City of the Living Dead
Encyclopedia
City of the Living Dead is an Italian
horror film from director Lucio Fulci
. It has numerous alternate titles, such as Gates of Hell. It is the first installment of the unofficial Gates of Hell trilogy which also includes The Beyond and The House by the Cemetery
. Fulci makes an uncredited cameo as Dr. Joe Thompson in the film.
himself in a cemetery, the gates of Hell
are opened. Zombie
s with the abilities of super strength, teleportation
and levitation appear and start killing off people in a remote town.
Psychic
Mary Woodhouse (Catriona MacColl
) dies of what appears to be fright at a seance, and is buried – only to revive, buried alive, in her own coffin.
Investigating reporter Peter Bell (Christopher George
), who is intrigued by the case, is present at the grave-site and rescues her – only to learn it is all fated as part of a prophecy in the Book of Enoch. The death of the priest is only the beginning, and they both must travel to the rural town of Dunwich
, New England
, and close the portal to Hell before All Saints Day, or the spirits of the dead will overtake the earth.
under the title Ein Zombie hing am Glockenseil and banned shortly afterwards. Since then the film has been rereleased several times under various titles (Ein Toter hing am Glockenseil, Eine Leiche hing am Glockenseil, and various other international titles) in cut and uncut form. All of these releases have subsequently been banned. The only exception is a version named Ein Kadaver hing am Glockenseil which is missing nine minutes of footage and has been rated 16 by the FSK
.
. Post Video Recordings Act
, it was submitted to the BBFC for official video release and received further cuts to the vomiting scene, and to the brain removal scenes. In 2001, it was re-submitted and passed uncut.
released the Blu-ray, which includes the documentary Making of City of the Living Dead.
A Special Edition DVD (Region 1) was also released the same day, with the making-of documentary on it as well.
released the definitive 1-disc edition on Blu-ray and 2 disc DVD
.
Extras include:
– Introduction by actor Carlo de Mejo (16:9; 0:36)
– Audio Commentary by actor Giovanni Lombardo Radice
– Audio Commentary by actress Catriona MacColl moderated by Jay Slater
– International Trailer (16:9; 2:55; in English or Italian)
– FULCI IN THE HOUSE documentary (16:9; 17:50)
– CARLO OF THE LIVING DEAD – interview with actor Carlo de Mejo (16:9; 17:28)
– DAME OF THE DEAD – interview with actress Catriona MacColl (16:9; 24:51)
– FULCI'S DAUGHTER – interview with Antonella Fulci (16:9; 27:34)
– PENNING SOME PAURA – interview with screenwriter Dardano Sacchetti (16:9; 18:12)
– PROFONDO LUIGI – interview with Luigi Cozzi (16:9; 16:59)
– LIVE FROM THE GLASGOW THEATRE (16:9; 24:47)
– THE MANY LIVES (AND DEATHS) OF GIOVANNI LOMBARDO RADICE (16:9; 50:26)
– GALLERY OF THE LIVING DEAD (16:9; 3:35)
– Booklet with liner notes and featuring additional text interviews.
– Double-sided poster
– Four sleeve cover artwork options
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
horror film from director Lucio Fulci
Lucio Fulci
Lucio Fulci was an Italian film director, screenwriter, and actor. He is perhaps best known for his directorial work on gore films, including Zombie and The Beyond , although he made films in genres as diverse as giallo, western, and comedy...
. It has numerous alternate titles, such as Gates of Hell. It is the first installment of the unofficial Gates of Hell trilogy which also includes The Beyond and The House by the Cemetery
The House by the Cemetery
The House by the Cemetery is a 1981 Italian supernatural horror film directed by Lucio Fulci and is the third instalment of the unofficial Gates of Hell trilogy which also includes City of the Living Dead and The Beyond Its plot revolves around a series of murders taking place in a New England...
. Fulci makes an uncredited cameo as Dr. Joe Thompson in the film.
Plot
After Father William Thomas (Fabrizio Jovine) hangsHanging
Hanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature. The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death by suspension by the neck", though it formerly also referred to crucifixion and death by impalement in which the body would remain...
himself in a cemetery, the gates of Hell
Hell
In many religious traditions, a hell is a place of suffering and punishment in the afterlife. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hells as endless. Religions with a cyclic history often depict a hell as an intermediary period between incarnations...
are opened. Zombie
Zombie
Zombie is a term used to denote an animated corpse brought back to life by mystical means such as witchcraft. The term is often figuratively applied to describe a hypnotized person bereft of consciousness and self-awareness, yet ambulant and able to respond to surrounding stimuli...
s with the abilities of super strength, teleportation
Teleportation
Teleportation is the fictional or imagined process by which matter is instantaneously transferred from one place to another.Teleportation may also refer to:*Quantum teleportation, a method of transmitting quantum data...
and levitation appear and start killing off people in a remote town.
Psychic
Psychic
A psychic is a person who professes an ability to perceive information hidden from the normal senses through extrasensory perception , or is said by others to have such abilities. It is also used to describe theatrical performers who use techniques such as prestidigitation, cold reading, and hot...
