City of the Living Dead (1983)

People are voting emotionally.

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

Zombies with super powers, heads getting drilled, bleeding eyes, creepy synth music and much more. They don't make them like this anymore, if they're not running cannon fodder then its asking too much these days. By the end of the movie it did feel short, the speed of the movie certainly ramps up and keeps going pretty quickly. It is a video nasty imo mostly because of the head drilling. Definitely in this zombie movie fans top 10. Don't expect Dawn of the Dead, its closer to Cemetery Man (another zomg zombie movie). One last thing, it is a 1980 release but it feel like a 70's horror. Enjoy, go watch.

The scene early on in this film where the zombie rises from a pile of leaves amuses me to no end. Most people- before being turned undead by whatever unseen forces- are usually buried in A COFFIN a few feet down- not literally right at the surface. Of course with all the goofs and lapses in plot and continuity, this is just one example, but I thought I'd point it out since viewers have mentioned most of the others.The infamous gore scenes are too fake-looking to be truly stomach- churning. If Tom Savini had done the FX on Fulci's movies..oh man think of how that would have been. Christopher George is always a pleasure and adds some respectability to the otherwise poor acting. The worms and maggots on some of the zombies were better actors!

City of the Living Dead is an excellent addition to the low-budget zombie genre, with surprisingly realistic special effects, a great storyline and decent acting. The soundtrack was excellent, definitely fits in with that synthesized 80's zombie movie soundtrack like in Hell of the Living Dead (1980), Warning Sign (1985) and Day of the Dead (1985). It's a soundtrack that's both melancholy and catchy all at once.Somehow COTLD got an Ages 16 and Up rating, but it has loads of gory moments. There's a maggot-covered body of a child, an old lady biting a guy's hand off, a graphic suicide, a nasty maggot scene and the seemingly favorite scene of most reviewers, a lady puking up her own internal organs, among others. How this film didn't get rated R is totally beyond me. Nevertheless it wouldn't be the same zombie movie without these scenes, that's what zombie movies are all about.I'd definitely recommend checking this one out if you're a fan of zombie/horror films. I also recommend Hell of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead (the original 1978 version not the cruddy remake), and I Drink Your Blood.

I just spent the past two days re-watching the entire "Gates of Hell" trilogy from Fulci. I have seen all three previously, but never watched them in a marathon, so to speak, to get a sense of the trilogy as a whole. For some reason, I watched them backwards as well (which doesn't matter one bit mind you, since they are more a thematic trilogy rather than a narrative one). I really developed a much better appreciation for the themes and tones that Fulci was trying to establish with these three movies. He has stated in interviews that he was essentially trying to put his nightmarish views of hell on film and I think he does an admirable job.One thing that you can say for the director is that he knows how to establish a consistently creepy atmosphere for his movies. Even when they lack action or solid pacing, the movies are moved along well by an excellent artistic sense of how to use violence and imagery to create mood, which is a lesson that many modern directors could stand to learn. In many ways, this movie is sort of a ramp up to THE BEYOND. I see a lot of the same patterns to the movies and it's almost as if he was learning the ropes on this movie so that he was ready for the ultimate work with the next movie. While that definitely means, to me, that THE BEYOND is the better work, this is by no means a bad movie. For one, the biggest complaint typically lodged at Fulci is his lack of plotting. Of the three movies in the trilogy, I would posit that this is the one with the most consistent narrative. It pretty much makes sense (for a horror movie) from front to back and moves along as one linear narrative. He almost abandons any sense of logic in the next two, so for those turned off by that surreal approach, this is more of his more accessible movies.It does take quite a bit to get going. I hate the term "slow burn" because it gets thrown around far too often, but Fulci takes his time establishing his atmosphere until the final reel when the zombies come out to play. I love the zombies in this movie. The makeup effects are excellent and imaginative without being the same cardboard cutouts that we see over and over in modern zombie movies. Yes, they don't feel as realistic, but they do come across more like something from a Gothic nightmare.The real reason you want to watch a Fulci movie is for the gore, of course, and this is one of his very best in that department. He was obsessed with ocular damage and this doesn't hold back as plenty an eye is gouged, ripped and poked out. The legendary drill scene is definitely a gorehound's treat and still holds up well. For me, though, the coup de grace is the girl throwing up her internal organs in the car. This is made all the more impressive considering that he actually convinced the actress to swallow a plate full of guts to make the image work. That makes it even more horrifying for me.If you've seen a Fulci movie and hated it, then this isn't going to change your mind. They are generally the kind of film that you love or hate the first time and nothing will change that opinion. If you've seen some of Fulci's work and enjoyed it, then I highly recommend checking out this movie after you've seen ZOMBIE and THE BEYOND. If you like this, you may, just may be prepared for THE HOUSE BY THE Cemetery.