Zombi 3

(Lucio Fulci / Bruno Mattei; 1988)

(Media Blasters / Shriek Show)

A group of terrorists release a cloud of putrefying waste, causing the local population to mutate into a mass of ferocious, flesh-chomping zombies. A group of young people led by Kenny and Patricia are barricaded in a hotel and seek refuge at an abandoned military base. Together, they must rely on their most savage instincts to survive the apocalyptic onslaught of blood-crazed ghouls.

This film gets a bad rap. Sure it’s campy, there’s a flying zombie head, some of the zombies talk and it has a horrible ending. However, there’s tons of gore and gratuitous violence and that makes it a tad more palatable. It’s a bad movie that’s enjoyable. Just don’t go expecting a film of Fulci’s Zombie caliber and you’ll be fine. Having seen the recent crop of  “zombie” films like 28 Days Later and Dawn of the Dead 2004 where the zombies sprint like idiots certainly made me appreciate Zombi 3 more that I did initially. I’d rather watch this tripe than that sprinting shit any day. Worth a look for genre fans and those looking for a laugh.

Adequate.

A decent print. No noticeable flaws. Widescreen 1.85:1. Some scenes were taken from a Japanese video master and the quality drops considerably as a result, but this is the most complete version of the film currently asembled.

-          Trailers

-          Talent bios

-          Interviews with Bruno Mattei, Claudio Fragasso, Ottaviano Dell’Acqua, Marina Loi & Massiomo Vanni

Standard DVD keep case.

Sound: 5

Picture: 5

Special Features: 4

Packaging: 5

Film: 6

Overall Rating: 6

(Rating scale is out of 10, with 1 being the worst and 10 the best)