A large part of the horror filmography has been (and is) dedicated to the figure of the zombie: in fact, the list of films about the living dead is constantly growing.
Therefore, in this list we focus on the best Italian horror films dedicated to the living dead i.e. those milestones of our country's horror cinema of which our country is proud. Without a doubt, the inclusion of the "Trilogy of Death" (Fear in the City of the Living Dead, ...And you will live in terror! The afterlife and That villa next to the cemetery) by Lucio Fulci, one of Italy's greatest directors.
For those who would like to explore this topic further, we refer to our special Italian Zombie: living dead in Italy.
10 – Zombie Horror (Nights Of Terror): in 1981 Andrea Bianchi (under the pseudonym Andrew White) directed a confusing zombie movie that, despite its flaws, became a cult favorite among fans of the genre. Merit certainly goes to the very handcrafted but effective gore and bloody special effects.
Plot: Using an Etruscan ritual, a professor unwittingly awakens the dead who assault guests at a villa.
Maria Angela Giordano, Renato Barbieri, Peter Bark, Karin Well among the actors.
9- In 1980 Umberto Lenzi directed. Nightmare City, in which contagion is triggered by a leak of radioactive material that contaminates scholars at a chemical factory.
An anomalous film in the vein since Lenzi's zombies are intelligent beings (hungry and frenetic) who can drive vehicles, use objects and run. Despite budget limitations, unpolished acting, and shoddy zombie makeup, Nightmare over the city Lenzi's film has become a cult favorite. The film entertains, manages to amuse and even disgust (credit to some of the effect scenes).
Actors include Mel Ferrer, Maria Rosaria Omaggio, and Francisco Rabal.
8 – Zombie Holocaust (1980) by Marino Girolami: an unforgettable splatter and gore film that owes much to Zombie Flesh Eaters and to Cannibal Holocaust. The film gives unbearable scenes accompanied by discreet special effects by Maurizio Trani.
Zombie Holocaust represents a perfect fusion of cannibal movie and zombie movie.
Plot: A tribe in the West Indies is dedicated to cannibalism. Here a mad doctor intervenes on the brains of the dead to create an army of the living dead.
In the cast: Walter Patriarca, Ian McCulloch, Alexandra Delli Colli, and Sherry Buchanan.
7 – Zeder (1983) by Pupi Avati: you could not miss this immense film full of tension in which a very intriguing and complex story stands out. Of note are the skill of actor Gabriele Lavia and the very effective soundtrack.
Plot: Scholar Paolo Zeder has discovered some grounds (called "K") where buried corpses come back to life. Many years later, writer Stefano (Gabriele Lavia), finds tapes in a used typewriter. The contents he transcribes from the old reel relate precisely to the K grounds.
Also in the cast are Cesare Barbetti, Bob Tonelli, Ferdinando Orlandi and Marcello Tusco.
6 – Cemetery Man (1994) by Michele Soavi: a particular film centered on love and death and permeated by elegant Gothic atmospheres. Rupert Everett plays Francesco Dellamorte, a cemetery caretaker who prevents the dead from coming back to life by shooting them in the head. The man is torn between his passion for his craft and his love for a woman (Anna Falchi).
A romantic and macabre story is framed by excellent special effects (by Sergio Stivaletti) and a good soundtrack.
The film is based on the novel of the same name by Tiziano Sclavi.
5 – That villa next to the cemetery (The House by the Cemetery) from 1981: this third installment of the "Death Trilogy" is considered the most terrifying horror film directed by Lucio Fulci, precisely because of the right mix of horror, splatter and suspense. The film also gives one of the greatest horror figures namely that of Dr. Jacob Freudstein (played by Giovanni De Nava).
Plot: Following the suicide of Professor Erick Peterson, Norman Boyle, a young historian from New York City, reaches a small provincial town to pursue his work. Norman settles in the professor's home with his wife Lucy and son Bob to investigate the scholar's foolish act. He discovers that the mansion in question (Oak Mansion), was formerly the home of Dr. Freudstein, a mad scientist who conducted experiments on immortality.
Also in the cast are Catriona MacColl, Paolo Malco, Ania Pieroni, Giovanni Frezza and Silvia Collatina.
4 – One must not desecrate the sleep of the dead (1974) by Jorge Grau: also known by the titles. Da dove vieni? and Let Sleeping Corpses Lie, Grau's macabre and dark film is considered one of the first Italian zombie movies although the production is Italian-Spanish. Let Sleeping Corpses Lie is also circulated in Italian theaters under the title Zombie 4: After Death.
Plot: An ultrasonic machine is used as a pesticide but will resurrect the dead buried nearby.
The main characters who will have to defend themselves from the dead are played by Cristina Galbó and Ray Lovelock.
3 – Zombie Flesh Eaters: on the heels of the Romerian success Dawn of the Dead (Dawn of the Dead), in 1979 Lucio Fulci made. Zombie Flesh Eaters, considered the first true staple of Italian living-dead cinematography. It is actually not a sequel to Dawn of the Dead (as the title might imply) but of an independent film.
Plot: A girl reaches a Caribbean island to search for her father. Here, however, the dead come back to life because of a voodoo ritual.
The film enjoys memorable moments thanks to successful special effects by Maurizio Trani. A couple of examples: the eye pierced by a wooden splinter and the fight in the sea between a zombie and a shark.
In the cast: Tisa Farrow, Ian McCulloch, Olga Karlatos and Al Cliver (Pierluigi Conti).
2 - 1981 is the year of the brilliant zombie film ...And you will live in terror! The afterlife by Lucio Fulci. Undoubtedly a film that touches the heights of Italian horror cinema.
Plot: A woman inherits a hotel in Louisiana. There she discovers that, many years earlier, a mad painter was murdered within those very walls for discovering disturbing secrets related to the facility.
The cast includes Catriona MacColl and David Warbeck. Good soundtrack by Fabio Frizzi and immense special effects by Giannetto De Rossi.
1 – City Of The Living Dead: Lucio Fulci gave the world unforgettable horror masterpieces including this film directed in 1980. City Of The Living Dead is the first chapter of the immense "Death Trilogy." In this film, full of impressive splatter effects (Maurizio Trani), zombies disappear and reappear as spectres.
Plot: In Dunwich, a priest commits suicide. His act unleashes the forces of evil that take possession of the bodies of the dead, bringing them back to life.
In the cast: Catriona MacColl, Antonella Interlenghi, Janet Agren, Giovanni Lombardo Radice.
