mattei (as Vincent Dawn); 1983)
(Anchor Bay Entertainment)
-Overview-
A horrific experimental virus is unleashed upon the populous when there is an accident at a chemical plant, and an elite SWAT team is dispatched to New Guinea to investigate. When the squad arrives on the island, they discover a plague of flesh eating zombies as well as a group of survivors including a news reporter who partakes in nude anthropology. Mayhem ensues.
Bruno Mattei doesn’t exactly have the best reputation since he ruined Lucio Fulci’s Zombie 3, but I do think this film does get a bad rep from genre fans. Sure, the acting is beyond atrocious and the film boasts some of the worst acted zombies ever filmed, but the gore factor is there in spades as well as plenty of gratuitous T&A. Some of the effects are well done while others are terrible, and Mattei has seen fit to insert lots of stock footage of real cadavers as well as wildlife (be prepared to watch the same bird dive into a river many, many times) and tribesmen. Mattei also saw fit to borrow pretty much the entire film score for George Romero’s classic Dawn of the Dead which is essentially looped throughout the film in its entirety. Recommended for genre fans who appreciate bad film.
-Sound-
Good sound quality. Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono.
-Picture-
Transferred from original negative materials, resulting in a decent, albeit slightly flawed print. There is some artifacting evident. Widescreen 1.85:1 (enhanced for 16x9 TVs).
-Special Features-
- Hell Rats of the Living Dead: An all new interview with Bruno Mattei
- Theatrical Trailer
- Poster & still gallery
- Bruno Mattei bio
-Packaging-
Standard DVD keep case. Includes an insert with a print of the original poster artwork.
Sound: 5
Picture: 6
Packaging: 6
(Rating scale is out of 10, with 1 being the worst and 10 the best)