Zombi 2: The First Zombi Movie

What a glorious piece of trash... In many ways, it's kind of the epitome of the Italian horror movie. It cashes in on every two-bit trend of Italian exploitation and makes it work, despite the director's incompetence. I for one am not a fan of Lucio Fulci. "Hack" is a word I use to describe him, but his hackiness works wonders in voodoo hoodoo bullocks zombie flick.

Made as an "unofficial" sequel to Dawn of the Dead, this turkey really has nothing to do with it, but zombies were all the rage back in the late 70s, and Argento (an Italian dude) produced Dawn, but I otherwise fail to see the similarities between the two.

This movie is basically a handful of people going to an island of voodoo zombies and all the fluff that it entails. This includes pointless zombie carnage and random acts of gratuity, like titties, sharks, gore, and dubbing. That about sums up Italian movies, don't you think?

Most people will tell you that one of the best things about Zombi 2 is the score. It isn't great, but at the same time, it is. There's something magical about it, and it's become a staple of old school horror soundtracks.

Also, another thing about Fulci flicks is that whenever someone gets their head bashed open and the blood comes out, it sounds like flowing liquids. Liquids being poured, which isn't a natural open-wound sound, but it's something you'll hear in several Italian movies. I attribute this to their bad sense of sound design and awkward follying. It's a charm, though. I wouldn't have it any other way.

It must have been an interesting experience to film a bunch of zombies crossing the Brooklyn Bridge, but that's part of what makes this such an iconic zombie movie. It had a decent (albeit contrived) ending.