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[Blu-ray Review] 88 Films Delivers the Ultimate ‘Zombi 3’ Release

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The Dawn of the Dead/Zombi 2/Zombie/Zombie Flesh Eaters series can be a confusing one to keep track of. In large part that confusion is a result of the films being released as sequels without ever actually being sequels. That last sentence either makes perfect sense to you or confuses you more.

George Romero’s Dawn of the Dead was released in 1978 and was a big hit. In Italy the film was re-edited by Dario Argento and released as Zombi and it was quite successful. In order to capitalize on this success an unofficial sequel was released in Italy the following year called Zombi 2. The maestro Lucio Fulci was hired to direct, a zombie fought a shark and even though it wasn’t really a sequel a worthy successor to Dawn of the Dead was born.

Now because Zombi 2 was only a sequel to Dawn of the Dead in Italy, it was released in the US as Zombie and in the UK as Zombie Flesh Eaters. Up to this point I think everything is pretty easy to follow. This gets confusing when Zombi 3, also directed by Fulci (mostly, we’ll get into that later), is released in Italy. From Italy’s perspective this makes sense, it’s the “third” Zombi movie. In the UK this was released as Zombie Flesh Eaters 2, again making sense. The confusion is when we get to the US where Zombi 3 is known as Zombi 3, a sequel to Zombie. Why not call it Zombie 2?! Who was in charge of this blunder? Things get more hectic as you dive into the other Zombi “sequels” which continue in numerical order even in the US where we never had a Zombie 2.

It’s all a bit of madness that I wanted to touch on a bit before diving into my review of the Blu-ray of Zombi 3 released by 88 Films. By the way that’s a UK company releasing Zombie Flesh Eaters 2 as Zombi 3 (technically it’s released under both titles but the slipcover reads Zombi 3). Anyway check out the Wikipedia page on the Zombi film series, it’s fascinating.

Now onto this often overlooked gem of Italian schlock that is Zombi 3 (I guess)….

Dr. Alan Holder (Robert Marius) leads a team of scientists working on a serum called Death One. The idea is to reanimate the dead, much like Herbert West. The intentions are good and after many failed attempts they achieve success, or so they think. Death One does reanimate the dead but in doing so turns them into flesh eating zombies (the Brits were onto something with their title!) and Dr. Holder decides he can no longer be affiliated with this project.

In an attempt to resign from the project, Holder goes to deliver Death One to the military but things go terribly wrong as he’s ambushed by a group of terrorists set on getting that serum. A gun fight breaks out with many ending up dead but one terrorist doesn’t manage to escape with Death One. Unfortunately the clumsy oaf drops the serum breaking it open where he then proceeds to touch it by mistake.

This is a crucial moment in the “plot” because we learn that not only does Death One reanimate the dead and turn them into zombies, it also turns the living into zombies. Basically Death One is about to cause a whole lot of problems. The military quickly gets on top of things in order to find this now infected individual so they can quarantine him before it spreads. Unfortunately they may already be too late.

The infected terrorist ends up making it to a hotel/resort that is located in the middle of the jungle. That’s where he starts to turn and spread the infection. This is also where the military finds him and they wipe out the entire staff at the hotel, burning their remains. This turns out to be a big mistake. The ashes of the burned staff members gets caught in the wind, spreading the infection all over.

Have I mentioned the DJ yet? No, well the film also has a DJ that sort of serves as a narrator. He broadcasts the undead uprising over the airways. It’s like Vanishing Point except with zombies.

The plot details really don’t matter. This movie is about watching zombies rip people to shreds. We all love that, right?

Over the years I’ve had a really hard time gauging how horror fans feel about Zombi 3. I think it’s mostly mixed which is more than understandable. I’m definitely on the side that loves the movie. I think it’s a total blast. It’s not the classic that Zombi 2 is, but it’s a lot of fun and contains plenty of that signature gore Fulci was known for. Of course it also contains some other Fulci standbys like horribly hilarious line readings and a mostly nonsensical plot.

Is this really a Fulci movie? I don’t know. That’s been a bit of a mystery over the years. I don’t know all the details and I’m not sure anyone really does. A quick Google search will likely pull up a variety of stories. Fulci is definitely the credited director but you’ll also find lots of places list Bruno Mattei and Claudio Fragasso (who both had cameos in the film) as uncredited directors. We know that Fulci directed a good chunk of the film, somewhere between 50-60 minutes, maybe more. But during this time Fulci was very sick and he couldn’t finish the film. Either Mattei or Fragasso or possibly both directed the rest of the movie.