Mary Woodhouse (Catriona MacColl
Catriona MacColl
Catriona MacColl is an English actress who has worked extensively in both film and television across Europe.-Acting career:In 1979, MacColl made her debut in the title role of "Lady Oscar" directed by Jacques Demy in Japan...
) dies of what appears to be fright at a seance, and is buried – only to revive, buried alive, in her own coffin.
Investigating reporter Peter Bell (Christopher George
Christopher George
Christopher John George was an American television and film actor who was perhaps best known for his starring role in the 1966-1968 TV series The Rat Patrol. He was nominated for a Golden Globe in 1967 as Best TV Star for his performance in the series...
), who is intrigued by the case, is present at the grave-site and rescues her – only to learn it is all fated as part of a prophecy in the Book of Enoch. The death of the priest is only the beginning, and they both must travel to the rural town of Dunwich
Dunwich (Lovecraft)
Dunwich is a fictional town that appeared in the H. P. Lovecraft short story "The Dunwich Horror" . Dunwich is found in the fictional Miskatonic River Valley of Massachusetts, part of the imaginary region sometimes called Lovecraft Country...
, New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
, and close the portal to Hell before All Saints Day, or the spirits of the dead will overtake the earth.
Production
During the movie, actress Daniela Doria actually vomited sheep entrails during the intestine purging scene.German release status
The film was initially released uncut in GermanyGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
under the title Ein Zombie hing am Glockenseil and banned shortly afterwards. Since then the film has been rereleased several times under various titles (Ein Toter hing am Glockenseil, Eine Leiche hing am Glockenseil, and various other international titles) in cut and uncut form. All of these releases have subsequently been banned. The only exception is a version named Ein Kadaver hing am Glockenseil which is missing nine minutes of footage and has been rated 16 by the FSK
Freiwillige Selbstkontrolle der Filmwirtschaft
The Freiwillige Selbstkontrolle der Filmwirtschaft is a German motion picture rating system organisation run by the Spitzenorganisation der Filmwirtschaft based in Wiesbaden.- Assignment :The main tasks of the FSK are approving and rating movies and trailers, videos and DVDs, and...
.
X version
In the early 1980s, this film was passed by the BBFC for cinema exhibition with only the infamous "Head drilling scene" cut. The same "X" version was released on video around the same time. It was never targeted by the DDPDDP
A DDP is a decentralized dance party. It involves hundreds of boomboxes tuned into a hot track being transmitted by a short wave FM radio and ipod, and controller glove! People are usually expected to wear a nice suite jacket or banana suite, and sometimes there's a theme.The first to have the ddp...
. Post Video Recordings Act
Video Recordings Act 1984
The Video Recordings Act 1984 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that was passed in 1984. It states that commercial video recordings offered for sale or for hire within the UK must carry a classification that has been agreed upon by an authority designated by the Home Office...
, it was submitted to the BBFC for official video release and received further cuts to the vomiting scene, and to the brain removal scenes. In 2001, it was re-submitted and passed uncut.
Blue Underground version
On 25 May 2010 Blue UndergroundBlue Underground
Blue Underground is an American company specializing in releasing authoritative editions of cult and exploitation movies on Blu-ray Disc and DVD....
released the Blu-ray, which includes the documentary Making of City of the Living Dead.
A Special Edition DVD (Region 1) was also released the same day, with the making-of documentary on it as well.
Arrow Video version
On 24 May 2010 in the UK, Arrow VideoArrow Films
Arrow Films is a UK distributor of classic, horror, and cult films on Blu-ray and DVD.-Arrow Films:Arrow Films is one of the UK's leading independent distributors of world cinema, arthouse, horror and classic films...
released the definitive 1-disc edition on Blu-ray and 2 disc DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
.
Extras include:
– Introduction by actor Carlo de Mejo (16:9; 0:36)
– Audio Commentary by actor Giovanni Lombardo Radice
– Audio Commentary by actress Catriona MacColl moderated by Jay Slater
– International Trailer (16:9; 2:55; in English or Italian)
– FULCI IN THE HOUSE documentary (16:9; 17:50)
– CARLO OF THE LIVING DEAD – interview with actor Carlo de Mejo (16:9; 17:28)
– DAME OF THE DEAD – interview with actress Catriona MacColl (16:9; 24:51)
– FULCI'S DAUGHTER – interview with Antonella Fulci (16:9; 27:34)
– PENNING SOME PAURA – interview with screenwriter Dardano Sacchetti (16:9; 18:12)
– PROFONDO LUIGI – interview with Luigi Cozzi (16:9; 16:59)
– LIVE FROM THE GLASGOW THEATRE (16:9; 24:47)
– THE MANY LIVES (AND DEATHS) OF GIOVANNI LOMBARDO RADICE (16:9; 50:26)
– GALLERY OF THE LIVING DEAD (16:9; 3:35)
– Booklet with liner notes and featuring additional text interviews.
– Double-sided poster
– Four sleeve cover artwork options
External links
- City of the Living Dead at Rotten TomatoesRotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
- CinemaBlend DVD review by Brian Holcomb
- http://www.badmovies.org/forum/index.php/topic,132328.0html at www.badmovies.org