Blue Underground Celebrates Zombie with 40th Anniversary Limited Edition
Going back to my childhood I can remember going to the Staten Island Mall with either friends or family and one of the places I would go would be Waldenbooks. This book retailer would not only have the latest paperbacks or novels but would also stock the latest in comics and magazines. I can remember clear as day wanting to get a copy of Fangoria #8 as it proclaimed “Beware of the walking dead Zombie!” I bought it and cherished that magazine to this day as this one of Lucio Fulci’s greatest works. Now the folks over at Blue Underground have released a 40th Anniversay Edition of Zombie but will this release do the film justice?
First lets go over the packaging as the slip cover is a lenticular cover that has one of three images. The first is the zombies crossing the iconic Brooklyn Bridge, the second is the famous splinter through the eye scene and the third is the zombie with worms. These are all amazing pieces of art by themselves and should be featured proudly in your collection. The interior has a book that chronicles some of the history behind the film and also gives a track listing for both the film and the enclosed CD. Yes, this is a MASSIVE THREE DISC collection that includes a disc crammed with special features, a CD of all the music from the film and the original film restored to 4k quality!
For those that have never heard of this film before lets just say that it is one of the better zombie films from the 80’s. The film starts as a seemingly abandoned sailboat comes into the harbor and is intercepted by the harbor patrol. The boat is registered to a Mr. Bowles and his daughter Anne Bowles is in NY and is questioned by the police. She tells them that she has not seen her father in months and she later meets up with a journalist by the name of Peter West. With some great detective work they track down her father’s trail to the Caribbean island of Matul. What follows is some of the greatest cinema that needs to be experienced with some scenes that still haven’t been recreated. All I can say is if you haven’t seen this film before you need to sit down and watch it as for its time it has some special effects that make me cringe to this very day.
The first disc doesn’t just contain the film. It has tons of special features on it including two commentary tracks the first with Troy Howard who has written a book on Lucio Fulci and his films entitled Splintered Visions. The other commentary track has the star Ian McCulloch and the editor from Diabolik Magazine, Jason J Slater. There is also an interview entitled When the Earth Spits Out The Dead featuring Stephen Thrower, author of the book Beyond Terror: The Films of Lucio Fulci. There is also a Guillermo del Toro intro as well as TV spots, trailers, radio spots and a poster and still gallery and that’s only on the first disc! The second disc has tons more special features including:
Zombie Wasteland – Interviews with Stars Ian McCulloch, Richard Johnson & Al Cliver, and Actor/Stuntman Ottaviano Dell’Acqua
Flesh Eaters on Film – Interview with Co-Producer Fabrizio De Angelis
Deadtime Stories – Interviews with Co-Writers Elisa Briganti and (Uncredited) Dardano Sacchetti
World of the Dead – Interviews with Cinematographer Sergio Salvati and Production & Costume Designer Walter Patriarca
Zombi Italiano – Interviews with Special Make-Up Effects Artists Gianetto De Rossi & Maurizio Trani and Special Effects Artist Gino De Rossi
Notes on a Headstone – Interview with Composer Fabio Frizzi
All in the Family – Interview with Antonella Fulci
Zombie Lover – Award-Winning Filmmaker Guillermo del Toro talks about one of his favorite films
And the third disc as I mentioned is a CD soundtrack of the film itself! Composed by the fablous Fabio Frizzi this CD has eight tracks that were featured in the movie and a bonus 9th track entitled There’s No Matter. This haunting soundtrack can be enjoyed in your car or on your home stereo system.
If you are a fan of zombie movies, Lucio Fulci films or both then this is a must have for your collection. If I could rate this movie any higher than five stars I would because it is that good! If you want to get a copy for your very own you can do so here . And for more great releases that are coming out you need to check out www.blue-underground.com and get ready as they are going to eat you!