I tend to think Fragasso directed the scenes Fulci did not. To be fair though, I mostly think this because the 88 Films Blu-ray contains an interview with Fragasso where he says as much. Fragasso claims that even though he directed some of the movie that it is entirely a Fulci movie. But it doesn’t feel like a Fulci movie, at least not entirely. Sure, it has a bunch of the elements you’ll find in most Fulci films but something seems off. That could be because someone else had a bigger hand in shaping the final picture or maybe it’s just because Fulci was extremely sick at the time. Either way, it’s interesting stuff.

The 88 Films release is stunning. This is an incredible looking Blu-ray. I never expected to see Zombi 3 look this good. I have the Shriek Show DVD from a number of years back and this is a huge improvement. That DVD had a number of flaws but no one ever anticipated that we’d get a better release. Thankfully 88 Films has proven otherwise.

They didn’t stop with a great transfer either. In addition to the Fragasso interview, this release is pretty loaded with special features:

BRAND NEW HD Master
Uncompressed LPCM English Soundtrack
Interview with star OTTAVIANO DELL’ACQUA
Live Q&A with CATRIONA MACCOLL
ZOMBI REFLECTIONS – an interview with BEATRICE RING
Interview with CLAUDIO FRAGASSO
ORIGINAL ITALIAN OPENING
ORIGINAL ITALIAN END TITLES
TRAILER REEL
Reversible Sleeve with alternative art
Includes a Collectible Post Card

If you’re a fan of Zombi 3 you have to own this. It’s a must for any horror fan’s collection.

Zombi 3 is now available on region B Blu-ray from 88 Films.

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Chris Coffel is originally from Phoenix, AZ and now resides in Portland, OR. He once scored 26 goals in a game of FIFA. He likes the Phoenix Suns, Paul Simon and 'The 'Burbs.' Oh and cats. He also likes cats.

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‘Lisa Frankenstein’ Shambles Onto Blu-ray in April With Audio Commentary and Deleted Scenes

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lisa frankenstein trailer 2

The horror-comedy Lisa Frankenstein is headed home to physical media, with the film zombie-walking its way onto DVD and Blu-ray from Universal on April 9, 2024.

Directed by Zelda Williams and written by Diablo Cody (Juno, Jennifer’s Body), Lisa Frankenstein will also be available for a lower price on Digital beginning March 29.

Special Features include:

  • Audio commentary by director Zelda Williams
  • An Electric Connection featurette
  • Resurrecting the ‘80s featurette
  • A Dark Comedy Duo featurette
  • 5 deleted scenes
  • Gag reel

Meagan Navarro wrote in her review for Bloody Disgusting,” Billed as a coming-of-rage tale, Lisa Frankenstein instead offers a celebration of outcasts and weirdos.”

“It makes for a sugary sweet, almost wholesome effort held together by a trio of infectiously winsome performances,” Meagan’s review continued. She added, “As a celebration of teen girls and outcasts who just want to be loved, Lisa Frankenstein ultimately charms.”

Kathryn Newton (Freaky) and Cole Sprouse (“Riverdale”) lead the cast for Focus Features, and the new film is rated “PG-13” for “bloody images and sexual material.”

Carla Gugino (The Fall of the House of Usher), Liza Soberano (Alone/Together), Joe Chrest (Stranger Things) and Henry Eikenberry (The Crowded Room) also star.

[Related] ‘Lisa Frankenstein’ and ‘Jennifer’s Body’: A Match Made in Hot Pink Heaven

In Lisa Frankenstein, “Set in 1989, the film follows an unpopular high schooler who accidentally re-animates a handsome Victorian corpse during a lightning storm and starts to rebuild him into the man of her dreams using the broken tanning bed in her garage.”

Here’s the full official plot synopsis: “A coming of RAGE love story about a misunderstood teenager and her high school crush, who happens to be a handsome corpse. After a set of playfully horrific circumstances bring him back to life, the two embark on a murderous journey to find love, happiness… and a few missing body parts along the way.”

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